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During the last decades, increasingly precise astronomical observations of the Galactic Centre region at radio, infrared, and X-ray wavelengths laid the foundations for a detailed understanding of the high-energy astroparticle physics of this most remarkable location in the Galaxy. Recently, observations of this region in high energy (HE, 10 MeV–100 GeV) and very high energy (VHE, > 100 GeV ) γ-rays added important insights into the emerging picture of the Galactic nucleus as a most violent and active region where acceleration of particles to highest energies and their transport can be studied in great detail. We review the current understanding of the γ-ray emission emanating from the Galactic Centre.

Measurements by High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) provide the first sensitive map of very-high-energy (VHE) γ-ray emission from the central few hundred parsecs of our galaxy. These observations are a valuable tool to understand the acceleration and propagation of energetic particles near the Galactic Centre (GC). The data reveal the existence of three discrete VHE γ-ray sources and the presence of diffuse γ-ray emission correlated with dense molecular clouds. The H.E.S.S. view of the GC region is reviewed, and possible counterparts of H.E.S.S. sources are discussed.