The former GDR en and one of the most modern football clubs of Europe, it seems that those things are difficult to reconcile but in Leipzig, they come together in RasenBallsport Leipzig: a must-visit for everyone who is fascinated by one or both phenomenons.
‘Red Bull gives you wings?’ In Leipzig, they do think so. The energy drink giants took over the licence of a local amateur club in 2009 and created RB Leipzig. In no-time, the club has grown into the most hated club of Germany. The very much to traditions attached German football fan see the club as the deathblow for football. In the meantime, RB Leipzig has pushed through to the German top, and on its journey, the city of Leipzig has embraced their new football club. After initially a lot of scepsis, the inhabitants see RB Leipzig now as the East German answer to the big clubs from the west.
The Zentralstadion was the stadium of the GDR in a time that you didn't see much from football behind the Iron Curtain, and in a typical Eastern European design: a running track, giant, uncovered stands and floodlight who could enlighten the whole city. With place for 100.000 comrades it was the place for the biggest sport matches of the GDR. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the stadium and football in the east in general got a bit into decay.
Around the turn of the century, it was decided to revamp the Zentralstadion, and in quite a special way: they were going to build a new stadium inside the old one, in view of the upcoming 2006 World Cup. A permanent player didn't come until RB Leipzig was created and they were in need of a bigger stadium.
It's the surrounding that makes the Red Bull Arena so special. The silhouet of the Zentralstadion has remained, which causes that you go by bridges over the former stadium to the new arena. Also, the old main buildings of the stadiums are still being used, which makes that when you stand close to the stadium, you don't have a clue that behind those old walls there's a relatively modern stadium.
Across the water next to the Red Bull Arena you'll find the RB Trainingscenter, the training ground of RB Leipzig. Here plays the youth, trains the first team and do they incidentally play friendly matches as well, which are usually open for fans.
At the side of the main stand, the Red Bull Arena borders an old residential area. Here is it around matches very atmospheric in several bars. On the corner of the Waldstraße and the Fregestraße is the Leipzig Fankneipe, one of the most popular cafes among fans of Die Roten Bullen. Neighbours of the Fankneipe is the Sky-Pub, completely decorated with scarfs, banners and flags of lots of clubs. Tram 4 (tram stop Feuerbachstraße) stops right in front of the door.
In May 2016, RB Leipzig promoted for the first time to the Bundesliga. A bus tour from the city to the Trainingscenter followed, with thousands of people along the route. After that, the team went to the Brauhaus on the Thomaskirchhof, in the heart of the city, to celebrate the title to good German use with a lot of beer. Later, the squad went til deep in the night partying in fancy night club L1, on the Marktplatz. This Marktplatz was later completely filled with 20.000 people for the official title celebrations.
For home matches of RB Leipzig you can order tickets on their official website. Be sure to be fase, because football in Leipzig gets more popular every week and the Red Bull Arena is regularly sold out.
Parkeren around the Red Bull Arena can be hard, so you can better leave your car at one of the park and ride car parks around the city. From here you can take the tram to the stadium. We advise the park and ride at the Schonauer Ring, from here tram 15 brings you in just 15 minutes to the stadium (get off the tram at Sportforum Süd).
From the centre of Leipzig you can take for example tram 3,4, 7 and 15 to the stadium.
Images: Shutterstock, BSR Agency
