Pope’s visit in good hands

As the people of Altötting say: “There is a path to Altötting from every front door”—and they were certainly right when 60,000 came to see Pope Benedict. Bilfinger Berger coordinated the events in Altötting and Marktl am Inn.

Altötting is the most important Marian pilgrimage site in Germany. Over a million pilgrims from all over the world come to the little Bavarian town (population 13,000) to pray to the “Black Madonna” in the Chapel of Mercy. The statue is said to have brought two boys back to life who were thought to have died in an accident, and since that time people have constantly flocked to Altötting to solicit the Madonna’s help.

Never, however, was the flood of pilgrims as great as in September 2006 for the visit of Pope Benedict XVI—who had chosen the motto “He who believes is never alone” for his trip. Some 60,000 faithful lined the streets and followed the service held by the Pope on the town’s Baroque square using a specially constructed raised altar.

Under contract to the Diocese of Passau, Bilfinger Berger not only took care of the overall coordination of the mass events in Altötting and Marktl am Inn,but was also responsible for altar and stand construction, sound and video technology, the power supply and even the myriad of signs to help people find their way. A year earlier the company had provided similar services for the Catholic Church at the closing ceremonies of the XX World Youth Day at Marienfeld near Cologne.

In Cologne, entire fields were taken over to accommodate 1.1 million believers,with path networks, an electrical power and water supply, bathroom facilities and even the temporary installation of an altar hill. By contrast, the Altötting celebrations were held in the town center. To prepare for the invasion of pilgrims, the team headed by Oliver Knörr, the Bilfinger Berger project manager, went to Altötting months in advance to plan lighting, sound systems, LED screens, back-up power supply and all those details which are only noticed when they are missing.

Bilfinger Berger has handled large-scale cultural and sporting events for years. The company manages the Alte Oper Frankfurt and the Kölnarena and the Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt. The World Youth Day in Cologne was the first time Bilfinger Berger had offered the complete range of services for a large-scale event as a single source provider, from design and construction of temporary infrastructure through to customized event technology. (si)