One Hundred Years of the Max‐Planck‐Institut für Kohlenforschung

This Essay is an account of the institutional and scientific development of the Max‐Planck‐Institut für Kohlenforschung in Mülheim an der Ruhr (Germany), which is the successor to the Kaiser‐Wilhelm‐Institut für Kohlenforschung founded in 1914. The Essay is divided into four main parts, corresponding to the four major periods which are closely associated with the respective Directors of the Institute from 1914 to 2014: 1) Franz Fischer; 2) Karl Ziegler; 3) Günther Wilke; and 4) the period beginning with Manfred T. Reetz, who established a directorate comprising five Directors of equal status, each heading a different research department under the banner of catalysis. Along with key historical events associated with the Institute, research highlights of the four periods are featured.