Being located at only ~8 kpc from us, the center of our Galaxy provides us with the unique opportunity to study the physics occurring in the core of normal galaxies at very high spatial resolution. Thanks to its penetrating power, the X-ray band is particularly suited for studies of the Galactic center, allowing us to have a direct view of the central heart of the Milky Way. Over the past years, evidence has mounted that outflows of matter and energy from the core of our Milky Way have shaped the observed structure of the Galaxy on a variety of larger scales. On the one hand, within the central few square degrees of the Galaxy, X-ray maps have discovered two prominent X-ray structures extending hundreds of parsecs above and below the plane, which appear to connect the Galactic Centre region to the Fermi bubbles. On the other hand, large scale X-ray maps have revealed that the Galactic outflow is at least ten times more extended and energetic than previously thought, indicating that activity in the core of the Milky Way can have a profound effect on its circumgalactic medium. In this talk, I will review our current knowledge of the X-ray emission from the Milky Way center, the Galactic outflow and the hot phase of the circumgalactic medium. Those unable to attend the colloquium in person are invited to participate online through Zoom (Meeting ID: 942 0262 2849, passcode 792771) using the link: https://zoom.us/j/94202622849?pwd=dGlPQXBiUytzY1M2UE5oUDRhbzNOZz09 Dr Ponti will be based at the Institut fuer Theoretische Astrophysik during his visit to Heidelberg, and will be available for meetings by arrangement with his host, Mattia Sormani (mattia.sormani@uni-heidelberg.de).