'Berlin! Berlin! We're on our way to Berlin!' - undoubtedly one of the most popular chants among German football fans. But how long has the cup final been played in Berlin? What other attractions are there in the capital? And where do Bayern fans meet up on cup final day? fcbayern.de introduces the German capital.
Venue: The cup final has been played at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin since 1985. Before that, the venues were only decided after the semi-final stage. The stadium was opened in 1936 for the Olympic Games in Germany. It underwent major reconstruction for the World Cup in 2006. The stadium now has a cup final capacity of 74,322.
History: The first documented reference to a town was Berlin-Cölln in 1237. Over the course of time Berlin has been the capital of Brandenburg, Prussia and the German Empire. East Berlin was the capital of the German Democratic Republic from 1949 and Berlin became the new capital of all Germany after reunification in 1990. It is considered a world city of culture, politics, media and sciences.
Population: Berlin is the most populous German city with 3.5 million inhabitants and it is also the biggest city covering an area of 892 square kilometres.
Attractions: The outstanding landmark is the Brandenburg Gate that became a symbol of German reunification in 1990. The Reichstag houses the biggest parliamentary chamber in Europe over an area of 1,200 m². The 368-metre tall television tower is the biggest structure in Germany. The Tierpark is a wonderful place to go for a walk and there are plenty of places to go shopping including Potsdamer Platz and, of course, Kurfürstendamm.
Culture: The Berlinale (film festival), the Berliner Ensemble (theatre) or the Staatsoper (State opera) with their wide range of performances and events makes the capital one of the leading artistic and cultural centres of Europe. There are also a large number of outstanding museums – including on the Museumsinsel (Museum Island), which has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1999.
Returnee: Jérôme Boateng knows his way round the capital particularly well. The defender was born in West Berlin in 1988, a year before the Wall came down, and he grew up in Charlottenburg. Boateng joined his first club, Tennis Borussia Berlin, in 1998 before moving on to the Hertha BSC youth set-up in 2002.
Meeting point for Bayern fans: Many Bayern fans gather in Alexanderplatz from 15.00 CET. Before that, why not visit the Bayern fan shop in the LP12 Mall of Berlin on Leipziger Platz: there’s not only a get-together but also 10 percent off all FCB merchandise, and the chance to win one of five pairs of tickets for the final. A fantastic surprise guest will be there to draw the winners! See the flyer for more information (German language only).
And afterwards? Berlin night life offers a huge range of possibilities with night owls spoiled for choice. Anybody looking for somewhere to go after the Final should check out the City of Berlin website, www.berlin.de for a good overview of venues and activities.
