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Hertha BSC: nine things from the club's history that many people do not know
Hertha is older than most Berlin clubs and has seen more than many people think: the name comes from a steamboat, the colours from a funnel, and the old stadium was called the Plumpe. Here are nine stories and where to find them in the city.
25 July 1892 founded, named after a steamboat
Six times in a row in the championship final, champions in 1930 and 1931
The Plumpe the old stadium at Gesundbrunnen, demolished in 1974
Nine things many people do not know
- A ship gave the name: the Hertha was a steamboat on the Wannsee. According to the Berliner Zeitung, Fritz Lindner had seen it with his father on the Havel and suggested the name.
- Blue and white come from the funnel: the steamboat's shipping company used blue and white, and the club still wears these colours today.
- Founded on a park bench: according to the Mitte district's memorial plaque database, the idea came from the brothers Fritz and Max Lindner and Otto and Will Lorenz, probably on a bench on Arkonaplatz.
- BSC stands for Berliner Sport-Club: in 1923 BFC Hertha 92 merged with the wealthy Berliner Sport-Club, hence today's name.
- Six finals in a row: from 1926 to 1931 Hertha reached the German championship final six times in succession, winning in 1930 and 1931.
- The Plumpe: that was the name of the old stadium at Gesundbrunnen station. It was not good enough for the Bundesliga, so Hertha moved to the Olympiastadion in 1963, and the Plumpe was demolished in 1974.
- Founding member and forced relegation: Hertha was one of the founding members of the Bundesliga in 1963 but had to go down to the Regionalliga as early as 1965 after breaking the rules, until 1968.
- A square for the striker: the forecourt at Gesundbrunnen station is called Hanne-Sobek-Platz, after the striker of the championship years.
- The founding ship came back: fans bought shares to bring the old steamboat Hertha back, and it reached Berlin in December 2017. According to the Berliner Kurier, it has been under restoration in Oranienburg since 2021.
Where to find the history
01 Arkonaplatz · Mitte
about 7 minutes on foot from Bernauer Straße U-Bahn station
The idea for Hertha is said to have come about on a bench on this square in 1892. Today Arkonaplatz is a quiet neighbourhood square.
02 Hanne-Sobek-Platz at Gesundbrunnen station · Gesundbrunnen
about 3 minutes on foot from Gesundbrunnen station
Until 1974 the Plumpe stood around the station. The festival week for the club's 125th birthday also began here in 2017.
Good to know
- Today: Hertha play at the Olympiastadion; tours are in Olympiastadion Berlin, tickets and match days in Football in Berlin.
- Not to be confused: Hertha 03 Zehlendorf is a separate club in the south of Berlin.