The Skeptics Society GWUP (Gesellschaft zur wissenschaftlichen Untersuchung von Parawissenschaften e.V.) was founded in October 1987. As of February 2010, GWUP has more than 900 members and an additional 1900 subscribers to its magazine Skeptiker, which it publishes on a quarterly basis. GWUP members are not only from Germany, but also from Austria and Switzerland, and sees itself not as a national organisation, but rather as an international, German-speaking skeptics organisation open to members from all over the workd. GWUP is a non-profit organisation registered in Darmstadt, Germany, that has been granted tax-free status.

Publications

The major GWUP publication is its quarterly magazine Skeptiker, which is now into its 23rd year. The editor-in-chief is Inge Hüsgen and the editor of the lighter Skeptiker-Magazin is Bernd Harder.

Blog

Since 2008, GWUP also has its own blog in addition to its official web page. The main authors of the blog are Stefan Kirch, Bernd Harder and Inge Hüsgen.

Events

GWUP holds an annual GWUP Conferences in varying locations. The next, 20th GWUP Conference will be held in Essen, Germany, this time with a focus on why people believe in nonsense.

Regional Groups

GWUP has a number of regional groups, such as in the Essen area (Rhein-Ruhr), who are hosting the next conference, Berlin, Vienna, Hamburg, Stuttgart and Munich. They usually organise local and regional events and meetings. A full list and how to contact them is available on the GWUP web site. These groups are autonomous, thought affiliated to GWUP, and thus do not speak on behalf of GWUP. Nor does GWUP speak on their behalf.

Officers

The Board of GWUP is elected by its members every two years. The Chair of GWUP is Amardeo Sarma, who is also the Chairman of ECSO. The Vice-Chairs are Rouven Schäfer and Dr. Jochen Bergmann.

Office

GWUP has its own office in Rossdorf near Darmstadt. Located in the office is also the German Center for Inquiry (Zentrum für Wissenschaft und kritisches Denken) led by Dr. Martin Mahner. In contrast to other similar centers, the German Center for Inquiry is specialised to deal with issues of science related to matters skeptics deal with, such as fringe science claims. The full GWUP address is:

GWUP
Arheilger Weg 11
64380 Rossdorf
Germany
Telephone: +49 6154 695021

Note: Those wishing to contact humanist and secular organisations in Germany will find a useful list here.