Ion beams 12, Legnaro 6-8 June 2012, the 50 years (1961-2011) of the Legnaro Laboratory

A short review of the history of the Legnaro Laboratory is presented since its foundation 50 years ago by Prof. A. Rostagni of the University of Padova. The evolution of the Laboratory as a national reference center for fundamental and applied nuclear physics researches is outlined, pointing out its transformation into the INFN National Laboratories in 1968. After the first CN VdG Accelerator of 5.5 MV operating in 1961 and the AN2000 devoted to interdisciplinary researches (1971), i.e. 40 years ago, ten years later the advent of the first heavy ion facility in Italy, the XTU Tandem accelerator, and later on of the ALPI superconducting linear accelerator, was crucial for any future developments, not only in the field of nuclear physics but also for the evolution of interdisciplinary programmes with ion beams.