HERA operations and physics

HERA is designed to collide 820 GeV protons with 30 GeV electrons in 4 interaction regions spaced equidistant around its 6.3 km circumference. The initial commissioning of the HERA collider was successfully completed in the summer of 1992 with the start up of the experimental programme. I first focus on the performance of the accelerator and on the operational experience. At present two general purpose detectors H1 and ZEUS have been installed in two of the four interaction regions of HERA. I briefly review the layout and the performance of these detectors and then report on the first physics results. I comment on a possible fixed target programme at HERA using targets installed in the circulating electron and proton beams