The determination of crustal structure by means of explo­ sion seismology has been one of the major objectives of the European Seismological Commission (ESC) over the past twenty-five years. It was decided some time ago to publish the results of regional crustal investigations in Europe in a series of monographs. This publication entitled "Ex­ plosion Seismology in Central Europe - Data and Results" is Volume 1 in a sequence of publications dealing with the crustal structure in Europe. The European seismologists are indebted to the German Geo­ physical Society (Deutsche Geophysikalische Gesellschaft) for taking the initiative to publish this book. Thanks are due to the German Research Society (Deutsche Forschungs­ gemeinschaft) for providing generous financial support of the field measurements and data evaluation. It is hoped that this publication will stimulate a continuation of in­ vestigations of the earth's lithosphere in order to eluci­ date the details which are still not fully understood.