Volksparkstadion — Attraction in Hamburg

THE SQUARES Der Dinosaurier (the dinosaur) of the Bundesliga, Hamburger SV certainly lives up to its nickname. Until its relegation at the end of the 2017/18 season, HSV was the only club to have played every season in Germany’s top flight since its founding in 1963. The club, formed in 1919 with the merger of three clubs, is also one of the most successful in the country with six league titles, three cup victories and a win in the European Cup – a trophy cabinet that means Hamburg can claim to be one of Europe’s greatest clubs. During HSV’s golden age, between 1976 and 1983, world stars like Kevin Keegan and Franz Beckenbauer graced the team. The club crest in its various forms over the past 99 years has always been a visual representation reflecting the club’s history and its host city of Hamburg. The first, following a merger of SC Germania, Hamburger FC and FC Falke Eppendorf, was a combination of the three clubs that became Hamburger SV. Quickly the old heraldic style was scrapped for a modern style of a black diamond inside a white diamond – the colours of SC Germania. The white diamond represented the marine Blue Peter flag, an homage to the port city of Hamburg. 1978 saw the crest modified slightly but still favouring the diamond motif, which means that Der Dino was the club in the Bundesliga whose crest has remained the most intact since the league’s start in 1963. Following relegation, it remains to be seen if the club can make a swift return to the top flight and recapture its glory days.

CLUB: Hamburger Sport-Verein NICKNAMES: Die Rothosen (the Red Shorts) and Der Dino (the Dinosaur) FOUNDED: 1887 STADIUM: Volksparkstadion, Hamburg (57,000 capacity) HISTORIC PLAYERS: Uwe Seeler, Felix Magath, Kevin Keegan, Sergej Barbarez and Rafael van der Vaart

Kevin Keegan in 1978 showing off the simple yet striking Hamburg club crest, a design that pays tribute to the city’s rich...

I attended this stadium for Metallica’s 72-season world tour concert (Hamburg). I came from the UK and it was a very unique experience. The stadium management and staff were so organised. Also, the concert was managed well and perfectly. Very polite staff and well trained. They had left a very wide range of seats at a side of the stadium to escape in case of emergency. I went with my nieces and it was amazing. As we had bought the pit tickets, we had to be there at about 2:30 pm. We parked our car on the other side of the stadium and walked to the gate where we were supposed to enter. It was funny that we forgot to get our free yellow Metallica travel mug from the ticket kiosks! So we went in and then we saw a lot of people around us who have yellow travel mugs! We asked them and they said it was a free gift for VIP pit tickets. So we came all the way back to the entrance and asked the kiosk person to have our free travel mugs. It was worth it as it is a high-quality one and it is a very precious souvenir from...

I came to see Metallica here and was shocked by the fact that none of the stalls or vendors or fixed bars inside or outside of the venue took digital payment or qr code payment or credit card only cash!

I haven't used cash for 5 years but then I live in modern Singapore and Asia not backwards Hamburg.

How can they not take digital payments?

Who only has cash?!

So this meant I cluldn't buy any drinks after my VIP drinks tokens had run out! Bizarre customer service. There was also no where to take cash out from!

Terrible customer experience.

Also there was minimal security which meant everyone at the back of the stands in the seats didn't keep to their seat row and came down to my level in the front and aggressively blocked my views and pushed into our rows and those around us.

There was no securioty in sight to ask for help.

I left early as a resuly as it was not a pleasurable way to experience a concert.

Choose another more modern European destination instead and give this...