Pope Benedict XVI is remembered at these places

The birthplace in Marktl am Inn

Since 2007, the 80th birthday of Benedict XVI, visitors to the Pope's birthplace in Marktl am Inn in Upper Bavaria have been able to gain an insight into the life and faith of the man of the church. According to the house's website, Benedict himself wanted Marktl to be a "worthy encounter with the questions of our faith". That's why the aim is not just to be a museum, but also a meeting place. In addition to an exhibition on the life and work of the Pope, it is also about faith itself. The aim is to be a "place of dialogue and encounter with Pope Benedict's concerns". The house is supported by the church-run "Pope Benedict XVI Birthplace Foundation", which was founded by the then Bishop of Passau, Wilhelm Schraml.

The Pope Benedict XVI Institute in Regensburg

The Regensburg Institute, which was founded by Benedict XVI himself in 2007, focuses on the academic study of the Pope's work. "Pope Benedict XVI has made an outstanding contribution to intellectual history with his theology in recent decades. His writings combine the scientific findings of theology with the living structure of faith, which is carried on by the Church, lived in it and proclaimed by it," the statutes state. The institute, which is housed in the Regensburg seminary, has been working since 2008. The reason for this was a complete edition of Ratzinger's writings up to his election as Pope in 2005, which was accompanied by the establishment of a library containing all of Benedict's printed and unprinted works as well as literature that contextualises his work. The Institute's library is open to the public, and it also organises conferences and publishes books on Benedict XVI and the faith itself. The institute is supported by the Pope Benedict XVI Foundation of the Diocese of Regensburg, which is not identical to the foundation of the birthplace, but is not in competition with it either. On the contrary, there are also personal connections between the two institutions.

The house in Pentling

After his appointment as a professor at the University of Regensburg, Joseph Ratzinger had this house planned and moved in in 1970. "Whereas Joseph Ratzinger had previously lived in rented accommodation, he wanted to live and work in his own house from then on. With the support of a Regensburg canon, the building site was found in a quiet residential area near the university. Ratzinger also chose the architect himself and designed his house according to his own ideas," according to the house's website. He was registered here ever since, including as archbishop, prefect and pontiff. He met here with his siblings Georg and Maria. He last visited the house, his house, in 2020. Since 2010, the house has belonged to the Regensburg Pope Benedict XVI Institute and houses a biographical museum. Most of the furnishings are original and everything has been restored to the state it was in in the 1970s, when Benedict XVI spent his everyday life here. This also includes his private library, which is almost as it was in 1977, including books with personal ownership notes. The house is surrounded by a garden, and Benedict XVI also had a chapel built. In addition to the pontiff, the museum also focuses on his siblings.

The study library Joseph Ratzinger / Benedict XVI.

Benedict XVI's work as Prefect of the Faith and as Pope is linked to the city of Rome. He has also left his academic mark here. Since 2015, the Roman Institute of the Görres Society has been home to the "Joseph Ratzinger / Benedict XVI Study Library" as part of the joint library of the College of Priests, where publications by and about the pontiff are collected in various languages. According to its own information, it is "the world's largest specialised library on the German Pope". Benedict XVI himself once donated the basic collection. In the meantime, more than 2,500 books have been collected, which can also be viewed by the public on the Campo Santo Teutonico right next to St Peter's Basilica.

The monuments in Munich

Before Joseph Ratzinger went to Rome as Prefect of the Faith, he was Archbishop of Munich and Freising from 1977 to 1982 and later remained closely connected to his Bavarian homeland. Special places in Munich commemorate both. Since 2006, a bronze relief in the Cathedral of Our Lady has commemorated the former archbishop and his episcopal consecration in the cathedral on 28 May 1977. Just a few minutes' walk from the cathedral, a special place bears witness to the later Pope Benedict XVI. As part of his pastoral trip to Bavaria in 2006, he visited the Marian column in front of the town hall, where Munich's archbishops traditionally mark the beginning and end of their term of office. An inscription on the column commemorates the Pope's visit. Benedict XVI is not alone in this: Pope John Paul II visited the same place in 1980 and is also commemorated.

The World Youth Day memorials in Cologne

Having just taken office, the XX World Youth Day 2005 in Germany was the first highlight of Benedict XVI's pontificate, which is why several monuments in Cologne commemorate the pontiff's visit. A large bronze relief was installed directly next to the cathedral in 2009. It shows Benedict XVI and his predecessor John Paul II, who died shortly before the World Youth Day, the latter symbolically passing on the World Youth Day logo to his successor. One of the most powerful moments of the Pope's visit was a boat trip on the Rhine, during which the head of the Church showed himself to the people. The route he then took to Cologne Cathedral is now known as the "World Youth Day Route". A bronze plaque has been set into the ground at the spot where Benedict XVI signed the city's Golden Book.