1925 Karl Terzaghi published the book „Erdbaumechanik auf bodenphysikalischer Grundlage“ in Vienna which is widely regarded as the birth of modern soil mechanics. The Austrian Geotechnical Society and the Austrian Society for Geomechanics are proud to jointly celebrate the 100^th anniversary of this milestone in geotechnical engineering. 1929 the first Institute and Laboratory for Soil Mechanics was established at the TU Wien. „Where it all began“ is therefore the slogan of the 21^st International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ICSMGE) to be held in Vienna in June 2026. It will be an in-person event because I strongly believe that personal communication and networking is a key component of an international conference. Leading experts in the field have agreed to deliver state-of-the art lectures and for the first time in this series of conferences a plenary session will be organized by the European Federation of Foundation Contractors (EFFC), providing the industry with the opportunity to present their efforts in battling climate change and reducing CO₂-footprint of construction industry. I can assure that the organising committee will do everything to make this conference a memorable event, in both, scientific and social aspects and I invite you to come to the beautiful city of Vienna, in the heart of Europe.