Location

The experimental conditions at PETRA IV are particularly attractive for materials research and structural biology. In combination with interdisciplinary research facilities and innovation laboratories, a worldwide unique research campus will thus be created in the Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld.

Science City: Hamburg’s future

In future, the research location will link living, teaching, business and innovation. Here, science will be networked with industry, innovation potential will be bundled and cooperation with partners, such as small and medium-sized enterprises, will be promoted.

The DESY research and technology centre, parts of the University of Hamburg and other top scientific institutes already ensure that the Bahrenfeld location has international appeal. Further scientific departments of the University of Hamburg, the Altona Innovation Park and housing projects will bring additional dynamism to the district. The Altona Volkspark, the largest park in the city of Hamburg, is located in the direct vicinity of the Science City. Both will benefit from each other.

A centre in the Bahrenfeld district

A good relationship with our neighbours is essential for DESY. That is why it is tradition at DESY to maintain good contact and dialogue with our neighbourhood. If you would like to know more about our project or have any requests, please contact the neighbourhood office directly. You will find the contact at the bottom of this page.

We also regularly open our doors to visitors: Hamburg’s largest research centre is open to all and invites you to take a tour. Special knowledge of physics is not required. In addition to scheduled tours, we regularly conduct virtual tours.

Construction project

The PETRA III storage ring is to be fundamentally upgraded. In future, the new PETRA IV light source will generate an X-ray beam that is significantly more focused and thus more intense than before. This will be achieved by replacing and improving the equipment in the existing ring. In addition, it will be necessary to build a new experimental hall. This will be partly built in the Lise Meitner Park, which is adjacent to the DESY site. The construction of the hall is planned from around 2025.

Overall, we are making every effort to keep truck traffic and construction site noise as low as possible. Please also read our FAQ.