During her first term as German chancellor, Angela Merkel had to deal with the economic and financial crisis of 2008, which helped forge her image as a defender of Germany's interests and her fellow citizens' savings. But there would be more challenges to come: the migrant crisis in 2015, and the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. How will German history remember this scientist by training, who grew up in what was then East Germany, who defied the odds to become Germany's first woman chancellor? As Merkel prepares to bow out after 16 years in power, our Berlin correspondents report on her legacy.

A Kosovar artist creates a portrait of the outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel using some 100 kilogrammes of seeds.

Angela Merkel is headed to Israel for a last official visit. With the shared history of the Holocaust ever present, the German chancellor deepened the firm alliance between the two countries during her time in office.

After 16 years as the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel is calling it a day. The 67-year-old decision to retire has many reflecting on the legacy of the country’s first female chancellor, who is leaving the office with high approval ratings.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ Over the years, she has earned swag of nicknames: the world’s most powerful woman, chancellor of the free world, the Queen of Europe, the Merkelator, and the liberal west’s “last defender”. In Germany, she is affectionately known as Mutti - short for mummy.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣

The two leaders discussed the pandemic, climate change and human rights during a video call. Xi Jinping reportedly called Merkel a "friend of the Chinese people."

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he hopes to continue working well with new German government during Chancellor Angela Merkel's farewell visit to the country.

Angela Merkel was praised as the "Eiffel Tower" of the European Union at her 107th, and likely final, leaders' summit. Even former US President Barack Obama sent a video message to Brussels for her.

At her last European Union leader's summit, outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she is leaving power "at a time when there is cause for concern" for the European Union, citing disputes on migration, the bloc's economy, and the rule of law in EU countries. of Angela Merkel

French President Emmanuel Macron took Germany's Angela Merkel to the Burgundy town of Beaune as part of her farewell visit. He presented her with France's highest award, the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor.

Outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel made a greater commitment to Africa than her predecessors. But her policies haven't necessarily made a difference on the ground.

Functioning democracy completes peaceful transition of power. These days, that is no longer always a given. Germany's story is one of continuity but also change, even if the new chancellor is a familiar face who has been dubbed the Scholzomat for his monotone ability to stay on-message. Olaf Scholz may sound boring, but the platform of the country's first three-party coalition since the 1950s reads like a manifesto for wholesale reform.

Angela Merkel is about to step down as German chancellor. After 16 years, the country will soon have a new government, and a new chancellor. In this DW interview led by Max Hofmann, Merkel looks back at her political legacy.