Image shared by Michael Bertulat under a Creative Commons (BY) Licence
Dynamo Dresden were promoted to the second division in 2015/16. They attract average attendances of over 20000, and you can expect a good atmosphere and a very passionate crowd. And a trip to Dresden, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, is well worth the two hour train journey.
A brief history
The story of football in Dresden is closely linked to German history over the last 100 years.
Dresden SC were a force to be reckoned with in German football before 1945 and indeed were national champions in 1943 and 1945. One of their best known players was Helmut Schön, who was later to coach the national team.
At the end of the war Dresden found itself in the Russian occupied zone, which eventually became East Germany.
Under the communist regime football was completely re-organised. The old clubs were all dissolved and formed into Sports Gruppen. A new club was formed in Dresden with the name SG Friedrichstadt. This club was dissolved a second time, however, after a riot at the final of the East German championship in 1950.
A new club, Dynamo Dresden was then set up in 1953. The team, which was made up of players from the police, quickly established itself in East German football, winning the cup in 1952 and the league in 1953.
This success proved to be a problem in the long term, as the success in Dresden highlighted the lack of success in Berlin. So in 1954, Erik Mielke, Head of the East German Security Police (the feared and hated Stasi) arranged for most of the team to be transferred to Berlin to form Dynamo Berlin, while the rest of the team re-grouped in the second division.
Consisting mainly of reserve and youth team players, by 1957 Dynamo had dropped to the fourth tier of East German football. Then they began to recover and eventually got promotion to the top division in 1962. Although relegated at the end of the next season, promotion followed the year after and Dynamo then remained in the top tier for every season but one until the the league was broken up in 1991. In the 1970’s Dynamo, managed at the time by Walter Frisch, were one of the most successful East German teams, winning the league five times and the cup twice.
When the Berlin Wall fell and Germany was re-united, Dynamo Dresden initially joined the Bundesliga and remained there for four years. However, like many East German clubs, Dresden lost key players to richer western clubs and struggled financially in the new order. By 1995 compounded debts of 10 Million Marks prompted the German football authorities to withdraw their licence to play in the Bundesliga and they were relegated to the North East Regional League. To compound their troubles the chairman was sent to prison for embezzlement.
Gradually Dynamo recovered yet again and found themselves back in the 2 Bundesliga by 2005. Two years later they were relegated back to the Regional League, but were then promoted to the newly formed 3 Bundesliga
Since then Dynamo have moved between the third and second tier of German football.
Stadium
Dynamo Dresden play in the Glücksgas stadium. Although originally built in 1923 it was thoroughly modernised between 2006 and 2009.
Image shared by Daniel Friedrichs under a Creative Commons (BY) Licence
Tickets
You can order tickets at the online shop., or by phone (0049 1805 303 435).
Getting there
There are frequent trains to Dresden from the main station in Berlin. The journey will take a bit more than two hours and cost you about 40 euros.
If you are coming from further afield, there are flights to Dresden from London City, as well as Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Hamburg. And it’s then a twenty minute train ride to the main station.
The stadium is then a short twenty minute walk from the station.
Fans
Dynamo Dresden is one of the best supported lower division teams, regularly playing in front of crowds of up to 20000. Like many clubs, Dynamo fans produce complex and spectacular displays at the start of games.
Colours : Yellow and black, the city colours of Dresden.
