The most important conference on soil mechanics and foundation engineering, held every four years. All papers were selected and reviewed by the national societies of the ISSMFE. Nearly all papers in English. Topics: Terzaghi oration - Geotechnical aspects of earthquakes of 1995; Heritage lecture - Geotechnics in Germany; Geotechnical aspects of the Great Belt Project and of the Oeresund Projects; Reduction of the differential settlements of the Metropolitan Cathedral in Mexico City by means of under- excavation; Soil testing and ground property characterization; Recent developments in foundation techniques; Retaining structures and excavated slopes; Underground works in urban environment; Soil improvement and reinforcement; Waste disposal and contaminated sites; Recent developments in laboratory stress-strain testing; Ground property characterization by means of insitu tests; Interplay between physical and numerical models as applied in engineering practice.