See in the video: wish music, farewell speech and wet eyes – Merkel’s emotions during the big tattoo.
Chancellor Angela Merkel: “Today I sat down with the heads of government of the federal states in another pandemic deliberation. Now, a few hours later, I can say goodbye to you as Chancellor after 16 years in this festive setting. Little shows that very much like this sequence, what an unbelievable time we are currently living in. The 16 years as Federal Chancellor were eventful and often very challenging. They challenged me politically and personally, and at the same time they have always fulfilled me. Especially the past two years of the pandemic have shown, as if in a magnifying glass, of the great importance of trust in politics, science and social discourse. But also how fragile that can be. “