Dortmund and BVB: a symbiosis
Just imagine, some guy with a wild head of hair and stripped to the waist stops his car in the middle of the road, sings, hugs complete strangers and dances on his car roof. Should you call the police? No way! This guy is going to get his own parking space painted on the road!
Completely normal? Well, at least when this guy is called Neven Subotic and he’s just become a German Champion with BVB. This is what actually happened: in 2011, on the way from the stadium after the match, the defender was being chauffeured through the city to the next celebrations when they got stuck on Lindemannstraße near the stadium. Neven took this opportunity to get out and dance on the roof of the car. BVB fans decided to thank him for this by spraying his very own parking space onto the asphalt in the middle of the road – and the authorities even turned a blind eye.
This episode just shows the sort of relationship there is between the City and the club.
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Borussia - forever and everywhere
Borussia is deeply rooted in the everyday lives of the people here. If you are on the tram on a Monday, don’t be surprised to hear pensioners, men and women alike, discussing the last BVB game. In Dortmund’s day care centres the number of BVB shirts is particularly high after special games – and not just among the kids.
One Dortmund bakery chain never misses the chance to celebrate special football events with specially designed cakes and buns.
There are not many towns – except maybe Gelsenkirchen – where you’ll find so many football-related objects or stickers devoted to the local football club decorating cars, shop windows or house facades as there are in Dortmund.
How to experience Dortmund’s football culture
Nothing is possible without the Borsigplatz. This is where BVB was founded on 19.12.1909, and where they still have black and yellow flags flying practically all the time – not just on match days. Why not try some currywurst with fries at this original location.
Borsigplatz is also the starting point for the “Walk of Fame” which was set up on the hundredth anniversary of the club in the form of golden stars set into the pavement celebrating important people and events in the club’s history. This walk will lead you on a wild zig-zag of a route from the cradle of BVB to the Signal Iduna Park stadium.
In fact, you’ll be able to get an idea of what Borussia means to Dortmund just by walking around the city. It’s difficult to imagine there being one single bookshop, drugstore, pharmacy or electronics store in Dortmund which doesn’t have at least a little display offering BVB fan merchandise or memorabilia.
