Teams, tales and tips – a guide to the local game
Downstream from the rival Rhineland carnival city of Cologne, at the edge of the industrial Ruhr region, affluent Düsseldorf works hard and plays hard, as they say. Home of electronic music legends Kraftwerk, Düsseldorf hit the international spotlight in the 1970s when flagship football club Fortuna made a European final.
While fortune hasn’t since favoured Fortuna, Düsseldorf’s location, airport and transport links, plentiful hotel stock and impressive arenas, have allowed it to stage events of significant prestige. First the Rheinstadion, then its replacement, today’s Merkur Spiel-Arena, in a leafy expanse of north Düsseldorf given over to recreation a century ago, have allowed the 1974 World Cup, Euro 1988 and Euro 2024 to come to a city with one German title to its name. The airport is a corner-kick away.
Yes, Fortuna’s Rhineland rivals Köln have only notched one more, but die Geißböcke have finished runners-up five times and can be considered by almost every measure to be the bigger club.
In addition, Fortuna’s solitary win dates back to 1933, just as the balance of football power in Germany was shifting west. Played in Cologne, Fortuna’s comprehensive 3-0 tonking of soon-to-be-dominant Schalke from nearby Gelsenkirchen involved neither Bavaria nor Prussia, whose clubs had won every title but two since 1920.
The national final also involved the great Paul Janes, Düsseldorf-born and raised, Germany’s record cap until 1970. The ground that now bears his name is found in Flingern, a district east of the city and the cradle of football in Düsseldorf. Here, in an area of workers’ homes developed during industrialisation, a gymnastics club was founded in 1895.
Most of Germany’s football clubs sprang from these organisations, created to ensure that men of working age exercised correctly and sufficiently. Serving the second-largest city in the region after Cologne, Turnverein Flingern 1895 was one of the biggest.
Nearby Düsseldorfer SC 1899 were part of a wider sports club, one that competed in the West German Championship, winning the regional crown in 1907 after attracting players over from nearby Viktoria Ratingen, run by English workers. Unable to field these ringers in the national finals, DSC 99 were thrashed by Victoria Hamburg 8-1 in the first knock-out round.
Düsseldorfer SC 1899 merit a longer mention in the annals of German football for two reasons. First, they were the first club of Gottfried Fuchs, who returned to his native Karlsruhe after the events of 1907 to win the German title in 1910.
Coached at Karlsruhe, it should be noted, by former Blackburn winger and twice FA Cup winner William Townley, Fuchs made history when he scored ten goals in Germany’s 16-0 win over Russia at the 1912 Olympics. Escaping the Holocaust in 1937 – this, a Jewish man who had been honoured with the Iron Cross for serving his country in World War I – Fuchs never returned to Germany. During the 1930s, his scoring feat was expunged from the German FA records.
The club’s more minor claim to fame is its home of Windscheidstraße, just north of Flingern, still a sports facility today. Here, DSC 99, celebrating their 125th anniversary in 2024, play games in the local Kreisliga A, in the same white and black as Gottfried Fuchs in 1907. This was the neutral ground where the German National Final was played in 1921, in front of 27,000 spectators.
By then, there was a lively football scene in town. Several clubs had branched out from the original Turn- und Rasensport Union, founded back in 1880, ‘Turn’ referring to gymnastics, ‘Rasensport’ to games played on grass. With all the new industry flooding into Düsseldorf, there was a strong British influence. One offshoot of Union were Britannia Düsseldorf, formed in 1902, which begat Düsseldorf FK Union in 1905.
The one constant was the colours of blue and white. Up until World War II, Union played on Oberbilker Allee, just south of Flingern, before switching to Feuerbachstraße near Volksgarten S-Bahn station.
More recently, TuRU Düsseldorf sank to Landesliga level in 2023. The grass pitch, facilitated by a main stand and welcoming TuRU Gasthaus clubhouse restaurant overseen by the Marinović family, is also used by the Düsseldorf Panther American football team, the second most successful in Germany.
Back in turn-of-the-century Flingern, Alemania 1911 were renamed Fortuna 1911 after the club’s founders were inspired by a passing bread cart with the local bakers’ name on it. With the economic hardship after World War I, clubs often merged with their longer-established gymnastics counterparts, and run on purely amateur lines. Joining forces with Turnverein Flingern, Fortuna added ‘1895’ to their name, the ‘-95’ still prominent on the club badge today.
The so-called Clean Divorce of 1924, allowing football clubs to sever links with these umbrella sports organisations, meant they could sink or swim provided the public was happy to pay money at the turnstile. With the large crowd registered for the 1921 National Final and a tasty rivalry brewing between TuRU, DSC 1899 and Fortuna in the local division of the West German Championship, these three occupying the top three places in 1926, there was no lack of interest.
Furthermore, Düsseldorf now had a showcase stadium, the Rheinstadion, planned soon after World War I but put on hold during the French occupation of the Ruhr between 1923 and 1925. The site sits on an elegant bend in the Rhine in the district of Stockum, where architect Johannes Seiffert had envisaged an elegant horseshoe of a stadium, expanding on the concept he had drawn up for the national stadium in his native Berlin when working at the office of Otto March.
While it would be Otto’s sons who would see the Olympiastadion project through in Berlin, here in Düsseldorf, city planner Hans Freese took Seiffert’s design and ran with it.
A swimming pool and velodrome surrounded the 42,000-capacity Rheinstadion but there was more at play here than mere recreation. The last French soldiers had just left when recently elected German president Paul von Hindenburg gave a patriotic speech in September 1925 to pronounce the stadium ready, and the Rhineland German. Seven months later, 60,000 swarmed here for the opening match, a 4-2 win for Germany over the Netherlands.
None of the German team came from clubs in the west of the country. This would soon change, and Fortuna would be among the teams leading the charge.
First playing at Lichtplatz, today the Engerstraße playground on the fringes of Flingern, Fortuna moved to Vennhauser Straße after World War I. This is beside Flinger Broich, the part of Flingern most associated with the club.
In 1927, Fortuna topped their group in the local championship, TuRU the other, and the Flingeraner, as they were now nicknamed, edged the decider 2-1 after extra-time. Though swept aside at their first national finals, Fortuna would be back.
In 1930, the Rheinstadion hosted the national final, a 5-4 win for Hertha Berlin over Holstein Kiel in front of 40,000. Across town in Flingern, the final touches were being given to a new ground for Fortuna, at Flinger Broich, close to the previous one on Vennhauser Straße. Opened in September 1930, it could hold 20,000 spectators.
Pretty soon, they were in thrall to Paul Janes. Joining the senior team at 19, this dead-ball specialist had made his international debut by the age of 20. Considered one of the greatest German players of all time, and certainly the greatest of the pre-war era, Janes was essentially a right-back who could see the whole game.
Weeks after Janes’ Fortuna debut in 1931, the Düsseldorf side took Eintracht Frankfurt to the wire in the national finals, losing 3-2 after extra-time at the Rheinstadion. In 1933, Janes, along with fellow German international Jakob Bender and Stanislaus Kobierski, starred in Fortuna’s comprehensive defeat of Schalke 04 in the national final in Cologne.
Schalke would go on to dominate the decade – the Fortuna trio would help take Germany to the 1934 World Cup semi-final, Kobierski scoring his country’s first ever goal at the finals.
Janes went on to notch up an initial record 71 caps, his last coming in 1942, when he was still only 30. While still player-coach at Fortuna, Janes oversaw the arrival of goalkeeper Toni Turek from Ulm in 1950. A trained baker with a keen eye, Turek was already 30 when he made his international debut in 1950, West Germany’s first game after the war.
Recommended by Janes, who may even have played himself at 38 but for a foot injury, Turek went on to star at the 1954 World Cup, the oldest player in the tournament. His divine heroics in the final – “Turek, du bist ein Fußballgott!” proclaimed radio reporter Herbert Zimmermann – sealed his legendary status, 100,000 giving him a hero’s welcome on the streets of Düsseldorf.
His statue, casually propping up the goalpost, stands outside the Merkur Spiel-Arena today. Honoured in similar fashion, in 1990, Flinger Broich was renamed the Paul-Janes-Stadion. Fortuna played there until 1972, when the Rheinstadion was completely rebuilt for the 1974 World Cup.
The architect this time was Friedrich Tamms, who had worked under Albert Speer designing bridges and motorways in the Nazi era. From 1948, he headed up the city planning office of war-devastated Düsseldorf. Much of the city that the members of Kraftwerk grew up in, for example, its main traffic arteries and three distinctive cable-stayed bridges over the Rhine, is his work.
The award-winning Rheinstadion was laid out in the same horseshoe shape as its 1930s’ predecessor, with one end open and a stylish, cable-stayed roof running three-quarters around it. Scene of two West German victories on the way to lifting the 1974 World Cup, the opening game of Euro ’88 and England’s defeat to Holland five days later, the Rheinstadion also staged Mönchengladbach’s most prestigious European fixtures in the golden era of both Borussia and Fortuna.
Gladbach fans had to make the 20-minute journey to Düsseldorf for the home legs of the UEFA Cup finals in 1975 and 1979, and the run to the European Cup final in 1977, the same year that the Rheinstadion hosted the inaugural World Athletics Championships.
Fortuna, meanwhile, spent most of the 1970s and 1980s in the Bundesliga, making their European debut in 1973. The run to the final of the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1978-79 was marked by the goals of Klaus Allofs, and tight wins over Aberdeen, Universitatea Craiova and Baník Ostrava.
The Düsseldorf side then gave Barcelona a fright in the final in Basle, the Catalans edging it 4-3 after extra-time. Two years later came Fortuna’s last season to date in Europe’s major competitions.
Playing in the third, even the fourth tier, Fortuna have hardly set the German game alight over the last four decades, although a tenth-place finish in the rare Bundesliga season of 2018-19 attracted an average crowd of 44,000. For half of that time, Fortuna have been playing at what is now known as the Merkur Spiel-Arena, the contemporary stadium built on the site of the Rheinstadion.
Its construction was linked to the 2006 World Cup – which, in the end, was one tournament Düsseldorf didn’t co-host. Originally, the gap in the Rheinstadion was going to be closed up and the roof extended to cover all seats exposed to the rain. This plan was then rejected and a new multi-purpose arena was given the green light instead.
At the time, Fortuna were playing third-flight football in front of crowds of a few thousand. As nearly a third of the costs of €200 million-plus was coming from public funds, when rival city Cologne was chosen over Düsseldorf for 2006, the local press had a field day.
The situation was exacerbated by Fortuna only playing four league games there the first season of 2004-05, although the showcase friendly with Bayern that January was a sell-out – as was Germany’s 2-2 draw with Argentina a month later.
Fortuna played the last game at the Rheinstadion in March 2002, before the stadium bowed out in a manner befitting the ’70s: Quo. The UK rockers provided the entertainment for an NFL showcase that June. This architectural masterpiece was then demolished in two explosions later that year, but not before some of the seats were deployed elsewhere, and the sector sign numbers re-used at the Paul-Janes-Stadion.
Between the demolition and the opening of the new arena, Fortuna decamped back to their spiritual home, where supporters still drink local Altbier in the Bar95 and buy red-and-white merchandise from the club shop. As well as screening games here in the Toni-Turek-Haus, the ground hosts Fortuna’s reserve and youth sides, plus the occasional friendly.
With its capacity of 7,200 upped to 12,600 for the occasion, the Paul-Janes-Stadion also proved a popular venue for public viewing during the 2006 World Cup – 72 years after its namesake legend was the break-out star of the 1934 finals.
Getting Around
Arriving in town and local transport
Düsseldorf Airport is 7km (four miles) north of the city centre. For Düsseldorf Hbf main station in town, use the S11 S-Bahn, which is the only line served by the Terminal station (Düsseldorf, D-Airport Terminal A/B/C) downstairs in the main airport building. Trains run every 20-30mins.
A single ticket on the swift VRR regional train/tram network for the journey of five stops/15mins is €3.30. Hopping around can work out cheaper with a 24hr or 48hr pass or by using VRR’s eezy app.
Although the stadium is under 10mins from the nearby airport by taxi, by public transport, it’s easier to head to the main station in town and out again to the stadium.
Düsseldorf Hbf is south-east of the city centre. The Rhine and central Altstadt are a short ride by the Rheinbahn tram network. A quicky hop of up to 3 stops, Kurzstrecke, is €2.10, a Preisstufe A3 ticket (€3.40) is valid for the 20min journey from station to stadium. The Rheinbahn eezy app dovetails with the VRR one (see above).
A network of regional buses operated by Bogestra serves outlying destinations.
From the airport, for all other regional and mainline trains, take the SkyTrain (€1.90) monorail to Düsseldorf Airport train station (D-Flughafen Bf). Certain onward rail tickets and passes are valid for the 7min airborne journey.
TaxiRuf Düsseldorf (+49 211 71 41 41) offers all kinds of airport transfers. A cab to Düsseldorf main station should cost around €30.
Where to Drink
The best pubs and bars for football fans
Traditional Altbier bars, Irish pubs and cult Kneipen ensure that Düsseldorf’s central Altstadt is always busy after dark. Within the small pedestrianised area delineated by Mühlenstraße, Hunsrückenstraße, Bolkerstraße and Burgplatz, the intrepid barcrawler can lose many a night – and catch the game, too.
A good starting point might be Sutton’s Irish Pub on Hunsrückenstraße, serving pints and showing matches since Euro ’88. Noon opening allows you to get an early start, late closing, 3am weekdays, 5am weekends, means you can let loose long after the final whistle.
A couple of doors down, the Irish Pub bei Fatty ticks similar boxes, and also has tables outside. On the corner with Mutter-Ey-Straße, o’reilly’s is the Düsseldorf branch of this mini-chain of Euro Irish pubs also operating in prominent spots in Frankfurt, Brussels and Amsterdam.
Towards the river, after Mutter-Ey-Straße becomes Andreastraße then Kurze Straße, the Brauerei Kürzer has made a popular nightspot out of a bare-brick brewbar. Its beer is also served next door, at cult spot Schaukelstühlchen, along with obligatory shots, sunk amid stickers and old drinks ads.
Opposite, McLaughlins differs from the other Irish pubs in town in that it’s actually Irish. While football dominates its serious TV schedule, reverence is given to Celtic sports, with live music and Sunday quiz nights also programmed. Private events can be staged in its Orchard winter garden.
Bar-lined Kurze Straße sits conveniently close to the taxi rank on Burgplatz – but there’s more to explore. One street up on Mühlenstraße, Julio’s is a fun drinking spot for all ages, the music carefully selected, interspersed with the shelling of gratis peanuts.
Further up on Liefergasse, the cosy Kneipe is set back from the Altstadt hubbub and all the better for it. Decent kitchen, too. At the far end of Liefergasse, the Kreuzherren Ecke opened three months after Düsseldorf celebrated the homecoming of goalkeeper Toni Turek, hero of the 1954 World Cup Final. Musicians, writers and artists still frequent the place, drawn by its authenticity.
At the Altstadt end of Liefergasse, anchoring Löwenhaus, the oldest house in Düsseldorf, Pinte provides a sunny terrace for summer drinking and a peaceful bar to watch Bundesliga games.
Long after dark, the party crowd heads a few hundreds metres across the Altstadt to Bolkerstraße, and to places such as Da Spiegel, welcoming revellers since 1969.
If you’ve just arrived in town or fancy a farewell toast, Brauerei Zum Schiffchen, sits by platform 13 in the station building of Düsseldorf Hbf. Here customers pour their own pints from a huge communal Zapf barrel in the middle of the bar, being careful not to spill any as they watch the match action unfold. From July 1, 2024, it moves to Burgplatz.
And if you’re flying out of Düsseldorf airport, look out for the Sportsbar by Flugsteig C of the departure lounge.
Where to stay
The best hotels for the stadium and city centre
Visit Düsseldorf has a hotel database and click-through booking service.
Right next to the stadium on Arenastraße, the Tulip Inn Düsseldorf Arena has a long promenade overlooking the pitch to hire for meetings and presentations, along with 280 guest rooms, some with Rhine views. There’s a bar and restaurant, too.
Nearby, directly on the riverbank, the Hotel Schnellenburg dates back to the 1400s, the current structure built in the 1920s. Today its guests are treated to comfortable lodgings, each room with a free-standing bath, the restaurant a destination in its own right. Free on-site parking and a 24-hour reception are further services.
Plenty of hotels dot the Altstadt in the centre of town but bear in mind that this is also the bar quarter. This caveat particularly holds true for the Alt-Düsseldorf, right next door to an Irish pub on Hunsrückenstraße and two doors down from another. But, if you’re here to explore Düsseldorf affordably, this reliable lodging is ideal, with its own terrace café and attractive breakfast spread. Behind it, the Hotel St Georg is similar in offer, with its own cocktail bar.
By City Hall as its name suggests, the Hotel am Rathaus comprises six rooms and four suites, individually decorated and equipped with large-screen LED TVs.
For something a notch above, stylish, 73-room Das Carls sits close to Benrather Straße tram stop and the market on Carlsplatz, with a chic hotel bar to boot.
Across town, at the prestigious address of Königsallee 1, the five-star Steigenberger Icon Parkhotel welcomes visiting teams and top-paying guests with a 24-hour gym, Michelin-star restaurant, cigar lounge and sauna upon request.
Noon check-out means you can enjoy the comfort of your high-ceilinged room, one of 129, just that little longer. Throw in 24/7 room service and a paid-for airport shuttle, and you have the best digs in town.
