Pope's birthplace for sale

MARKTL AM INN, Germany, June 24 (UPI) -- The home in Germany's Bavarian town of Marktl am Inn where the pope was born may be sold because its current owner is fed up with the tourist traffic.

Caludia Dandl, who owns the birthplace of Pope Benedict XVI, says she wants to put it on the market because strangers ringing the doorbell of the 18th century dwelling are making her life miserable, the BBC reported.

The pope, elected following the death of John Paul II in April, was born in the house on April 16, 1927. It was the marketplace police station when Joseph and Marie Ratzinger had their son, Joseph. Ratzinger senior was a local police commander and the family moved after two years.

But Dandl says she is getting several hundred sightseers visiting on some days, the report said.

The town's mayor would like to turn the house into a museum, but he has not said whether the local authority will bid for the property.