Scoring a goal within sight of the onion domes of Munich's Frauenkirche? Netting a basket at the height of Old Peter, above the town hall balcony on Marienplatz? All this is now possible on the sports cage on the roof of "Bellevue di Monaco". The playing field bears the name of a man who was a visionary all his life, and as this space was created not least for people with a migration background, this historical connection fits perfectly. The sports field in the heart of the city bears the name of Kurt Landauer.
"This is a great project and a great symbol from society that you can achieve everything if you want to."
Uli Hoeneß
Only those who dream big can build castles in the air - that's one of the guiding principles of Till Hoffmann and the other organisers, who together with many patrons and donors such as BayWa, pushed through the project with great persistence. The "Bellevue di Monaco" in Munich's Glockenbachviertel is a meeting place, especially for people who have had to flee their homeland, a place where people can find one another - be it in the café on the ground floor or from now, playing on the rooftop sports place. "We at FC Bayern always support social projects," said Uli Hoeneß at the ceremony with Munich mayor Dieter Reiter. The FCB honorary president presented a check from "FC Bayern Hilfe eV" for €20,000: "This is a great project and a great symbol from society that you can achieve everything if you want to."
Basketballers and women's football players are guests
As well as Hoeneß, the ceremony was attended by Alex King and young coach Steffen Hamann from the FC Bayern basketball team, together with Sydney Lohmann and Lineth Beerensteyn from the women's soccer team. "We wanted to show that we as an association identify with social projects like this," said the honorary president, "we think it's a wonderful story how different people come together here - that's what we stand for as FC Bayern with our values." Dieter Reiter said it was "a strong signal, especially nowadays, that the name Kurt Landauer had been chosen. As a former centre of the movement, Munich has a responsibility to stand up against anti-Semitism, and Kurt Landauer's name in the centre is more important than ever."
Hoeneß: Kurt Landauer is a role model for all of us
Talking about the former Jewish president, Hoeneß said: "Kurt Landauer is a man with a great past, an important man in our club history. He stood his ground with a lot of civil courage in the most difficult times in this country and is a role model for all of us. The fact he is now immortalised in this square here in the heart of the city is a highlight." In every sense of the word.
Photos: Marco Schlaf
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