Diocese of Magdeburg

Founded in 1994, the Diocese of Magdeburg is one of youngest in Germany, although the history of Catholic faith in this region dates back to the 8th century. The whole territory of the Diocese is one of the oldest German cultural landscapes. Here was the cradle of the German Empire and up till today rest the first German rulers like King Heinrich I in the collegiate church in Quedlinburg and Emperor Otto I, surnamed the Great, in the Cathedral of Magdeburg, the first Gothic cathedrals north of the Alps. Already in 804 arose a clerical center with the former Diocese of Halberstadt. The Archbishopric of Magdeburg, founded in 968 and which ended after the Protestant Reformation, formed the ecclesiastical and social structures of the Central German area as well as its history.

The Diocese of Magdeburg extends from the Altmark region in the north to the Saale-Unstrut region in the south. Around two-thirds of the Harz Mountains and the Mansfelder Land County form part of the Diocese in the west and the Duebener Heath in the southeast. The eastern extensions of the Diocese reach to the former brown coal mining in Lauchhammer and come close to the Spree Forest. The territory of the Diocese of Magdeburg corresponds nearly to the full size of the Federal State of Saxony-Anhalt. The three largest cities are Dessau, Halle and Magdeburg which are also the most important centers of the ecclesiastic life.

Around 80% of the population within the Diocese neither belong to a religious community nor to a Christian Church. About 4% of the people are Roman Catholics. The atheistical influence and the practical materialism, performed over decades, had a strong impact on the people's belief.  The Catholic communities are especially small in the rural areas.

The Romanesque Route gives an insight into the early history of the Roman Catholics living in this area. The route leads to many centers of Christian life such as the royal palatinate in Tilleda, the nearby monastery church in Memleben, the collegiate church in Hamersleben and the former Premonstratensian monastery in Magdeburg. The St. Sebastian Church as well as the Huysburg Abbey are along the Romanesque Road.

The Diocese of Magdeburg is going through some fundamental changes in order to face the upcoming challenges of society and to continue being a church “for the will of God and the people”, which is also the Diocese's motto. After developing far-reaching suggestions in the Diocesan Pastoral Council Meeting they now have to put these into action.