9 November 1989: In the evening, VfB Stuttgart plays against FC Bayern München in the round of the last 16 of the DFB-Pokal and wins 3-0. To this day, this has been Stuttgart’s only victory against Bayern in the DFB-Pokal. In the other cup game, the later cup winner 1. FC Kaiserslautern beats 1. FC Köln with 2-1. Yet nobody cares about the soccer results on that day: The Wall which had separated East and West Germany for 28 years falls simultaneously.

You cannot find these particular soccer matches on the DFB-Pokal Walk of Fame at Olympiastadion Berlin, but you can see hand and foot prints of East and West German cup legends such as Hans Meyer. The former soccer player won both the FDGB-Pokal (soccer cup of the GDR, in 1972, 1974, and 1980 with FC Carl Zeiss Jena) and the DFB-Pokal (in 2007 with 1. FC Nürnberg) as a trainer.

Since 1989, the Olympiastadion Berlin has transformed itself like no other sports venue in Berlin: In the late 1990s, it was decided to renovate the ramshackle building and convert it into a multifunctional arena. The reopening of the Olympiastadion Berlin was celebrated in summer 2004. Since then, three world cups, countless concerts, and even a Holy Mass by Pope Benedict XVI. were held in the stadium.

When the Wall fell, Hertha BSC played in the German second league, yet the team won promotion to the German premier league in 1990 and even played in the Champions League in the season of 1999/2000.

There were many transformations in the count of time. Nevertheless, there is also a lot ahead: Both the Champions League final 2015 and the European Athletics Championships 2018 will be held at Olympiastadion Berlin. On top of that, Berlin’s application for the Olympic Games will bring along new duties.