History

1832/33

The Telegrafenberg is named after a station of an optical telegraph line built to link Berlin with Koblenz via Potsdam.

1870

The Royal Prussian Geodetic Institute is founded in Berlin under its first director, Lieutenant-General Johann Jacob Baeyer as a research institute of the European Project for the Measurement of the Figure of the Earth. After the Geodetic Institute transferred to Potsdam, Baeyer's successor Friedrich Robert Helmert established Potsdam's worldwide reputation as a centre for geodesy and gravity research.

1889

First teleseismic recording of an earthquake by Ernst von Rebeur-Paschwitz.

1890

Geomagnetic Observatory is founded in Potsdam.

1892

Inauguration of the Geodetic Institute at the Telegrafenberg - today one of the GFZ main buildings.

1898-1904

Measurements of the absolute gravity value in Potsdam which in 1909 is accepted as the international reference.

1930

Commissioning of the Adolf-Schmidt-Observatory for Geomagnetism in Niemegk.

1933

Two quartz-chronometers are put into operation for the official time-service. These provide the basis for observing fluctuations in the Earth's rotation.

1946

Foundation of the Geotectonic Institute.

1969

The Geodetic and the Geomagnetic Institutes in Potsdam, the Geotectonic Institute in Berlin, and the Geodynamic Institute in Jena are combined to form the Central Institute of Physics of the Earth.

1985

Publication of an earthquake register for eastern Germany, ranging from 823 - 1984.

01.01.1992

Foundation of the GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam GFZ.

02.06.1998

Inauguration of the new GFZ-Buildings (building B  to H).

09.07.1999

Inauguration of the renovated Geodetic Institute, today the residence of Department 1 and the library.

15.07.2000

Start of the GFZ-Satellite CHAMP, Challenging Minisatellite Payload.

17. 03. 2002

Launch of the GRACE tandem satellites (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment)

January 2005

On behalf of the German Ministry for Science and Education the Helmholtz Association under the lead of GFZ  begins to set up an tsunami early warning system for the Indian Ocean (GITEWS). GITEWS is part of the flood aid programme of the Federal Government and is operable at the end of 2008.

16.01.2009

Dedication of the building A20