Going to watch SC Preußen Münster

by | Apr 24, 2017 | 3 Liga, Football trips, Travel in Germany

The perfect way to experience German football

Fans of SC Preußen Münster

Although currently languishing in the third division, SC Preußen Münster is one of Germany’s oldest football clubs. Fans have remained fiercely loyal to their club, despite experiencing numerous disappointments, including relegation out of the professional leagues. They continue to come to the Preußenstadion in large numbers to back their team. And it’s a great destination for the travelling football fan. Going to watch SC Preußen Münster is the perfect way to experience German football played in a traditional stadium.

You will also have a great day out because Münster is one of the best towns in the region for a day trip, with plenty to see and do beyond the football.

Tickets

Games are rarely sold out, so you can probably get a ticket on the day.  If, like me, you like to plan ahead, use the Online Ticket Shop.  You can choose and pay for your seat and even print out your ticket before you leave home.

A standing ticket costs 12.80 euros. Seats cost between 20.50 euros and 24.90 euros. Unless you really need to sit during the game, I would advise you to buy a ticket for Block L. This is the most popular area of the ground, so you will get the chance to stand amongst lots of very vocal fans. At the same time, you will be able to see and hear the hard-core fans behind the goal.

Getting to Münster

Flights

If you are coming over for a short visit, flying is the best option, and you can usually get a return flight for about  £100.

Düsseldorf Airport

There are flights here from Birmingham, London Stanstead, London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Manchester, Cardiff, Glasgow and Newcastle. The airport has a station where you can catch a train to Münster. The RE2 is direct and leaves once an hour. The journey will take just under two hours.

Dortmund Airport

There are flights to Dortmund from London Stansted and Luton. You then catch the Airport Express to Dortmund station and take one of the regular trains to Münster. The RB50 is direct and takes just under an hour.

Travelling in the region

If you are travelling to Münster from a nearby airport or one of its neighbouring cities, look out for the Schöner Tag ticket. This allows you to use all public transport in North Rhine Westfalia from 9.00 am on one day until 3.00 am the following morning. The only exceptions are Intercity and Thalys trains. It costs 30 euros for one and 44 euros for up to five travellers.

You can walk to most of the main places in Münster, but if you decide to use public transport you can get information about tickets here.

Münster is Germany’s bicycle capital. Over 100,000 people travel on two wheels each day. If you want to join them you can hire a bike here.

Getting to the ground

SC Preußen Münster play at the Preußenstadion. You can get to there by bus (1, 5 and 9 from the station to “Preußenstadion”), but it’s just as easy to go on foot.

At the moment they are re-building the station. You will come out from the platforms onto a temporary concourse. From here follow the signs for the Altstadt. After about five minutes you will reach a wide tree lined path which runs around the town centre. Turn left here and follow the path until you reach a roundabout. Take the third exit onto Hammer Straße and just keep walking until you reach the stadium.

Inside the Preußenstadion

When it was built in 1926, this was one of the most modern stadiums in Germany. Although the club is working through a programme to bring it up to date, this is most definitely no the case today. But in my opinion, that is why it’s such a great place to experience German football.

If you prefer a bit of comfort and protection from the weather, there is a covered seated section along one side of the pitch (Blocks A to F). The opposite stand (Blocks K and L) is also covered, but standing only. This section gets really full and generates a great atmosphere. The hard-core fans gather behind the goal in Blocks M, N and O. This section is not covered.

There is a large open space just inside the stadium which contains stalls selling very reasonably priced food and drink. This is a great place to have a Bratwurst and a beer before the game. There are also outlets behind the stands on either side of the pitch.

After the game

If you plan to spend some time getting to know Münster, there’s plenty to do here before and after the game. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Walk through the old town.

The Prinzipalmarkt is a beautiful square surrounded by gabled houses and colonnades. You will find the famous Hall of Peace here. This is where the Peace of Westphalia was invoked in 1648, ending the Thirty Years War. It’s also a great starting point for a tour of the rest of the old town.  Look out for the Krameramtshaus (an old guild house), St Lamberti’s Church, and St Paul’s Cathedral. Listen out for the six carillons – bells that chime at set times each day.

Directions: Come out of the station and turn left into Windhorststraße. After about 0.25 of a mile turn left onto Stubengasse. Then turn right onto Ludgeristraße.  Follow this street all the way to the Prinzipalmarkt.

2. Visit the harbour

Münster’s port has been redeveloped and modernised. The old warehouses have been converted into a mixture of offices, flats, artists’ studios and entertainment venues.

Directions: Come out of the station and go straight ahead onto Von-Steuben-Straße. After about 140 yards turn right into Bahnhofstraße and then left onto Hafenstraße. Continue down this street for 300 yards and then join Bernhardt-Ernst-Straße. This street will take you to the port.

3. Take a walk beside the Aasee

This lovely lake, which is only 30 minutes from the centre of town, was designated Europe’s most beautiful park in 2009. You can follow the many picturesque paths, hire a boat or bicycle or visit one of the many coffeehouses, restaurants and cafes.  There are sculptures everywhere.

Directions: Take the number 14 bus from the station (Stop C1, direction Münster Zoo)and get off at “Münster Goldene Brücke/Aasee”.

 4. Go to the zoo

Münster’s all-weather-zoo (Allwetterzoo) gets its name from the covered walkways that protect you from the rain and the sun.

Directions: The zoo is in the middle of the Aasee area. The number 14 bus (Stop C1, direction Münster Zoo) will take you there. Get off at “Münster Redigerstraße, and it’s then a 15-minute walk.

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The German Ruhrgebiet: A guide for visitors

by | Mar 10, 2017 | Travel in Germany

The German Ruhrgebiet

Introducing the German Ruhrgebiet

Are you an independent-minded traveller?
Are you interested in heritage, history and tradition?
Do you like to really get to know the places you visit?
Do you want to visit Europe’s biggest and most vibrant metropolis?

If the answer to any of these questions is ‘Yes’ then you should read this new ebook.

Bordered by the rivers Rhine, Ruhr and Lippe the Ruhrgebiet is one of Germany’s ‘hidden gems’. It is a vibrant, exciting and thoroughly modern metropolis, steeped in history and tradition.

This guidebook introduces its major cities and towns, and the history, culture and traditions of its people. There is advice on how to plan a visit, what to see and do and where to find out more.

A region transformed

They used to say that you could never see the sun in the Ruhrgebiet because the clouds of smoke and dust blocked out the sky. Hanging your washing up outside was a waste of time. It would end up covered in soot and dirtier than before you started. Little animal or plant life survived in the rivers and canals and you wouldn’t think of going for a swim.
If you lived and worked in the Ruhrgebiet you had a lower life expectancy than anywhere else in Germany. You had a higher chance of dying young from lung diseases. You were more likely to live in crowded accommodation and to have a dangerous and exhausting job.
Today’s Ruhrgebiet is completely transformed. The coking plants, blast furnaces and winding towers are all silent. The toxic emissions from thousands of chimneys have disappeared. The air is clean. Nature has begun to reclaim the vast tracts of land that were once occupied by sprawling industrial plants. City centres are attractive, dynamic, modern places. The arts are flourishing.
But the region’s industrial past has not been swept aside. People are proud of the bravery and sacrifices of those who came before them. They value history and tradition. Former industrial sites have been imaginatively repurposed as cultural or entertainment centres or preserved as memorials to the past.

A guide for the inquisitive tourist

This book is for anyone who wants to find out more about the towns, cities and people of this fascinating region. Whether you are coming for a short visit or planning a longer stay, the book is packed with suggestions about how to get the best out of your time here.

Buy now

Going to watch MSV Duisburg

by | Feb 28, 2017 | Football trips, Travel in Germany

Tradition, loyalty and hope

MSV Duisburg Fans
Real football fans are loyal and true. They stick with their team through the bad as well as the good times.  They don’t defect to other clubs in search of glory.  They keep coming back year after year.  Each new season begins with the expectation of better things to come and each game begins with the hope of a good performance.

The followers of MSV Duisburg are most definitely real football fans. They have had precious little to celebrate for years and they have had more than their fair share of bad times.

Their club – nicknamed the Zebras after its blue and white striped kit – was once a force to be reckoned with.  But since the 1980s  fans have endured the torture of following one of German football’s ‘elevator’ sides going up and down the divisions.  And yet they still come in their thousands each week to get behind their team.

Tickets

Standing tickets cost 11 euros and seats from 15 euros. Your ticket entitles you to free travel on public transport (except intercity trains) to and from the game.

Matches rarely sell out, and so you will almost certainly be able to buy a ticket on the day. If you are like me and prefer to have everything organised in advance, there are two ways to get a ticket.

  • The online shop is unfortunately only in German, but it’s easy enough to work out what to do. You can have your tickets sent you or use Print@Home.
  • You can also get a ticket at the Ruhr Visitor Centre in the town centre (in CityPalais on Königstraße).

Getting to Duisburg

Duisburg is on the edge of a large collection of towns and cities called the Ruhrgebiet and it is very straightforward to get here from outside Germany.

Flights

If you are coming over for a short visit, flying is the best option, and you can usually get a return flight for about  £100.

Düsseldorf Airport

There are flights here from Birmingham, London Stanstead, London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Manchester, Cardiff, Glasgow and Newcastle. The airport has a station where you can catch a train to Duisburg. The journey will take ten minutes.

Cologne Bonn Airport

There are flights here from London Heathrow, London Stanstead, Manchester and Edinburgh and a station right in the middle of the airport. There are direct trains to Duisburg and the journey will take about 80 minutes.

If you are not in a hurry

A more leisurely way to get here would be by train – take the Eurostar from London St Pancras to Brussels, change there for Cologne and then continue to Duisburg. This costs about £150.

If you are not in a hurry, National Express will take you from London to the region by bus for about £40 return. But be prepared for a very long journey!

Travelling in the region

Duisburg belongs to an integrated public transport system managed by an organisation called VRR. You can use VRR tickets on any regional and local train, tram, underground and bus across the entire network. The VRR website explains in English how it all works.

And remember – on match days your ticket entitles you to free travel to and from the ground across the entire region.

Where to stay

For anyone looking for a wider choice of things to do and places to go before and after the football, Düsseldorf is only 15 minutes away by train. There are hotels there to match every budget. The Düsseldorf Tourist Information Office provides advice and a booking facility here.

Before the game

Come out of the station, head right across Portsmouthsplatz, and turn left into Königstraße. This runs through the city centre and is full of cafes, and food outlets.
Duisburg snack bar
Duisburg Innenhafen
Continue up Königstraße and cross the main road at the end. You will eventually come to a large church. Just behind it is the Innenhafen. This used to be the largest inland harbour in the world. It has recently been renovated and now contains bars, restaurants and a marina.

If you feel like a bit of exercise, take a walk around the harbour. Find out about its history from the information boards placed along the route.

Getting to the ground

Travelling to see MSV could not be simpler. The 934 bus will take you from Stop 5 outside the station and drop you off right in front of the stadium.

Inside the Schauinsland-Reisen-Arena

The stadium opened in 2005.  It has a capacity of 30,000, including 7,000 standing places, cost 43 million euros to build and is one of the most modern venues in Germany.

Before every home game they play the club anthem.  In case you want to sing along, here are the words, with a translation into English.

Wir sind zebras weiss blau (we are zebras white blue)
Unser club der MSV (our club the MSV)
Und wir stehen fur euch immer hier (and we will always stand for you here)
Denn hier zwischen Rhein und Ruhr (because here between Rhine and Ruhr)
Ja, da gibt es einen nur (there is only one)
MSV, unser Club im Revier (MSV, our local club)
Duisburg unsere Stadt (Duisburg is our town)
Hier is pralles Leben pur (here life is pure
Menschen die hier wohnen(people you live here)
Bleiben dran, sind manchmal stur. (Stick with it and are sometimes stubborn)
Dietz, Krämer, Rahn, das war damals, als alles begann (Dietz, Kramer, Rahn – that’s when it all began)
Und noch immer fängt das Spiel von vorne an.(and every games begins anew)
Wir gehen mit euch durch’s Feuer (we will go through fire with you)
Und wir feiern jeden Sieg (we celebrate every win)
In unserer Arena (in our ground)
Wir sind zebras weis blau (we are zebras white blue)
Unser club der MSV (our club the MSV)
Und wir stehen fur euch immer hier (and we will always stand for you here)
Denn hier zwischen Rhein und Ruhr (because here between Rhine and Ruhr)
Ja, da gibt es einen nur (there is only one)
MSV, unser Club im Revier (MSV, our local club
Früher gabs hier noch Kohle (once there was coal here)
Früher war hier nur Stahl (once there was steel)
Für die Zukunft kämpfen (fighting for the future)
Das ist für uns normal (that’s normal for us)
Unser Blick geht nach vorne (we look forward)
Aber auch mit Stolz zurück (but also back with pride)
Von uns wartet keiner auf sein Glück (we don’t just sit around)
Wir sind zebras weis blau (we are zebras white blue)
Unser club der MSV (our club the MSV)
Und wir stehen fur euch immer hier (and we will always stand for you here)
Denn hier zwischen Rhein und Ruhr (because here between Rhine and Ruhr)
Ja, da gibt es einen nur (there is only one)
MSV, unser Club im Revier (MSV, our local club)

 

If the home team scores, they play the Zebratwist, a song that has been sung at the club since 1964. Don’t worry if there aren’t any goals. You will also hear the Zebratwist before the players come on, just before the referee blows for the kickoff and yet again at the start of the second half. You can hear it on YouTube. If you feel like joining in, this is the chorus :

Zebrastreifen weiß und blau (zebra stripes white and blue)
Zebrastreifen weiß und blau (zebra stripes white and blue)
ein jeder weiss genau, (everybody knows)
das ist der  MSV (that’s the MSV)
das ist der  MSV

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German Ruhrgebiet
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A visit to the Ruhr Museum

by | Jan 30, 2017 | German History, Travel in Germany

It might seem strange to write about a museum in a football blog.

I believe, however, that if you want to understand German football you need to know about where it came from.

The region of Germany bordered by the rivers Rhine, Ruhr and Lippe – the Ruhrgebiet – has had a huge impact on Germany’s history and its football. The mines of the Ruhrgebiet provided the coal that powered Germany’s industrial revolution. Its foundries produced the steel that was used to build the factories and machines. Its rivers and canals carried Germany’s products far and wide. Its people became know across the country for their toughness and capacity for hard work, and for their solidarity and strong sense of community.

For most of the last century the Ruhrgebiet was also the epicentre of German football.  Just like in the North East of England, or the central belt of Scotland, they said that all you had to do was whistle down a pit to call up yet another outstanding footballer.  Clubs from the Ruhrgebiet and its close neighbours totally dominated the game.  Their players were the nucleus of the national teams of the day. Even today this corner of Germany  continues to churn out top class players – Mezut Ozil, Manuel Neuer and Marco Reuss are just three very recent examples – and its football clubs continue to be massively important. Schalke 04 and BvB Dortmund are two of the biggest, most passionately followed football clubs in the world.  Clubs with long and proud traditions like VfL Bochum, Rot Weiss Essen, MSV Duisburg and SG Wattenscheidt  continue to attract thousands of super-loyal fans. Football is still a vital part of the Ruhrgebiet, and Ruhrgebiet football is a vital part of the national game. 

That’s why I recently took the 101 tram through the rainswept suburbs of Essen to the Ruhr Museum.  I wanted to find out more about the people of this region and  to better understand their history and culture

The history of a region

Based at the former Zollverein Coal Mine,  it covers the natural, political, cultural and industrial history of the Ruhr region from the formation of coal deposits over 300 million years ago right up to the present day.

It shows how this quiet rural backwater was transformed in a few decades into the largest industrial area in Europe, endured the cataclysmic consequences of two world wars, powered the German  economic miracle of the 1950s and survived post-industrial economic re-structuring to become the modern metropolis we know today.

The perfect site

The setting is perfect.  The Zollverein was one of Europe’s biggest mines, with a network of tunnels covering an area larger than a major city.  The huge above-ground complex is now a World Heritage Site and there is a fascinating tour between the gigantic buildings.  Although everything is now quiet, it is not difficult to imagine the noise and dirt that would have filled the air in its heyday.  And getting there requires you to travel through the parts of the city that would have housed the miners who  worked there.

The museum is housed in the coal washing plant. You take an elevator up 24 meters to reception before following the same route as the coal, starting at the top and working downwards. 

The present

The first section covers the region today.  Photographs and text describe different aspects of life and work in the Ruhrgebiet.  What comes across is a strong sense of local pride, not just in what was achieved in the past, but in the region today.  The exhibition also challenges the notion that the Ruhrgebiet is just about industry, noise and dirt, by showing many examples of open spaces, fresh air and fine scenery. The extraordinary diversity of its population and the richness of its culture also shines through.

The pre-industrial past

You then go down a floor to follow the pre-industrial story of the Ruhr region, before descending once again for the story of the story from industrialisation over 200 years ago to the present.

History

The exhibition describes clearly the explosive expansion of industry in the 19th century, the huge inward migration of workers and their families and the establishment and development of communities and towns.  The political turmoil, high unemployment, hyper-inflation and hardship of the years after the First World War are all explained really well.  The exhibition looks closely at the rise to power of the Nazis, the impact on communities and individuals of their actions and the disastrous consequences for the region of the Second World War.  The development of unions and political parties is covered well, and there is a wealth of information about how people lived, worked and played.

We then follow the story of the post-war recovery and the massive contribution made by the region to Germany’s the so-called Wirtschaftswunder (economic miracle).

Finally, we learn about the slow death of heavy industry and the subsequent economic restructuring.

The feel and smell of the past

Placing the museum inside a coal washing plant was a brilliant idea.  Although the exhibitions themselves are clean, bright and clear, their surroundings still have the feel and smell of heavy industry.  The museum has quite rightly left some of the huge machinery, and not tried to soften the hardness of the space.  This gritty environment  provides a compelling context for the museum’s content.

A view from the top

Something you really must do either at the start or the end of you visit is to go to the very top of the building from where you can see the entire Zollverein complex and the  skyline of Essen beyond.

Do I now understand more about German football?

I think so. 

I can see why football was able to flourish in the region and why it was so important to its communities, and I really appreciate why tradition is so important to German football fans.

Getting there :

The 107 tram from Essen station will take you straight to the museum.  The journey lasts about twenty minutes and you get off at “Zollverein”.  The complex is a few meters away and  is impossible to miss.

Finding out more

The museum has a website and Facebook page.  There is also a Facebook page about the Zollverein mine.

If you want to find out more about the region’s heritage, there is a tour of old industrial monuments.