I spent this summer in Berlin and went to quite a few a few German fifth division games (of my local team Lichtenberg 47) as well as the Euros final v Spain at the Olympiastadion. Being able to drink on the terraces/stands is a pleasure and really adds to the experience.
As you say, by contrast, if I'm at a Wycombe game it's often a case of trying to squeeze one in before kickoff or at HT
Remember those dark days in League Two when finances were so tight Gaz had to buy training nets on Ebay? They were such tough times we only had the choice of at least three real ales from the wood in The Vere.
Now we are Billy Big Time all there is is fizzy p*$$ on tap. Ok it’s Marlow fizzy p*$$ but it’s still fizzy ……… you get my point.
Real ale, chairlift, relief road in that order and watch the crowds swell.
Great to see someone else carry on the fine tradition of Wanderers fans living in Lichtenberg! The Hans Zoschke Stadion is a wonderful relic and well worth a visit. I ended up going to Union a fair bit, though this was back when they were in a 3rd tier regional league and had only just started stirring after almost going bust.
Haha, I didn't actually live in Lichtenberg I'm afraid. I had a room right where Mitte, Kreuzberg, and Friedrichshain all converge, about 2 minutes walk from the Schillingbrücke.
But I stumbled across Lichtenberg after visiting the Stasi Museum next door on a lovely Saturday afternoon in August. I got chatting to one of the guys there, who persuaded to come back about 5 times (including a bizarre away game v Optik Rathenow in backwards rural Brandenburg).
As you say, the Hans Zoschke really is an outstanding stadium, especially compared to most of the others in the division! A proper old school ground, with the Stasi HQ looming over the away end.
Lichtenberg's crowds are getting bigger and bigger because many of the fans used to watch Union when they were in the lower divisions. Now they're in the Bundesliga it's impossible for most to get tickets, so they watch Lichtenberg instead. They even have an international supporter's club now, ran by a guy from Southampton called Joe
You were more adventurous than me! Babelsberg was the furthest out I ventured. Rathenow was one of those places known only for being the last stop on the train, fair play to you for going out there.
The story goes that the head of the Stasi secret police Erich Mielke wanted the Hans Zoschka Stadion knocked down when they beat the notorious Stasi team BFC Dynamo there, but the local aparatschniks heroically stood up to him and managed to save the fine arena. As with many stories from the former East Germany, how true it is may be up for debate...
Surely you visited Potsdam if you went to Babelsburg? One of the most beautiful places I've ever been!
I also heard that story too. It sounds like a myth to me, especially given that Dynamo notoriously lost very few games, let alone to lower division teams. Dynamo were referred to as "Nazi Berlin" by my friends, as opposed to "Stasi Berlin" during the DDR. How times change...
My first three weeks living in Germany were on a summer course at Potsdam Uni so I got to see a lot of the town, the trip to the Karl Liebknecht Stadion wasn't until after I'd settled in a flatshare in Lichtenberg when the football season had started.
During the 80s BFC Dynamo fans were already notorious for their neo-Nazi hooligans, which got even worse when East German society was suddenly opened up and suffered massive upheaval. When I was in Berlin in the mid 2000s some of their fans were occasionally to be found behaving like utter c***s at the Lichtenberg station, making Col U at worst seem like nice reasonable gentlemen. An utterly loathsome club that deserves to be wiped off the map like Franchise.
also saw that and found it quite amusing. Nice little pub and one I’ll be going to again on the next trip to Edgeley Park. Hopefully in the 3rd round of the FA Cup once were in the big time 😜
That must have been an amazing experience! The main building of Potsdam Uni on the ground of the Sansouci Park is outrageously beautiful. The whole city is stunning
There was actually an open-air exhibit about the ultras of BFC Dynamo on the main square in Potsdam, in front of the Brandenburg parliament. It looked like chaos. Awful people.
The opposition in first game I stumbled across at the Hans Zoschke was actually Lokomotive Leipzig, who have a very similar reputation apparently. They were certainly intimidating as their ultras came out of the away end afterwards, all dressed in black, with police vehicles everywhere. A couple of them came up to me as I was sat on a bench and said something in German (which I don't speak). When I replied along the lines of "Enschuldigung, ich spreche kein Deutsch", they started laughing and singing the classic "England, England, England" chants
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All I can say, @Malone, is that you should have been on the bench for England against New Zealand at Twickenham today.
If you believe that scoring tries, and landing kicks at goal are such simple feats, you would probably have won the game for us.
If the brewers pass it on I will only have to drink 3000 pints to get my stolen winter fuel money back.
Completely agree with this.
I spent this summer in Berlin and went to quite a few a few German fifth division games (of my local team Lichtenberg 47) as well as the Euros final v Spain at the Olympiastadion. Being able to drink on the terraces/stands is a pleasure and really adds to the experience.
As you say, by contrast, if I'm at a Wycombe game it's often a case of trying to squeeze one in before kickoff or at HT
oooo wunderbar!
Remember those dark days in League Two when finances were so tight Gaz had to buy training nets on Ebay? They were such tough times we only had the choice of at least three real ales from the wood in The Vere.
Now we are Billy Big Time all there is is fizzy p*$$ on tap. Ok it’s Marlow fizzy p*$$ but it’s still fizzy ……… you get my point.
Real ale, chairlift, relief road in that order and watch the crowds swell.
A pint of.....ummm.....ummm.....(Shymkentskoe Pilsner...a top Kazakhstan beer)
Great to see someone else carry on the fine tradition of Wanderers fans living in Lichtenberg! The Hans Zoschke Stadion is a wonderful relic and well worth a visit. I ended up going to Union a fair bit, though this was back when they were in a 3rd tier regional league and had only just started stirring after almost going bust.
real soup.
Haha, I didn't actually live in Lichtenberg I'm afraid. I had a room right where Mitte, Kreuzberg, and Friedrichshain all converge, about 2 minutes walk from the Schillingbrücke.
But I stumbled across Lichtenberg after visiting the Stasi Museum next door on a lovely Saturday afternoon in August. I got chatting to one of the guys there, who persuaded to come back about 5 times (including a bizarre away game v Optik Rathenow in backwards rural Brandenburg).
As you say, the Hans Zoschke really is an outstanding stadium, especially compared to most of the others in the division! A proper old school ground, with the Stasi HQ looming over the away end.
Lichtenberg's crowds are getting bigger and bigger because many of the fans used to watch Union when they were in the lower divisions. Now they're in the Bundesliga it's impossible for most to get tickets, so they watch Lichtenberg instead. They even have an international supporter's club now, ran by a guy from Southampton called Joe
You were more adventurous than me! Babelsberg was the furthest out I ventured. Rathenow was one of those places known only for being the last stop on the train, fair play to you for going out there.
The story goes that the head of the Stasi secret police Erich Mielke wanted the Hans Zoschka Stadion knocked down when they beat the notorious Stasi team BFC Dynamo there, but the local aparatschniks heroically stood up to him and managed to save the fine arena. As with many stories from the former East Germany, how true it is may be up for debate...
Surely you visited Potsdam if you went to Babelsburg? One of the most beautiful places I've ever been!
I also heard that story too. It sounds like a myth to me, especially given that Dynamo notoriously lost very few games, let alone to lower division teams. Dynamo were referred to as "Nazi Berlin" by my friends, as opposed to "Stasi Berlin" during the DDR. How times change...
My first three weeks living in Germany were on a summer course at Potsdam Uni so I got to see a lot of the town, the trip to the Karl Liebknecht Stadion wasn't until after I'd settled in a flatshare in Lichtenberg when the football season had started.
During the 80s BFC Dynamo fans were already notorious for their neo-Nazi hooligans, which got even worse when East German society was suddenly opened up and suffered massive upheaval. When I was in Berlin in the mid 2000s some of their fans were occasionally to be found behaving like utter c***s at the Lichtenberg station, making Col U at worst seem like nice reasonable gentlemen. An utterly loathsome club that deserves to be wiped off the map like Franchise.
Enjoyed this sign in Ye Olde Vic pre game last night
also saw that and found it quite amusing. Nice little pub and one I’ll be going to again on the next trip to Edgeley Park. Hopefully in the 3rd round of the FA Cup once were in the big time 😜
That must have been an amazing experience! The main building of Potsdam Uni on the ground of the Sansouci Park is outrageously beautiful. The whole city is stunning
There was actually an open-air exhibit about the ultras of BFC Dynamo on the main square in Potsdam, in front of the Brandenburg parliament. It looked like chaos. Awful people.
The opposition in first game I stumbled across at the Hans Zoschke was actually Lokomotive Leipzig, who have a very similar reputation apparently. They were certainly intimidating as their ultras came out of the away end afterwards, all dressed in black, with police vehicles everywhere. A couple of them came up to me as I was sat on a bench and said something in German (which I don't speak). When I replied along the lines of "Enschuldigung, ich spreche kein Deutsch", they started laughing and singing the classic "England, England, England" chants