Katrin Amunts is the Scientific Research Director of the Human Brain Project and leads two centers at Forschungszentrum Jülich and the University Hospital Düsseldorf. With her internationally recognized work that includes the BigBrain and JuBrain projects and use of novel methodology such as polarized light imaging, she follows the footsteps of famous anatomists of the past, such as Cecile and Oskar Vogt, name givers of her institute. We talk about the relevance of anatomical models and ultra-high-definition atlases for successful deep brain stimulation procedures, the impact of open data sharing and upcoming advances in the field of whole brain anatomy.