She was called "the leader of the free world" against authoritarian populists on the march in Europe and the United States, but Angela Merkel is wrapping up a historic 16 years in power with a mixed legacy at home and abroad.
In office so long she was dubbed Germany's "eternal chancellor", Ms Merkel, 67, leaves with her popularity so resilient she would likely have won a record fifth term had she sought it.
Instead, she will become the first German chancellor to step down entirely by choice and bow out of politics once Finance Minister Olaf Scholz is elected as her replacement on Wednesday.
Here's a look back at images of the East German quantum chemist who leapt into politics, becoming the world's most powerful woman.
A fisher of men
A 36-year-old Angela Merkel in a fishermen's hut on the northern German island of Ruegen. Source: Getty
Dressed in a maroon cardigan, white T-shirt and long denim skirt, she began chatting with five fishermen wearing blue workers' overalls.
"She gave the impression that she understood us," one would later say. He would go on to vote for the candidate standing for the constituency of Stralsund-Ruegen-Grimmen.
So began Ms Merkel's first election campaign and her road to the chancellery.
In 2005, her conservative CDU-CSU alliance narrowly won the election and Ms Merkel was sworn in as Germany's first female chancellor in November.
Germany's 12th player
Barely a year in office, Germany's new chancellor would play host to the world's most-watched game - at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
The home team finished third, but after Germans dared to wave their flags joyously again, Time magazine branded Ms Merkel "the woman who cheered up Germany".
Football was not just a fad for Ms Merkel, who over the years nurtured strong links with the national team.
Images of her leaping up in the stands in unbridled joy when Germany score a goal have led German media to comment that "the 12th man in the squad is called Angela".
Die Zeit weekly even ran a series of spoof love letters between Ms Merkel and midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, opening with "Dear Basti" and closing with "Yours, Angie".
Angela Merkel celebrates Germany's 2-0 goal during the FIFA World Cup 2014 match between Germany and Portugal Source: DPA
Striker Lukas Podolski in 2014 tweeted that Ms Merkel's World Cup attendance at Germany's opening game in Brazil provided "Muttivation" - a wordplay on her nickname Mutti, which means mummy.
She was missing from the stands due to the coronavirus pandemic at this year's European Championships, in which Germany crashed out of the last 16.
Euro crisis
Greeks chant slogans during a demonstration against the visit of the German Chancellor in Athens in 2014. Source: AFP
If football saw the feel-good side of Ms Merkel, the Greeks bore the brunt of a harder line.
Unmoved by the pleas of Greece during the eurozone debt crisis, Ms Merkel stuck to Germany's mantra demanding that Athens carry out austerity reforms in exchange for bailout loans.
As Greece stood on the brink of an economic collapse that threatened to force it out of the eurozone in 2015, Greeks went on the march, with some bearing posters portraying Ms Merkel with a Hitler moustache.
However, the dogma was smashed by the coronavirus pandemic, which saw Ms Merkel making an extraordinary U-turn to incur huge debts to fund Germany's exit from the crisis.
More remarkably, she and France's Emmanuel Macron spearheaded the 800-billion-euro EU recovery fund, which sees the European Commission raising money by issuing bonds on behalf of the entire 27-member bloc.
'We can do it'
Angela Merkel speaking on refugee policy in November 2015. Source: DPA
The chancellor's momentous decision on September 4, 2015 to keep Germany's borders open to people fleeing wars in Iraq and Syria left a mark on European migration policies but also arguably sparked a resurgence of the far-right in Germany.
When tens of thousands of migrants streamed into Germany, putting the country's emergency response authorities under intense pressure, Ms Merkel declared: "We can do it."
But it has also left scars in Germany, where the far-right capitalised on popular anger against the new arrivals, becoming the biggest opposition force in parliament in the 2017 elections.
The large influx also deeply divided the European Union, with mostly former Eastern bloc nations firmly opposed to taking in refugees.
Trump tensions
An iconic photo from the 2018 G7 meeting shows German Chancellor Angela Merkel staring down US President Donald Trump. Source: German Federal Government
Ms Merkel offered Mr Trump her cooperation but only on the basis of democratic values - an unheard of shot across the bow to Washington.
That would start four years of fractious ties, and fans leapt on an image of Ms Merkel and Mr Trump at a stormy G7 summit as an illustration of how she was trying to keep the US leader on the straight and narrow.
Angela Merkel talks to Mr Trump's predecessor Barack Obama during a G7 meeting at Elmau Castle in 2015 Source: DPA
The picture showed "we're indeed grappling with issues," Ms Merkel told broadcaster CNN in an interview.
"The president has his opinions, I have mine, and very often we also found common ground. And if not, we have to keep on talking and negotiating."
