The Department of Physics mourns the passing of Prof. Dr. Herwig Schopper

21 August 2025, by Krause-Kyora

Photo: S. J. Hertzog/CERN

With great sadness we have learned of the passing of our highly esteemed emeritus professor, Prof. Dr. Herwig Schopper. He passed away on August 19, 2025, at the age of 101 in Hamburg.
Herwig Schopper, born on February 24, 1924, in Landskron (Czechoslovakia), was an outstanding figure in German and international physics.
After studying at the Department of Physics at the University of Hamburg (UHH), he received his diploma in physics here in 1949. In 1951, he earned his doctorate at UHH in the field of optics, before turning to nuclear and elementary particle physics.
His academic career took him from Stockholm to Erlangen, where he habilitated in 1957, then on to Cambridge (UK), Mainz, Cornell (USA), and Karlsruhe. In 1973, he returned to his alma mater as Professor of Experimental Physics at what was then the II Institute of Experimental Physics.
From 1973 to 1980, he served as Chair of the Directorate of DESY. During this time, the DORIS accelerator was commissioned in Hamburg, and the PETRA accelerator was built and put into operation. From 1981 to 1988, Herwig Schopper was Director-General of CERN. In this role, he played a decisive part in developing CERN into a world-renowned research center. After his retirement, Herwig Schopper served as President of the German Physical Society (DPG) and the European Physical Society (EPS). He was also particularly committed to the international research center SESAME in Jordan.
Herwig Schopper left an extraordinary mark on both national and international research. His exceptional achievements, foresight, and humanity will remain with us in vivid memory. Our deepest sympathy goes out to his family and friends.

Johannes Haller – Institute of Experimental Physics
Markus Drescher – Head of Department
Irmgard Flick – Department Management