The term cult club is a little overused, but we can't find any other way to describe Union Berlin. The club of the punk scene of East Berlin and the resistance against the regime of the GDR is an experience in itself if you can get a hand on a ticket.
In 1920, the predecessor of the club already played here, and for Union, there has never been another home. You can't simply imagine this club in another stadium, let alone a modern arena. The Stadion an der Alten Försterei is a great football stadium, with just 22,000 places, of which 80% being standing places. It kind of feels like you're in a fairytale, especially in the evening given the location on the edge of a forest.
On the front side of the stadium (on the street An der Wuhlheide) stands a quite remarkable independent villa. It has got white and red window frames, in Union's club colours. It's the Alte Försterei, the old forester's house. This used to be the headquarter of the club for many years.
We love those giant electric scoreboards which you can see in some of the older German stadiums, but at Union they have an even more beautiful way to display the score. Between Sektor 2 and 3, there's a little brick house that's being used as a scoreboard. When a goal is scored, a man opens the windows and hangs another number on the wall. Nowadays, the stadium has fancy video screens too, but it doesn't bother him as he keeps doing his job dutifully.
On the outside of the stadium (behind block T) there's a giant, red helmet. It's the 'Stadionbauerdenkmal', a monument in honour of the fans who voluntarily took care of a big part of the stadium's renovations.
In 1968, Union Berlin won its biggest-ever trophy. They won the Cup of the GDR, which was the national cup at that time and for that reason a serious trophy. In front of the main entrance the 'Pokalsieger-Denmal' was created, in honour of the 50th birthday of this title.
One of the best-known fan cafes of Union Berlin is the 'offside trap'. It's on Hämmerlingstraße, right next to the youth academy of the club and a couple of minutes from Stadion An der alten Föresterei.
When you get off the train at Köpenick, you've come directly to the best place. Here you'll find several Union cafes where you can have a lot of fun before and after matches. On the corner of Stellingdamm and Mahlsdorfer Straße, you'll find ‘Bierstübchen Hauptmann von Köpenick’, which has a beautiful collection of match posters of Union.
The bar Panenka is located in a different Eastern Berlin district but still is worth a visit. The punk image of the club is very well portrayed here with many anti-fascist utterances and skulls on the walls. The walls are also decorated with a lot of Union Berlin kits, but also from other befriended clubs. Panenka can be found on Weichelstraße 27 in Friedrichshain, a little closer to the centre of Berlin.
The only downside to Union Berlin is the fact that it is very hard to get tickets to home matches. The club is booming and thus tickets are always sold out. You have to become a club member in order to buy tickets, which costs you only €10. You can become a member through the club's official website. The tickets that will become available will be divided among members who subscribed for the raffle of this specific match.
It's almost impossible to park your car at the stadium. We recommend parking your car at the park and ride in Altglienicke. From there you can take the S-Bahn to station Schönewiede. From here you change to tram 60 or 67, which will bring you close to the Alte Föresterei.
From Berlin's city centre, it's best to take the S-Bahn as well. Line S3 passes the Hauptbahnhof, the Alexanderplatz and the Ostbahnhof, and if you take it in the direction of Erkner you get off at Köpenick. You're immediately in the heart of the Union district and the stadium is a 10-minute walk from the station.
Images: BSR Agency, Coddou
