Olympiastadion
The Olympiastadion in Berlin is Germany’s second largest stadium, venue of the 2006 World Cup final, and the home stadium of Hertha BSC. It has a total capacity of 74,064 seats and furthermore counts with 4,226 business seats, 63 VIP lodges and 13 sky boxes.
The Olympiastadion got built between 1934 and 1936, and officially opened on the 1st of August 1936. The stadium was built to serve as the centrepiece of the 1936 Olympic games, and it was here where Jesse Owens won his famous four gold medals.
A first major round of redevelopments was performed in 1972 and 1973, including the construction of two roofs over the upper tier of both long ends. Five years earlier a set of floodlights had already been installed. At the 1974 World Cup the stadium hosted three matches in the first group stage.
In the late 90s the city of Berlin debated what to do with the stadium, which included the option of rebuilding the stadium into a football-specific stadium. However, in 1998 the Berlin Senate chose to renovate the stadium instead and keep its status as a multi-purpose stadium. Only little later the stadium got awarded the final of the 2006 World Cup as part of the German bid.
The renovation of the stadium, including the complete reconstruction of the lower tier and the installation of a new roof, was completed in 2004. The renovated stadium was reopened with a friendly international match between Germany and Brazil (1-1).
At the 2006 World Cup the stadium hosted four group matches, a quarter-final, and the final between Italy and France (1-1).
Getting there
The Olympiastadion is located in the east of Berlin, almost 7 kilometres from the eastern end of the Kurfürstendamm, and 10 from the Brandenburg Gate and Berlin’s main railway station (Hauptbahnhof). It is part of the Olympic Park which includes other sports facilities.
Coming from Unter den Linden (Brandenburg Gate) in Berlin’s centre, the stadium can be reached by driving west in one straight line, in the direction of Spandau. Follow the Kaiserdamm and, after the Theodor-Heuss-Platz, the Heerestraße. Keep right and – about 2 kilometres after the Theodor-Heuss-Platz – turn right onto the Flatowallee, after which you quickly bump into the stadium.
Coming from the south or west of the country, take exit Messedamm from the A115. Keep right and at the second traffic lights turn left in the direction of the Deutschlandhalle (conference centre). After the Deutschlandhalle turn right onto the Jafféstraße, which you follow until the Heerestraße. Turn left onto the Heerestraße and follow as above.
Coming from the north of the country, take exit Kaiserdamm süd from the A100. Take the Kaiserdamm west and follow as above.
The Olympiastadion can be reached by metro (U-Bahn) with line U2 and U12, which can be boarded at several points in the city centre. Get off at stop Olympia-Stadion. It takes the U12 about 25 minutes to reach the stadium from Potsdamer Platz and 15 minutes from Zoologische Garten.
Alternatively one can get to the stadium by overground metro (S-Bahn). Both the S5 and S75 pass station Olympiastadion. Both lines link the stadium with Berlin’s major railway stations in the centre, as well as station Spandau in the west.
Address: Olympischer Platz 3, 14053 Berlin
Tickets
Tickets for Hertha BSC games can be bought online, by phone +49 (0) 1805 1892 00 (Service Hotline), or at one of Hertha’s six fanshops. Of these fanshops the ones at the Olympiastadion, Breitscheidplatz, Hauptbahnhof, and Ostbahnhof are the most conveniently located.
Match tickets are divided into four categories, though almost all games fall into category 2 and 3. Prices for category 2 tickets range from €16.00 to €69.00 and for category 3 tickets from €13.00 to €49.00. Tickets for the match against Bayern start at €19.00.
Hertha’s average attendances generally range from 45,000 to 50,000, but the club does sell out the odd match.
Stadium tours
The Olympiastadion offers various possibilities for stadium tours. The first is to make a walk round certain parts of the stadium at your own pace, possibly with an audioguide. The stadium is opened from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm (4:00 pm in the winter months) for visits. Entrance costs €7.00 and can be bought on the spot.
Alternatively the stadium offers guided stadium tours (only in German) that include other parts of the stadium, and last about 60 to 75 minutes. These tours run every day in the summer months at 11:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 3:00 pm, and at 11:00 am only in the winter months (an extra tour runs at 5:00 pm during the summer holidays). The tour costs €3.00 on top of the general entrance and can be booked online.
The club Hertha BSC offers special Hertha tours, which run every Thursday at 1:30 pm (in the winter months only every first Thursday of the month). These tours last 90 minutes and include access to the training of Hertha BSC. They cost €10.00, everything included.
For more information call +49 (0) 30 25 00 23 22 or email tour@olympiastadion-berlin.de.
Relavant Internet links:
Herthabsc.de – Official website of Hertha BSC.
Visitberlin.de – Official tourism portal for the city of Berlin.
Bvg.de – Berlin public transport travel information.
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