diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 44459bd5c..cb69e524d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -16,8 +16,8 @@ jobs:
           build:
               - java: 21
                 profile: codequality
-              - java: 8
-                profile: java8
+              - java: 11
+                profile: java11
 
     name: with Java ${{ matrix.build.java }}
     runs-on: ${{ matrix.os}}
diff --git a/.sdkmanrc b/.sdkmanrc
index 86eb302e5..5414da493 100644
--- a/.sdkmanrc
+++ b/.sdkmanrc
@@ -1 +1 @@
-java=8.0.312-tem
+java=11.0.26-tem
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 1486a4e7c..4df52a298 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -2,11 +2,11 @@
 
 ## System Requirements
 
-Java 8+ is required for the tooling, plugins, etc. Maven 3.8+ is recommended.
+Java 11+ is required for the tooling, plugins, etc. Maven 3.8+ is recommended.
 
 ## Compilation target(s)
 
-As in the Java-SDK, we target Java 8. The parent POM configures this automatically.
+As in the Java-SDK, we target Java 11. The parent POM configures this automatically.
 
 ## Adding a module
 
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index bcd27df90..e8187fc10 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@
         </surefireArgLine>
         <skip.tests>false</skip.tests>
         <!-- this will throw an error if we use APIs not available in the specified version -->
-        <maven.compiler.release>8</maven.compiler.release>
+        <maven.compiler.release>11</maven.compiler.release>
     </properties>
 
     <dependencyManagement>
@@ -292,8 +292,7 @@
                     </excludePackageNames>
                     <doclint>all,-missing
                     </doclint>  <!-- ignore missing javadoc, these are enforced with more customizability in the checkstyle plugin -->
-
-                    <source>8</source>
+                    <legacyMode>true</legacyMode>
                 </configuration>
                 <executions>
                     <execution>
@@ -529,14 +528,14 @@
             </build>
         </profile>
 
-        <!-- profile for running tests under java 8 (used mostly in CI) -->
+        <!-- profile for running tests under java 11 (used mostly in CI) -->
         <!-- selected automatically by JDK activeation (see https://maven.apache.org/guides/introduction/introduction-to-profiles.html#implicit-profile-activation) -->
         <profile>
-            <id>java8</id>
-            <!-- with the next block we can define a set of artifacts which still support java 8, if any of the artifacts is not supporting java 8 anymore -->
+            <id>java11</id>
+            <!-- with the next block we can define a set of artifacts which still support java 11, if any of the artifacts is not supporting java 11 anymore -->
             <!--<modules><module></module></modules>-->
             <properties>
-                <toolchain.jdk.version>(1.8,9)</toolchain.jdk.version>
+                <toolchain.jdk.version>[11,)</toolchain.jdk.version>
                 <skip.tests>true</skip.tests>
             </properties>