Main Photo by Nathan Wright
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NICKNAME – Die Eisernen (The Iron Ones)
FOUNDED – 1966
LOCATED IN – Köpenick, Berlin
STADIUM – Stadion An Der Alten Försterei
BY S-BAHN – 40 minutes from Ostkreuz (Line 3)
CAPACITY – 22,012
PROMOTED – 2019
BEST LEAGUE FINISH – 2nd (1922/1923)
BEST DFB POKAL RUN – Runners Up (2001/2002)
BEST EC/CL FINISH – Group Stage (2023/2024)
BEST UC/EL FINISH – R16 (2022/2023)
BEST ECL FINISH – Group Stage (2021/2022)
RECORD GOALSCORER – Karim Benyamina (87)
2022/2023 FINISH – 4th
FIVE FACTS ABOUT UNION BERLIN
1. Union was a hotbed of anti-Stasi sentiment in the DDR. Fans chanted “The Wall Must Go” when taking free-kicks.
2. When the stadium fell into a state of disrepair in 2008, 2,500 volunteer fans helped rebuild it themselves.
3. When Union ran into financial trouble, the fans “bled for Union”, donating the money they received for donating blood directly to the club.
4. Union are firm friends of the pirates of fellow cult club St Pauli of Hamburg. Both lean strongly left politically.
5. Every Christmas, the stadium is packed out for group carol singing and mulled wine.
FIVE FACTS ABOUT EAST BERLIN
1. Whilst West Germany moved its capital to Bonn, East Berlin remained the capital of East Germany,
2. After the wall was constructed in 1961, it was far easier for West Germans to visit the East than vice-versa.
3. In modern Berlin, the Museum Island, which plays host to five different world-class museums, is a must-visit.
4. Friedrichshain is the place to go to check out much more alternative culture and street art.
5. The historic neoclassical Brandenburg Gate is the best place to take a classic Berlin photo.
INTERESTING VIDEO LINKS
The story of Union Berlin and their fanbase
“Eisern Union” at the Berlin derby
“Rot und Weiß sind die Farben von Berlin”
A look around Köpenick
OTHER GERMAN TEAMS
Arminia Bielefeld, Augsburg, Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Bochum, Borussia Dortmund, Borussia MG, Darmstadt, Eintracht Frankfurt, Fortuna Düsseldorf, Freiburg, Greuther Fürth, Heidenheim, Hertha Berlin, Hoffenheim, Köln, Leipzig, Mainz, Paderborn, Schalke, Stuttgart, Union Berlin, Werder Bremen, Wolfsburg