As Notts are going on a European tour in a couple of weeks, I've put together some information for travelling fans (or anyone else who's interested). Happy reading!
SV Darmstadt 98
The “Lilien” currently play in Bundesliga 2 but have been up and down the leagues a lot in recent seasons. After being reprieved from relegation to the fourth-level Regionalliga at the end of the 2012/13 season, they embarked on an improbable success story, with two consecutive promotions taking them to the Bundesliga for the first time since 1982. After another short foray in the Bundesliga the season before last, they finished in the bottom half of last season’s Bundesliga 2 following relegation.
Darmstadt’s Bundesliga adventures have helped them grow their support base. Their Böllenfalltor ground, which used to be a typical old-school German ground with a running track and an open terrace along the touchline, has been completely rebuilt in recent seasons, with a curiously unambitious capacity of 17,800. They fill it for most home games.
The city and region
Darmstadt has a population of over 160,000 and is about 20 miles south of Frankfurt. Today, it draws a lot of students and calls itself the “city of science” as an important location for the chemical industry and the European Space Agency. It was heavily bombed by the RAF towards the end of the Second World War, wiping out its old town (which was not rebuilt as in other cities) and leading to great loss of life.
The city isn’t much of a tourist destination in itself – few traces of its old town remain and the city centre is scarred by the ugly Luisencenter shopping centre. But if you’re into 1920s architecture, the Mathildenhöhe UNESCO World Heritage Site is within walking distance of the city centre and is worth a look. The city also has an attractive palace (Schloss) at its heart, complete with beer garden. Right opposite it on the market square (Marktplatz) is the Ratskeller pub with its own microbrewery, which makes the best beer in Darmstadt and traditional food. This is also a pre-match haunt of Darmstadt fans. The city’s nightlife begins and ends with the nearby Goldene Krone pub, which often hosts live music. If you're in town a few days before the match, you're in luck - Darmstadt's Heinerfest is on from 3 to 7 July, a city festival with live music and all manner of attractions.
The rural Odenwald region is just to the east and is worth exploring if you’ve got a car. Michelstadt is small but worth a visit if you’ve got time. To the south is the Bergstraße (the “mountain road”), which runs along the mountains at the edge of the Odenwald. There’s a string of interesting towns here, from Bensheim to Weinheim and finally Heidelberg with its popular old town. To the west there’s the attractive city of Mainz too.
Matchday
The ground is a short tram ride out of the city centre – just remember to get off at Merck-Stadion rather than Böllenfalltor. This will drop you right in front of the ground behind the main stand, where there will hopefully be a range of sausage-based snacks to choose from. If you walk to the right of the main stand, you’ll find the Lilienschänke pub which serves Krombacher beer, which is sadly not local but still quite palatable.
1. FC Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern are a big name in Germany – the Red Devils are a founder member of the Bundesliga, were not relegated until 1996 and claimed their most recent Bundesliga title in 1998 after being promoted straight back. In total, they have won four German championships and two cups, and were losing cup finalists last season. They currently play in Bundesliga 2 and are managed by Torsten Lieberknecht, who has led both Darmstadt and Eintracht Braunschweig to the top flight.
The ground holds just short of 50,000 (and they can absolutely fill it) and was partially rebuilt for the 2006 World Cup. Walking up the hill on a matchday does feel a bit special. However, our friendly will be held on one of the training pitches in the shadow of the stadium.
The town and region
Unlike other clubs their size, Lautern are not a big city club: Kaiserslautern has a population of around 100,000, making it somewhat smaller than Mansfield. As such, the club draws its support base from throughout the Palatinate (Pfalz) region, all the way to Ludwigshafen 50 miles away on the banks of the Rhine.
I've been to Kaiserslautern a couple of times - it feels a bit like the back end of nowhere and to be honest it didn't keep me entertained for long. However, the Altstadtfest is on from 4 to 6 July, with live music and a celebration of 125 years of ***. The town is also in the middle of a wonderful wine-growing region. Bad Dürkheim isn't too far away and hosts the world's largest wine festival every September; it's a good place to try some of them out. Neustadt an der Weinstraße is Lincoln's partner town and is absolutely beautiful.
The largest US military base outside the US is situated in nearby Ramstein (not to be confused with rock band Rammstein).
The Palatinate region also has its own cuisine. One thing to look after is Saumagen (“sow's stomach”), which is pork meat, potatoes and herbs stuffed into a pig's stomach, which is then cut into slices and fried. It's a bit like a large sausage. This can also be served in a bread roll and tastes far better than it sounds!
Stuttgarter Kickers
Kickers were founder members of Bundesliga 2 in 1974 and enjoyed a couple of seasons in the top flight in the 1980s and 90s. Since relegation from Bundesliga 2 in 2001 they have tended to flit between the third and fourth level. They've never won a major honour, but they were runners-up to the German championship in 1908 and reached the cup final in 1987.
The ground sits on top of a hill just outside the city centre next to the TV tower. It holds 11,000, with the team drawing an average crowd of about 5,000.
The city and region
Stuttgart is the capital of the south-western state of Baden-Württemberg; with over 600,000 residents, it is by far the largest city of our tour. It's best known as one of the birthplaces of the motor industry and is home to Mercedes and Porsche.
Stuttgart is more leafy and sprawling than Frankfurt and its residents (Schwaben) are famous for being careful with their money (kind of like Yorkshiremen with flash cars). They're also proud of their food – Käsespätzle (egg noodles served with onions and cheese) is from here but is now popular across Germany. Maultaschen (“mouth bags”) are pasta dumplings filled with meat or spinach. The story goes that they were used to cheat God by concealing meat on the days when you're not supposed to eat it, leading to their nickname Herrgottsbescheißerle (“God cheaters”).
Although heavily damaged in the war, the city offers plenty of nooks and corners to keep you entertained. Other places worth visiting nearby are Tübingen, Esslingen and Ulm, home of the world's tallest church tower. You can also go up the TV tower next to Kickers' ground.
Travel
Airports
There are a few airports in this region, but hurry if you haven't booked yet! Lufthansa fly to Frankfurt from Birmingham and Manchester, which is very handy for the first game in Darmstadt.
Despite the name, Frankfurt Hahn is some 120 km from Frankfurt. It's a long way from the railway network and is only served by a few coach services a day, so your journey could be a long one. Nonetheless, it's very cheap to get to with Ryanair from Stansted. There's a highly irregular bus service from Hahn to Saarbrücken, which has a direct rail connection with Kaiserslautern (you can find it here). The bus to Frankfurt takes over two hours and can be found here.
Karlsruhe Baden-Baden is a small airport that is also served by Ryanair. There are fewer flights from Stansted, but it's closer to the railway network – a regular bus service takes you to nearby Rastatt or Baden-Baden, which both offer a rail connection to Stuttgart.
Stuttgart Airport offers flights from Heathrow operated by British Airways as well as some Lufthansa and Eurowings connections. It's a simple underground ride from the city centre.
Public transport
All three grounds are accessible via public transport:
Darmstadt: Take the tram no. 9 to Darmstadt Merck-Stadion. It's about a ten-minute ride from the city centre.
Kaiserslautern: The ground is about a 20-minute (uphill) walk from the main railway station, so it's probably not worth your while looking for a local bus service. According to the official *** website, the bus stops Lasallestraße, Kantstraße and Hegelstraße are closest.
Stuttgart: Take the U7 underground to Waldau (GAZI-Stadion) and you're there. Alternatively, any bus to Fernsehturm would take you straight to the TV tower and is just as close to the ground.
The match tickets for Darmstadt and Stuttgart do not include public transport. This will probably be the case for Kaiserslautern too. You'll therefore need to get your own tickets.
- If you're staying the week and getting around via public transport, it'll probably be worth your while buying a Deutschlandticket. This costs €58 per calendar month and covers all local and regional transport (but not ICE, IC or EC trains). However, bear in mind that this is a subscription and you'll have to cancel it again by 10 July if you don't want it to renew for the following month (you'll still be able to use it for the remainder of the month after cancellation). You can get one in the DB Navigator app or online.
- In Germany, local public transport is governed by region – in Frankfurt, Darmstadt, Wiesbaden and Mainz this is RMV, in Kaiserslautern, Heidelberg and Mannheim VRN and in Stuttgart VVS. If you're not getting a Deutschlandticket, I recommend downloading the RMV/VRN/VVS app and buying your tickets online there.
- You can pay bus drivers for single tickets, but this isn't possible in trams or underground trains. Ticket machines are disappearing fast too. Don't consider not paying – penalty fares are enforced!
Where to stay
If you're looking for somewhere to base yourself for all three games, Karlsruhe, Mannheim and Heidelberg offer reasonable connections to all grounds. Karlsruhe has the best connection to Stuttgart, but makes for a longer connection to Darmstadt and Kaiserslautern. Conversely, Heidelberg and Mannheim have a direct connection to both Darmstadt and Kaiserslautern, but make for a longer trip back from Stuttgart. Heidelberg has a famous old town and palace to explore, but the old town is some distance away from the railway station. Like Frankfurt, Mannheim has a much more gritty city feel but also its share of highlights and offers some mighty fine Turkish restaurants.
One final tip: if you've got Lonsdale clothing, you're best off leaving it at home. The brand has unfortunately been adopted by the local neo-nazis, so you might get some funny looks!
If you have any questions, fire away in the comments. Otherwise, gute Reise and see you in Darmstadt!
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