With the ESO Very Large Telescope, Europe has acquired a ground-based observational optical/IR facility, which is second to none in the world. Seven years of science operations with the 8.2-m Unit Telescopes have brought an outstanding harvest of scientific breakthroughs and more than 1,000 refereed papers have been published by its users. Moreover, the VLT Interferometer has now become a much appreciated mature facility that has provided outstanding results. The talk will describe some of the research highlights, based on the unique capabilities of the VLT/VLTI, and offers a glimpse of research possibilities to come with the future ESO facilities.
