Dortmund is a historical tech centre with a thriving nightlife and a wealth of intriguing attractions. Most likely, beer and football are its two most well-known exports. A football trip to Dortmund is a fantastic idea to spend a weekend. You may visit numerous fine breweries, the Westfalen Stadium, the home of the city’s Bundesliga team, Borussia Dortmund, and the German Football Museum.
While culture vultures will want to visit the art-filled Museum Ostwall, located near the famous Dortmund U-Tower, shopaholics will be mainly drawn to Westenhellweg, one of Germany’s top shopping avenues. Westfalen Park, which provides a natural respite, is home to broad, lush meadows, a rosarium with thousands of aromatic species, and the slender Florian Tower, which has an observation deck.
Brief History About Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund is the second-largest sports club in Germany in terms of participation after Bayern Munich. It was founded in 1909 by 18 football players from Dortmund and is a part of a sizeable membership-based sports club with more than 145,000 members. In addition, the club actively represents other sports, particularly handball. Since 1974, Dortmund has held home games at the Westfalenstadion, the biggest stadium in Germany. Dortmund also boasts the most significant average attendance of any association football club globally.
What is it like to watch at Signal Iduna Park?
Westfalenstadion, which translates to “Westphalia Stadium” in German, has been officially named Signal Iduna Park since November 2005. It is an association football stadium located in Dortmund, Germany. It is the largest football stadium in Germany with 80,708 seats, and UEFA has recognised it as an “elite stadium,” allowing it to host significant club championship finals. The city is the home of the German Bundesliga team Borussia Dortmund. Steakhouse Rodizio across from Theodor-Fliedner-Heim Tram Station and NRW Cocktails near Westfalenhallen Tram Stop are two options for beforehand dining at the Signal Iduna business park. Furthermore, you won’t go hungry thanks to the many fast-food stalls and restaurants inside the stadium, including the highly regarded Strobels Dortmund restaurant. What more could you want when you can consume beer while sitting in the stands?
About the Yellow Wall
The Yellow Wall is the nickname for Signal Iduna Park’s South Stand. In actuality, this is one of the most well-known football stands in the world. It’s not only the biggest single-tier stand in all of Europe; it’s also the steepest. A total of 24,454 people can fit behind the Yellow Wall. It is now larger than Burnley FC Stadium or the entirety of Union Berlin Stadium.
Here’s why The Yellow Army has a special relationship with ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, the famous Gerry & the Pacemaker’s song that has long been connected to Liverpool. Dortmund’s association with the song only developed in the middle of the 1990s. In comparison, Liverpool fans’ connection to it dates to the local band Gerry and the Pacemakers’ 1960s cover of the original Rogers & Hammerste in composition. In 1996, the band Pur Harmony from Dortmund was asked to cover the song, and they complied. The band nonetheless sang a song with such a solid connection to Liverpool, despite the singer Matthias Kartner’s reservations.
The song is also famously chanted at Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium. Moreover, during the COVID times, in certain regions of the United Kingdom and Europe, “You’ll Never Walk Alone” became the song of solidarity for medical personnel, first responders, and individuals in quarantine.
A weekend football trip to Dortmund
A football fan’s existence is incomplete without attending a Borussia Dortmund home game. The Bundesliga is currently tremendously fan-friendly and immensely popular. There is no better way to enjoy a league filled with elite players and international superstars than a weekend football trip to Dortmund. And where better to begin than with the formidable Borussia Dortmund?! The atmosphere is renowned, and the Yellow Wall’s scream gives every visitor the chills. Every week, 83,000 fans visit their beloved BVB and turn game day into a festival. It’s good to know that beers can be consumed while watching the game. However, if you prefer to soak up the pre-game excitement outside the stadium before entering, there is also the possibility. In contrast to other parts of Europe, fans arrive approximately two hours before kick-off. As a result, a football trip to Dortmund is an unforgettable experience.
What is it like to watch a game against local rivals Schalke 04?
The Borussia Dortmund vs. Schalke Revierderby is “the mother of all derbies” for a reason. In the industrial heartland of Germany, two of the game’s most fervent fanbases compete for local bragging rights in one of football’s most brutalrivalries in the globe. It represented a game that has given the Bundesliga so much suspense over the years. Throughoutits 97 league appearances, the Revierderby has averaged about three goals per game, and as we’ve seen, the record between these two fierce local rivals is tantalisingly even. The Revierderby team is not that dissimilar, as you can see. So, on derby day, make sure to say it quietly.
No derby can come closer to the one that is between Schalke and Borussia Dortmund. It is one of the strongest rivalries in international football, with two of the sport’s most ardent fan bases competing for local bragging rights in the industrial heartland of Germany.
The Revierderby is the moniker given to any football match amongst the football clubs in the Ruhr region of North Rhine-Westphalia, commonly known as the Revier, which is the abbreviated form of Bergbaurevier or the mining area, but mostly always refers to the rivalry between FC Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund. As a result, it’s commonly referred to as the Ruhr derby outside of Germany.
The best atmosphere will be surrounding the stadium, as German fans are more likely to drink in public or from kiosks/beer stands than in bars and taverns, which is the best attraction. It’s a beautiful 25-minute stroll from the city centre to the stadium, or if you have a ticket you can take the U-bahn, which is a 10-minute ride directly to the stadium, for free.
What is it like to watch a game against national rivals FC Bayern?
The matchups between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are now notable events on the football schedule, both domestically in Germany and internationally. However, der Klassiker is nevertheless a matchup deserving of the name, even though the “German Clasico” may not have the same social and political significance as matches of a similar nature elsewhere in the world. The two sides have been at the forefront of the German football scene, and their encounters have served as an example for other club matches in Germany. Therivalry between the two teams in sports is anything but contrived, despite what you may think of the moniker. When Bayern Munich plays Borussia Dortmund, it is called the Klassiker match, and the entire world pays attention.
Places to visit in Dortmund
The former mines, steelworks, and breweries are now preserved as massive memorials to the prosperous post-war era. Locations like the ZecheZollern colliery still feature its massive steam turbines and exquisite Art Nouveau architecture.
In the city’s heart, the ancient Dortmunder Union Brauerei is today a vibrant cultural hub housing the Ostwall Art Museum, bursting with Expressionist artwork. Mostpeople outside of Germany are familiar with Dortmund because of its soccer team, and for a good reason—Borussia Dortmund is a phenomenon. Be sure to see their cathedral-like stadium, the Signal Iduna Park, which explodes in a roar of sound during games.
Things to do in Dortmund
- Borussia Dortmund
- German Football Museum
- Westfalenpark
- Florianturm
- Dortmund U
- Transport Museum and Mooskamp Station
- Botanischer Garten Rombergpark
- Haus Dellwig
- Wasserschloss Haus Rodenberg
- LWL-IndustriemuseumZecheZollern
- DASA
- Signal Iduna Park
- Kokerei Hansa
- Propsteikirche
These are some of the potential activities in Dortmund, Germany. You now know what to do and where to go if you’re ready to have a fun and thrilling trip! So pack your bags and get ready for a fantastic trip to Dortmund.
