U23 coach Mike Tullberg had a surprise for his charges after their training session on Wednesday afternoon: he packed them onto the team bus and sent them on a short tour of Dortmund.
12/09/2019
U23 coach Mike Tullberg had a surprise for his charges after their training session on Wednesday afternoon: he packed them onto the team bus and sent them on a short tour of Dortmund. For the new arrivals, it was an opportunity to get to know their new home; for the longer-serving players, it was chance to discover a new side to their city.
Following their departure from the training ground in Dortmund-Brackel, the U23 contingent first headed towards Dortmund-Hörde. Past the Phoenix-See, which was once home to a large steel plant and is now a recreational area for thousands of Dortmund residents, and towards the former blast furnace plant at Phoenix-West. The BVB Regionalliga squad discovered that there, over 20 years ago, steel was melted in two large blast furnaces every day. Back then, thousands of workers were employed there; nowadays, visitors can enjoy the view of the green landscape that extends to the Westfalenpark and Signal Iduna Park in the distance.
The large and last-remaining blast furnace appears slightly incongruous and outdated in the present landscape, with its modern office buildings, a concert hall, a brewery and the Westfalenpark. But for many Dortmund natives, it is a popular place to visit – especially for the older generations, who can still remember what is was like to live and work in the vicinity of the blast furnace.
A view over Dortmund and a schnitzel with Kevin Großkreutz
Assistant coach David Solga, once a Borussia Dortmund youth player himself, completed an apprenticeship at a steel plant at the Westfalenhütte, an industrial site near the Borsigplatz, when he was a young man.
The visit to the blast furnace, which serves as a living reminder of an important episode in the city’s history, was followed by a climb to the Florian, which reaches a height of over 100 metres above the ground. The Florian is Dortmund’s TV tower, built in 1959 and extending 208 metres into the sky. At the viewing platform, which is situated at a height of 142 metres, the squad enjoyed the panorama of their city. “Nice and green,” concluded one or two surprised players. There’s plenty to see from this height: the famous “U” at the train station, across the Phoenix-See, Phoenix-West, Signal Iduna Park and of course the sporting home of the young Black & Yellows, the Stadion Rote Erde.
The whistle-stop tour was followed by a meal together. The players sat at the “Mit Smackes” restaurant, where there was schnitzel, vegan food and roast potatoes – and they saw Kevin Großkreutz, who was there too.
