... to meet in a large group at the 56th Hemdsärmelkolloquium, affectionately known as "Häko", and to have an intensive exchange about chemical solid state research in Germany and Austria.
Founded at the end of the 1960s at the University of Münster's Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, the thematic focus used to be very much on synthesis and structure elucidation. However, as could be impressively experienced in Dresden from 15 to 17 March 2023, today's solid-state chemistry encompasses much more. In almost 70 contributions, whose whimsical titles contributed to the charm of the event, the topics covered included

• the latest synthesis methods, but also the limits of feasibility,
• working through old "problem cases" with new methods,
• application-oriented materials research,
• (further) development of theoretical approaches and
• computer programmes and their applications.

In addition, news from the DFG and the GDCh were reported, the group of "Junge Feste" introduced themselves and their activities in the community, and companies presented their current developments in instrumentation.
The approximately 200 participants - from emeriti to doctoral students - discussed the short lectures in the Schönfeld lecture hall of the TU Dresden in a very lively, sometimes controversial manner and continued this discussion during the coffee and lunch breaks. The social get-together in the winter garden of the neighbouring Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids also provided an opportunity for exchange. The highlight of this evening event was, of course, the musicological lecture by the former director of the Semper Opera, Professor Gerd Uecker, who spoke with infectious enthusiasm about "Complexity in Music and the Natural Sciences".
At the end of the event, thunderous applause thanked the organisers Michael Ruck (TU Dresden), Thomas Doert (TU Dresden) and Juri Grin (MPI CPfS) as well as all the people from both institutions who had ensured that everything ran smoothly. We are already looking forward to the 57th Shirtsleeve Colloquium, which will probably take place in Gießen in 2024.