Last year saw 660,228 fewer members in Germany's Protestant and Catholic churches, according to statistics released on Friday.

The Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) reported that its membership dropped by 390,000, to 21.5 million in 2017, a decrease of 1.8 percent.

The Catholic Church noted a similar trend, with the German Bishops' Conference (DBK) reporting that there were more than 270,000 fewer members in 2017, putting its membership at 23.3 million.

Over half of the German population are still members of one of Germany's two main Christian denominations, although numbers have dropped significantly in recent years.

Around 54 percent of people living in Germany were part of either church in 2017, which is down significantly from 62 percent in 2005.

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More withdrawing membership

Despite stable numbers of baptisms and new members in both Christian churches, they were not enough to cover the number of church members who either died or withdrew their membership.

Some 350,000 Protestants died last year alone, the EKD said.

In Germany, church members are supposed to register their membership with local authorities and pay a mandatory tax that goes to fund their elected denomination.

The number of people who officially pulled their church membership rose slightly for both of Germany's main churches last year, with around 200,000 Protestants and 167,000 Catholics deciding to deregister.

The 1,000-year-olds: Cathedrals for eternity St. Peter's Cathedral, Worms It celebrates its 1,000th birthday — an impressive age! But the cathedral in Worms isn't the only one in Germany that can look back on such a long history.

The 1,000-year-olds: Cathedrals for eternity St. Peter's Cathedral, Trier Germany's oldest cathedral is in its oldest city, Trier. The Romans didn't export just their thermal baths and temples to the Moselle, but also Christianity. Trier became a bishop's seat in 313 AD, and acquired a massive church. In the ninth century, the High Cathedral of St. Peter was built on the Roman foundations. It's now considered the oldest episcopal church in Germany.

The 1,000-year-olds: Cathedrals for eternity The Holy Robe Trier Cathedral's most valuable relic is the Holy Robe of Jesus. Tradition has it that Helena, the mother of the Roman emperor Constantine, took the seamless garment to Trier in the fourth century. It's only on show during rare pilgrimages by invitation of the Bishopric of Trier. The last Holy Robe pilgrimage took place in 2012. So far no date has been set for the next one.

The 1,000-year-olds: Cathedrals for eternity Aachen Cathedral The emperor Charlemagne wanted to build a new Rome, in Aachen, in the middle of his huge empire. The ground-breaking ceremony was in 790 AD. The palatine chapel that forms the core of today's cathedral was built in a mere ten years. In 1978 Aachen Cathedral became the first German cultural monument to be included in the UNESCO world heritage list, because of its age and magnificence.

The 1,000-year-olds: Cathedrals for eternity Aachen Cathedral Cupola A look into the cupola is impressive. It is 32 meters high — nothing special in present-day terms, but it seemed vast to our ancestors. During the course of centuries, 30 German kings and emperors were crowned under this cupola. Another interesting statistic: a total of 32 million mosaic tiles are built into Aachen Cathedral.

The 1,000-year-olds: Cathedrals for eternity Charlemagne Shrine Charlemagne died in 814 AD and was buried in the Aachen Cathedral. His remains lie in this golden shrine. The last time it was opened, in 1988, researchers discovered that, at 1.84 meters, the emperor was almost a head taller than his contemporaries, so Charles quite justifiably bore his royal epithet, "the Great."

The 1,000-year-olds: Cathedrals for eternity St. Martin's Cathedral, Mainz Mainz Cathedral has already celebrated its 1,000th birthday twice: in 1975, on the anniversary of the laying of its foundation stone, and in 2009, the anniversary of its completion in 1009. But as can easily be seen every year in the carnival season, the people of Mainz love to celebrate, and they're preparing for another 1,000th anniversary associated with their cathedral.

The 1,000-year-olds: Cathedrals for eternity Mainz Domsgickel Before the cathedral could be consecrated in 1009, it burned down. The consecration didn't take place until 1036, after rebuilding was finished. So the people of Mainz will be able to hail their 1,000-year-old cathedral again in 2036, and the golden cockerel, the "Domsgickel," atop the weather vane on its steeple, which has become a city landmark, can observe the proceedings from above.

The 1,000-year-olds: Cathedrals for eternity Bamberg Cathedral There is no doubt about this cathedral in Bamberg, as its history is very well documented: it was consecrated on May 6, 1012, the birthday of the German King Henry II with pomp and circumstance. There were 45 bishops among the guests, in addition, of course, to the king and his retinue. He is buried in the cathedral next to his wife Kunigunde, but he is not the main attraction.

The 1,000-year-olds: Cathedrals for eternity The Bamberg Horseman This sculpture is like a pop star in the Bamberg Cathedral. To this day it puzzles experts. Who is the horseman — king, emperor or nobleman? And what is the horse doing in the church? All that is certain is that it's the first life-size equestrian statue since classical antiquity. It dates from the 13th century, and tourists from around the world flock to the Bamberg Cathedral to see it.

The 1,000-year-olds: Cathedrals for eternity Merseburg Cathedral This cathedral in the state of Saxony-Anhalt celebrated its 1,000th anniversary in 2015. It owes its existence to Bishop Thietmar, who laid the foundation stone for the cathedral on the eastern border of the German Empire in 1015. Its old walls provide an excellent Hollywood backdrop. In 2013, George Clooney shot the feature film The Monuments Men here.

The 1,000-year-olds: Cathedrals for eternity Merseburg Cathedral magic spells In 1841 two manuscripts written in Old High German were discovered in the library of Merseburg Cathedral: incantations to Germanic gods to free prisoners and heal horses. The manuscripts from the 10th century are considered the oldest documents from German mythology: pagan magic spells in a Christian church make it renowned to this day.

The 1,000-year-olds: Cathedrals for eternity St. Mary's Cathedral, Hildesheim Hildesheim Cathedral is old, but the rose bush on the church wall is older. According to legend, wild roses once twined around a valuable reliquary on this spot, so, in 815 AD, Emperor Louis the Pious ordered a chapel to be built there. It was later succeeded by the cathedral, which was consecrated in 1061, so its 1,000th anniversary is still a few decades in the future.

The 1,000-year-olds: Cathedrals for eternity The Thousand-year Rose Despite its name, researchers have discovered that the rose is only 700 years old. Many people still come to Hildesheim every year in May, when it blooms. By the way, the cathedral was almost entirely destroyed during World War II and the rose bush burned to the ground, but after eight weeks 25 new shoots sprouted from its rubble-covered roots. It seems miraculous to this day.

The 1,000-year-olds: Cathedrals for eternity Worms Cathedral St. Peter's Cathedral in Worms now numbers among the thousand-year-olds. It was consecrated in 1018 AD by the property-owner and bishop, Burchard of Worms. Two years later the western part of the basilica collapsed. That marked the beginning of many alterations and additions that Worms Cathedral, like so many others, has undergone. So happy birthday, Worms — or more appropriately, hallelujah! Author: Kerstin Schmidt



Read more:The main differences between Catholics and Protestants

Experts blame societal changes

Both churches attribute their falling membership figures to Germany's changing demographics, as its population grows older while birth rates remain relatively low.

Experts, however, believe the problem lies with German society's changing attitudes and the decreasing role that churches play for many in their daily lives.

"The decline in membership is due less to demographics than to the fact that the tradition of faith in families, communities and schools is not functioning sufficiently," church expert Andreas Püttmann told German news agency DPA.

He added that an increasing emphasis in society on individualization, as well as rising prosperity, urbanization and leisure time activities, all may have contributed to the current trend.

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rs/tj (AFP, dpa, KNA)

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