The caloron transform is a `fake' dimensional reduction which transforms a G-bundle over certain manifolds to a loop group of G bundle over a manifold of one lower dimension. This talk will review the caloron transform and show how it can be best understood using the language of pseudo-isomorphisms from category theory as well as considering its application to Bogomolny monopoles and string structures.

In the first part of the talk I will illustrate some basic concepts of differential geometry that lead to the notion of a holonomy group. Then I will explain Berger's classification of Riemannian holonomy groups and discuss questions that arose from it. Finally, I will focus on holonomy groups of Lorentzian manifolds and indicate briefly why all this is of relevance to present-day theoretical physics.