The high-lights of ground-based very-high-energy (VHE, $E>100$ GeV) gamma-ray astronomy are reviewed. The summary covers both Galactic and extra-galactic sources. A total of at least 70 sources are currently known. Implications for our understanding of the non-thermal Universe are discussed. The next generation of ground based gamma-ray instruments aims to cover the entire accessible energy range from as low as $approx 10$ GeV up to $10^5$ GeV and to improve the sensitivity by an order of magnitude in comparison with current instruments.