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Published: March 28th 2011
Berlin. It was a different world in 1989 and Berlin was the focal point of the Iron Curtain. The East German border guards watched on nervously as Europe descended on the city and chipped their own piece of concrete history from the Wall. We secured our pieces and moved on through Checkpoint Charlie to try and spend our East German Deutschmarks. Beer was in plentiful supply , but all I can recall in the food stakes was a never ending supply of egg and cress sandwiches.The Wall crumbled physically and mentally as the old doctrines of the East were dispensed with. So what has changed in Berlin after reunification ……….. other than any leftover East German Deutschmarks aren’t a lot of use anymore? Anyone for Tennis was a firm plan? Tennis Borussia Berlin to the uninitiated. Alas, plans can go wrong. What’s that all about? The plus point was that TeBe put an announcement on their website on the Tuesday as follows:
"Grund sind nach Angabe des NOFV die Erneuerung der Rasenfläche im Stadion an der Wuhlheide sowie die Tatsache, dass eine Verlegung dieses Spiels an einen anderen Austragungsort aus Sicherheitsgründen nicht infrage kommt."
"Reason stated by the NOFV
the renewal of the lawn at the stadium at the Wuhlheide and the fact that the relocation of this game to a different venue for security is not an option."
"Ein neuer Termin steht noch nicht fest."
"A new date has not yet been determined."
We are talking the German equivalent of less than the Blue Square South.
The well informed fussball.de were also speedy to put it on their website, but it took the mighty Union until Thursday to make any sort of announcement. The other plus point was there was time to make another plan. I was relying on the efficiency of the much heralded transport network, as time was tight. There was a lot to achieve in 5 ½ hours. Deusche-Russian Museum in Karlshorst, hotel in Tiergarten to check-in and drop the bag, ticket for Hertha Berlin, travel to Olympiastadion and get a small pils in before kick off at 1800 hours.
The airport transfer was easy – walk 250 metres to the nearest S Bahn station – direct fast trains to the main points of the city centre at 30 minute intervals. Day pass for the S Bahn / U Bahn
zones A, B and C in hand, I made my way to the platform. The efficiency myth went down at the first hurdle – first train to the city cancelled – half an hour down the drain. The first stop of the city bound Airport Express train is Karlshorst – venue for the Deutsche-Russian Museum and the scene of the official surrender of the German High Command in World War 2. It’s a 10 minute brisk walk through the suburb of Karlshorst to the villa, which houses the museum. The location was presumably more remote in 1945 on the edge of the city, but now it blends in with other houses in the vicinity around save for the tanks and military hardware in the garden. The room where the surrender documents is obviously the focus, but the museum element is well worth an hour and if you have an appreciation of design, you’ll be amazed how many Alvar Aalto stools and chairs there are to rest your weary legs. It’s free too and for a place of such significance, devoid of visitors.
The initial observation was little had changed – concrete everywhere, except more than there was and a
skyline of cranes.
Oh and everybody seems to be called Jack Wolfskin .......... or at least that is what is says on their jackets.
The hotel was easily located in Tiergarten – a stone’s throw from the Kurfurstenstrasse U Bahn stop. Hertha have 4 or 5 ticket outlets throughout the city, in addition to their base at the Olympiastadion, so I made my way to the shop at Europlatz to part with my 14 Euros. The only section sold out was the 10 Euro Nordkurve, so I opted for the closest section in the lower tier which at 14 Euros gives you the atmosphere if you want it and also flexiblity to basically pick any seat all the way down the side of the stadium with a 32,000 crowd. The Olympiastadion complex is easily reached by U or S Bahn – and the security seems quite content to turn a blind eye to the Hertha fans main preoccupation of slugging bottles of pils. The area is probably fundamentally still the same as it was in 1936 minus a few dubious flags and still houses such as open air swimming pool, diving pools etc. The refurbished running track ruins
Potsdamer Platz
Old Wall Section in front of the U Bahn the sightlines, but looks very striking in Hertha blue. The stadium felt empty – 1800 hours on a Friday night obviously makes it a bit tricky to reach for the workers and live on the TV further dampens the enthusiasm. Frankfurt brought next to nobody, scored an early overhead kick and faded lo lose 3-1. The majority of Hertha fans contented themselves with the continuation of their drinking evening. It was time to sample the currywurst to keep food expenditure to a minimum.
Plan B on the Saturday featured a trip to Potsdam just into Zone C of the Berlin transport system – southwest of the capital, but technically in the old East Germany and scene of the Potsdam Konferenz carving up the conquered territory in 1945. The town centre of Potsdam is aesthetically pleasing, with a quaint area known as the Dutch quarter gives you a sense of a provincial town in deepest Holland. The town was the centre of the German royal's palace retreats – a kind of Versailles or Windsor Castle figuratively speaking, so the park to the west of the centre is scattered with palaces large and small and associated follys – head to the
Potsdam version of the Brandeberg Gate and keep going. The scale of park is larger than first appears, so do not underestimate the leg work involved................or you could make better use of your transport pass and get the bus to the park. The gem is the Schloss Sansoucci, aptly named as the Palace of No Worries, followed by the New Palace. Time did not permit an interior examination, so I settled for walking the grounds.
I had a 1400 hours deadline to get to the eastern suburb of Potsdam for SV Babelsberg 03 v Tus Koblenz in the new National League Division 3. The pitch was rock hard with frost – I was sceptical it would be played at all at home. I went to check whether their stewards on the terrace would let me past their high security with my telephoto lenses, but they didn’t seem bothered at all and were clearly surprised why I was asking! Babelsberg were clearly in transition between spending on the team and improving the ground. The Karl Leibknecht Stadion - named after the one of the founders of the German Social Democrats - technically holds 15,000. However, I doubt that it has
Bundestag
Tourist shop been utilised since the old East Germany played an international here against Malta in 1977. They might need to offer more than luxury portacabins as a changing room to get the next nod as an international standard venue. The Koblenz fans must have thought it was the end of season and turned up in fancy dress. Koblenz scored an early goal to the delight of the Pink Panther, Dennis the Menace and his friends behind the goal. I couldn’t work out whether the Babelsberg “boys” were suspicious of my motives for taking photos of celebrating Koblenz fans or they were curious about the two Stone Island lads who appeared to stand behind me. I thought it wise to disappear to the other end of the terrace, in the interests of camera security at this point. Babelsberg huffed and puffed and never got anywhere fast – survival clearly the objective, but on that performance it might be beyond them.
I raced back to the station and headed back into Berlin. Checkpoint Charlie had certainly changed and the immediate vicinity had changed into the centre of the tourist trap zone. I didn’t bother with the Museum – been there and done
that with the real thing – so settled for a couple of photos of the "American" guarding the “border post” in the middle of Fredrichstrasse. The nearby Topography of Terror adjacent to the old Wall has been developed as a museum documenting the rise and methods of the National Socialists in German politics and life. It is open every day until 2000 hours and also free – a theme is developing here – as well as being the best exhibit in town.
I let a Vietnamese man take care of the catering arrangements before retiring with a couple of bottles of Pilsator – a bargain at 75 cents, but described as s*** by the Turk that sold it to me – you are not from Berlin was pronouncement, although I think the giveaway was the English speech rather than the failure to buy Berliner Kindl or such like.
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