YNWA-Blog #14

A curry sausage in Dortmund

Filming in the church where BVB was founded takes us back again in time: In the same year as Ferenc Molnár presented his stage play “Liliom” in Budapest, a group of young men of the catholic Trinity parish in Dortmund were already passionate about the game of soccer.

Also with us today in the north of the city is Dr. Hartmut Kasper, the producer of the documentary film “You’ll never walk alone.” Dr. Kasper wrote the history of the famous football anthem for the film. “Wir sind alle am Borsigplatz geboren” (we were all born at Borsigplatz) goes the text of one of the BVB songs. And that's exactly where we’re off to today: Once around the square until we find the right lane and then we turn right and head for Flurstraße 10. In the Trinity Church here, people have been congregating for over 100 years for church services. “…Borussia, you are our home, you are our religion,” goes a line of the song “Borussia“ from Bruno Knust. And it's true: Every weekend, thousands of fans don the colors of their teams and make the trip to one of the region's many stadia. But in very few clubs, the historical link with the church is as strong as it is for Borussia Dortmund: From the catholic youth organization, “Youth Solidarity” of the parish, emerged on December 19, 1909, the “Ballspielverein Borussia 09 e.V. Dortmund.” It was an inauspicious beginning and was without God's blessing as it was against the will of the then chaplain for whom the new sport was too rough and aggressive.

The church and BVB have since made peace of course. Parish officer Karsten Haug receives Joachim Król in his white robes with a BVB scarf. Inside Trinity Church, there are many black and yellow artifacts and collectors' items in place of the typical church treasures one finds in other churches. The permanent exhibition “Church, football, faith in God” reminds us of the joint beginnings of church and club. And each year at the beginning of the Bundesliga season, a special BVB church service is held in the church and the song “You’ll never walk alone” is part of the service.

With all this history, you soon work up an appetite. And Joachim Król has found just the right interview partner for lunch: At his sausage stand in downtown Dortmund, we meet the BVB fan favorite, stadium announcer and cup hero from Berlin, Nobert Dickel. Dickel's curry stand at the Marienkirche opened in 2012 and the menu offers specialties such as “Nobbys Doubleschale” or the “Heimspielschale” - and whenever Borussia win, the price of the “Siegerschale”(winner's trophy) is reduced. As the MC, Norbert Dickel knows the stadium inside out and remembers well how the song “You’ll never walk alone” came to be sung at Dortmund games.

In the busy Dortmund downtown on this beautiful late summer's day, the two men chatting soon attract a small crowd: Behind the two cameras, fans await the end of filming so that they can get autographs from Norbert Dickel and Joachim Król.