1.
1. FC Lokomotive Leipzig
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The team won the 2015-16 NOFV-Oberliga Süd and qualified for the 2016–17 Regionalliga Nordost, where it will face former East German champions FC Carl Zeiss Jena and BFC Dynamo. The club was formed on 26 May 1896 out of the department of gymnastics club Allgemeine Turnverein 1845 Leipzig. The union lasted until 2 May 1900 when the two went their separate ways again. VfB Leipzig was one of the original eighty-six teams that came together in the city in 1900 to form the German Football Association and they were immediately successful at their chosen sport and made their way to the first German national championship final held in 1903. Their opponents were DFC Prag, an ethnically German side from Prague, the DFB had invited German clubs of this sort from other countries in order to boost numbers in their new national association. DFC Prag had made their way to the final under circumstances that had allowed them to playing a single playoff game. Arriving in Hamburg for the match, the heavily favoured Pragers took themselves off on a pub crawl the night before the contest. The contest against was delayed half an hour as officials scrambled to find a football that was in good condition, the host, FC93 Altona Hamburg, provided a new ball and eleven minutes in, DFC Prag scored the first goal. Leipzig played themselves into another final appearance in 1904, but the match was never contested, a protest by FV Karlsruhe over their disputed semi-final with Britannia Berlin was never resolved and the DFB called off the final only hours before its scheduled start. There would be no champion that year, the following season Leipzig found themselves unable to cover the expense of travelling to participate in their scheduled first round playoff match and so were eliminated from that years competition. They did, however, go on to raise the Viktoria again in 1906 and 1913, in the period leading up to World War II, VfB was unable to repeat their early success. After the re-organization of German football leagues under the Third Reich in 1933, while they earned good results within their own division, they were unable to advance in the playoff rounds. In 1937, they captured the Tschammerpokal, known today as the German Cup, in a match against FC Schalke 04, the dominant side of the era. The club, like most other organizations in Germany, including sports, club members reconstituted the team in 1946 as SG Probstheida under the auspices of the occupying Soviets. In 1963 Leipzigs two most important clubs – SC Rotation and SC Lokomotive Leipzig – were put together resulting in two new sides being founded – SC Leipzig and BSG Chemie Leipzig. East German football went through a general re-organization in 1965, creating football clubs as centres of high-level football, FC Lokomotive Leipzig, while rivals Chemie Leipzig continued as a Betriebssportgemeinschaft, or a company team. Lok earned a clutch of East German Cups with victories in 1976,1981,1986 and 1987 against failed appearances in the Cup final in 1970,1973 and 1977. They also won the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 1966 and made an appearance in the 1987 final of the UEFA Cup Winners Cup falling 0,1 to Johan Cruijffs Ajax Amsterdam after a Marco van Basten goal
2.
1. FC Pforzheim
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FC Pforzheim was a German association football club playing in Pforzheim, Baden-Württemberg. The club was established on 5 May 1896 and was a member of the German Football Association in Leipzig in 1900. In 2010 it merged with VfR Pforzheim to 1, the club enjoyed most of its success in its early years. In 1906 they captured the championship of the Süddeutschland Verband by beating Karlsruher FV, with the win the club advanced to the final in Nuremberg where they lost a 1–2 decision to VfB Leipzig. World War I disrupted play in the country for several years and they returned to, at first, the Kreisliga Südwest and then the Bezirksliga Württemberg-Baden in the early 20s before being relegated in 1926, and then earning their re-promotion in 1929. In 1933 German football was reorganized under the Third Reich into sixteen first division Gauligen, FC Pforzheim played in the Gauliga Baden through to 1944 with their best results coming as second place finishes in 1936,1938, and 1939. The club narrowly missed relegation in 1941 escaping only through the collapse of FC Birkenfeld, play in the Gauliga Baden was disrupted and then ended in the 1944–45 season by the advance of Allied armies into Germany towards the end of World War II. After the war the club re-emerged in the 2nd Oberliga Süd playing there from 1950 to 1963, league re-organization then saw Pforzheim in the Regionalliga Süd from 1963 until 1967 when a crash from 7th to 18th place led to the team being relegated. Pforzheims 17-year-long stay in the division was the longest of any other team at the time. Their best result in this period was a finish in 1963. In 1967, Pforzheim fell to the third division Amateurliga Nordbaden and they returned to the Oberliga Baden-Württemberg in 1985 and followed up their promotion with a Baden Cup win in 1987 leading to their first German Cup appearance in 1987–88. They progressed into the Round of 16 before being put out by Bundesliga side Werder Bremen, a second Baden Cup win and German Cup appearance came in 1989. The team pulled off a victory over Bundesliga side VfL Bochum in the second round of the 1989–90 German Cup. The side then captured a title in 1991 and took part in the promotion rounds for the 2. Bundesliga, but were unable to advance, the team narrowly missed a return to third class football in 2001 when they once again finished just two points behind TSG Ulm 1846. By 2004 the association was a million Euros in debt and declared bankruptcy, in June 2010, the club merged with local rival VfR Pforzheim to form the 1. The clubs honours, The recent season-by-season performance of the club, With the introduction of the Regionalligas in 1994, liga in 2008 as the new third tier, below the 2. Bundesliga, all leagues below dropped one tier, cfR Pforzheim – English site Abseits Guide to German Soccer
3.
German Football Association
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The German Football Association is the governing body of football in Germany. A founding member of both FIFA and UEFA, the DFB has jurisdiction for the German football league system and is in charge of the mens and womens national teams, the DFB headquarters are based in Frankfurt am Main. Sole members of the DFB are the German Football League, organising the professional Bundesliga, Bundesliga, along with five regional and 21 state associations, organising the semi-professional and amateur levels. The 21 state associations of the DFB have a number of more than 25,000 clubs with more than 6.8 million members. From 1875 to the mid-1880s, the first kind of football played in Germany was according to rugby rules, later, association-style football teams formed separate clubs, and since 1890, they began to organise on regional and national levels. The DFB was founded on 28 January 1900 in Leipzig by representatives of 86 clubs, the vote held to establish the association was 62,22 in favour. Some delegates present represented more than one club, but may have voted only once, other delegates present did not carry their clubs authority to cast a ballot. The DFB consolidated the number of state-based German regional competitions in play for a single recognized national title for the season 1902/03. The German national team played its first game in 1908, before 1914, the German Empire was much larger than todays Germany, comprising Alsace-Lorraine and the eastern provinces. The borders of the associations were drawn according to suitable railway connections. Also, teams based in Bohemia, then part of Austria-Hungary, were eligible, as they were German Football clubs, thus, a German team from Prague was runner-up in the German championship. On the other hand, clubs of the Danish minority in Northern Schleswig refused to join the DFB and this area after World War I voted to join Denmark. Due to border changes imposed by the Treaty of Versailles, the DFB had to adopt its structure, the Saarland, Danzig, and the Memelland were detached from Germany and East Prussia was cut off from the main part by the Polish Corridor. The role of DFB and its representatives like Felix Linnemann under Nazi Germany was documented in 100 Jahre DFB, on a short general meeting on 9 July 1933 in Berlin, the DFB did so, at least formally. Later, the Hitler salute was made compulsory, Marxists and Jews were expelled, on the pitch, Germany had done well in 1934, but after a 0–2 loss in the 1936 Summer Olympics, with Adolf Hitler attending, the DFB and football fell from grace. Germany had made a bid to host the 1938 World Cup, following the Anschluss in March 1938 that made Austria part of Germany, the Austrian Football Association became part of the German federation. Four Germans represented West Europe in a FIFA friendly on 20 June 1937 in Amsterdam, during the war, Germany played international games until 1942. In the aftermath of World War II, German organisations were disbanded by the allies, FIFA decided in November 1945 to ban the no longer existing DFB from international competition, while the Austrian association was re-founded
4.
SV Blitz Breslau
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SV Blitz Breslau was a German football club playing in Breslau, Lower Silesia in what was then part of Germany but is today Wrocław, Poland. The club was established on 1 April 1897 by former members of the cycling club Radverein Blitz Breslau, SVB was one of the founding members of the German Football Association established in Leipzig in 1900. A split of the led to the formation of Sport Club Schlesien Breslau on 26 August 1901. Subsequent appearances in the national level playoffs ended with quarter final losses, what remained of parent club SV Blitz Breslau adopted the name Verein für Rasenspiel 1897 Breslau on 2 May 1907 and then went on to enjoy their own successes. They followed SC as three time VBBB champions from 1908–1910 and as Südostdeutscher titlists in 1908 and 1910, VfR also went out in the quarter finals in their two national level appearances. Several members of SC left the club in 1919 to create a department within Turnverein Vorwärts Breslau. This club later merged with 1911 Krietern to form FV Rapide Breslau, SC and Rapid were united in 1924 to form Schlesien 01 Rapid Breslau. By 1925 this club was again playing simply as SC Schlesien Breslau, in 1934 these threads were all brought together when VfR and SC were re-united as VfR Schlesien 1897 Breslau. The club was lost in 1945 in the aftermath of World War II, today, a leading Polish football and basketball club bears the name Śląsk Wrocław, the Polish-language equivalent to Schlesien Breslau. Founded in 1946, it is not related to the earlier German football club
5.
South Eastern German football championship
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The competition was disbanded in 1933. German football was, from its beginnings, divided into regional associations and these often pre-dated the national German championship. With the inception of the latter in 1903, the former became qualifying tournaments, regional championships still held a high value for the local clubs. At the end of the Second World War, some resumed, others, such as the Baltic championship, completely disappeared, especially if the territories they were held in were no longer part of Germany. With the South West German football championship, a new regional competition also appeared in 1945, ultimately, with the formation of the Fußball-Bundesliga, regional championships ceased altogether. With the defeat of the German Empire in 1918 and the formation of a Republic, for most of the Prussian provinces, this only meant that the Kingdom was replaced with the Free State of Prussia. A small strip along the border remained with Germany and became the border province Posen-West Prussia, no results beyond the final are known. The winner of this first competition took part in the fourth edition of the national German championship. Clubs from the south east of Germany had already taken part in the edition of the competition. No club from the south east ever reached the German championship final, to qualify for the South Eastern German championship, a club had to take out the title in its regional competition or league. As more football clubs were formed in Germany, the number of leagues increased, originally, from 1907, four regional champions took part from the following regions, Breslau Niederlausitz Niederschlesien Oberschlesien In 1910, Posen was added as a fifth region. In 1911, the Oberlausitz champions joined, the second edition was played out in the knockout modus again, but now involving four clubs, a system that remained in place until 1910, when the number of clubs was enlarged to six. In its last pre-First World War season,1914, the competition was enlarged to seven clubs, in 1914-15, football in Germany had come to an almost complete halt. As it became clear, that the war would last longer than anticipated, in most regions of Germany, like the South, the championships were restarted from 1915 onwards but in the South East, this was not so. A south eastern championship was not played again until 1920, the 1920 championship resumed in the same fashion as the last one had finished in 1914, seven clubs in a knockout competition. The champions, Sportfreunde Breslau, achieved the greatest success of any south eastern club so far in the title games. In 1921, the competition was staged with six clubs. Clubs from Posen, now Poznań, did not enter the championship anymore as the city had become part of Poland, play was further disrupted in 1922
6.
Hertha BSC
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Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V. commonly known as Hertha BSC, Hertha Berlin or simply Hertha, is a German association football club based in the Charlottenburg locality of Berlin. Hertha BSC play in the Bundesliga, the division of German football. Bundesliga table at the end of the 2012–13 season, Hertha BSC was founded in 1892, and was a founding member of the German Football Association in Leipzig in 1900. The team won the German championship in 1930 and 1931, since 1963, Herthas stadium has been the Olympiastadion. The club is known as Die Alte Dame in German, which translates to The Old Lady, in 2002, the sports activities of the professional, amateur, and under-19 teams were separated into Hertha BSC GmbH & Co. The name Hertha is a variation on Nerthus referring to fertility goddess from Germanic mythology, Hertha performed consistently well on the field, including a win in the first Berlin championship final in 1905. In May 1910, Hertha won a match against Southend United. However, their success was not matched financially and in 1920 the staunchly working-class Hertha merged with the well-heeled club Berliner Sport-Club to form Hertha Berliner Sport-Club. The new team continued to enjoy success in the Oberliga Berlin-Brandenburg. Notwithstanding, Hertha emerged as the Germanys second most successful team during the inter-war years, German football was re-organized under the Third Reich in 1933 into 16 top-flight divisions, which saw Hertha playing in the Gauliga Berlin-Brandenburg. The club continued to enjoy success within their division, regularly finishing in the half of the table. It faded from prominence, however, unable to advance out of the rounds of the national championship rounds. Politically, the club was overhauled under Hitler, with Hans Pfeifer, after World War II, occupying Allied authorities banned most organizations in Germany, including sports and football clubs. Hertha was re-formed late in 1945 as SG Gesundbrunnen and resumed play in the Oberliga Berlin – Gruppe C, by the end of 1949, it had re-claimed their identity as Hertha BSC and earned a return to the top-flight. Tensions between the western Allies and the Soviets occupying various sectors of the city, and the developing Cold War, led to chaotic conditions for football in the capital. Hertha was banned from playing against East German teams in the 1949–50 season after taking on several players, a number of sides from the eastern half of the city were forced from the Oberliga Berlin to the newly established DDR-Liga beginning with the 1950–51 season. Through the 1950s, a rivalry developed with Tennis Borussia Berlin. A proposal for a merger between the two clubs in 1958 was resoundingly rejected, with three of the 266 members voting in favour
7.
Brandenburg football championship
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The Brandenburg football championship was the highest association football competition in the Prussian Province of Brandenburg, including Berlin, established in 1898. The competition was disbanded in 1933 with the rise of the Nazis to power, German football was, from its beginnings, divided into regional associations, which carried out their own championship, which often pre-dated the national German championship. With the interception of the later in 1903, the former became qualifying tournaments for it, at the end of the Second World War, some resumed, now in league format. Others completely disappeared, like the Baltic championship, as the territories they were held in were not part of Germany any more, with the South West German football championship, a new regional competition also appeared in 1945. Ultimately, with the formation of the Fußball-Bundesliga, all this regional championships ceased altogether, the Prussian province of Brandenburg was largely identical to what is now the federal state of Brandenburg, except for the areas east of the Oder-Neisse line, which are now part of Poland. Berlin was separated politically from the province in 1881 and significantly enlarged in size through the Greater Berlin Act of 1920, clubs from city of Berlin were part of, and indeed, dominated the Brandenburg football championship. The outcome of the First World War and change of Prussia to a Free State had little influence on the competition as, unlike other regions of Germany, Brandenburg did not lose any territory. In the late 1890s, a number of football associations were formed in the Berlin and Brandenburg region. Separate workers and faith-based competitions active in Berlin were also absorbed into the new leagues, the Verband Deutscher Ballspielvereine, a Berlin-based association of German football clubs was formed on 11 September 1897. In May 1902, it was renamed as the Verband Berliner Ballspielvereine to reflect its geographical alignment, in April 1911, the two associations merged to form the Verband Brandenburgischer Ballspielvereine. In 1933, after the rise of the Nazis to power, the Brandenburg football championship was first played in 1898, when eight clubs competed in a league format for it. The number of games played by each team varied greatly but the top four clubs each played nine games with the top three ending up on equal points. To determine the champion, a two leg decider was played between Britannia Berlin and BFC Preussen with the former winning both games and earning its first league title. In its second edition, only six clubs participated, all from the city of Berlin, because of the top two teams finishing on equal points, a final had to be played once more, this time BFC Preussen coming out the winner. Expanded to nine clubs for 1900, the champion won the Brandenburg title outright at this edition. The finals were held in a two leg format but because each team won one game, a match had to be held to decide the winner. For 1903, the returned to a single division format. Additionally, the league received some competition with the March football championship being introduced, organised by the rival Märkischer Fußball-Bund
8.
Central German football championship
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The competition was disbanded in 1933 with the rise of the Nazis to power. German football was, from its beginnings, divided into regional associations, which carried out their own championship, with the interception of the later in 1903, the former became qualifying tournaments for it but these regional championships still held a high value for the local clubs. At the end of the Second World War, some resumed, others completely disappeared, like the Baltic championship, as the territories they were held in were not part of Germany any more. With the South West German football championship, a new regional competition also appeared in 1945, ultimately, with the formation of the Fußball-Bundesliga, all this regional championships ceased altogether. The number of states in the Thuringia region formed the new state of that name, with the exception of Coburg. In late 1900, the Verband Mitteldeutscher Ballspiel Vereine followed, three month later, the Verband Dresdner Ballspiel-Vereine was formed in Dresden, in August 1903, the Verband Chemnitzer Ballspielvereine was formed in Chemnitz and, last, the Verband Plauener Ballspielvereine came into existence in Plauen. In 1933, all of those were disbanded by the Nazis, the Central German football championship was first played in 1902, but little is known about the first year other than the final. The championship was staged as a competition with a one-leg final at the end. Regional champions were determined to establish who the clubs for the Central German championship were. In 1903, in the year of the competition, a German football championship was established. The team, VfB Leipzig achieved distinction by becoming the first German champions, defeating DFC Prag 7-2 in the final and establishing Central Germany as an early power house of German football. VfB became the dominant side in the pre-First World War era of the competition, also winning another German title in 1906 and 1913 and making a losing appearance in the 1911 and 1914 final. No other club from Central Germany enjoyed a form of success. From 1903, three teams took part in the championship, the champions of the Leipzig, Dresden and Magdeburg region and this was expanded to four teams when the champion of the Chemnitz area joined the Central German championship. From 1908, seven teams competed in the finals, making it necessary to establish a quarter-final round. In 1910, the competition was expanded to nine teams, the year after to twelve, in its last pre-war season,1914,21 clubs participated, making a qualifying round necessary. In 1913, a different system was used, splitting the region in two according to their playing strength. The winners of the two met in a final, which was predictably won by the team from the stronger group
9.
SC Victoria Hamburg
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SC Victoria Hamburg is a German association football club from the city of Hamburg. The football team is part of a sports club that has departments for badminton, handball, hockey, athletics, tennis, table tennis, gymnastics, baseball. It was one of the members of the DFB at Leipzig in 1901. Victoria joined the HAFV a year later, capturing the title in 1905. The team won two consecutive north German championships in 1907 and 1908 and advanced as far as the quarterfinals in national championship play in both seasons, the club was renamed SC Victoria Hamburg on 10 June 1908. In 1933 German football was reorganized under the Third Reich into sixteen first division Gauligen, the team remained in the top flight until the end of World War II. After the war occupying Allied authorities banned all organizations in Germany, including sports, Victoria was soon re-established and played the 1945 and 1946 seasons in the Stadtliga Hamburg. They were one of four Hamburg sides that joined the newly formed Oberliga Nord for the 1947–48 season where they earned a last place result and were relegated to second tier play. They made brief re-appearances in the top flight Oberliga in 1951–52 and they quickly returned to third division play and would compete at that level for the next eight seasons. In 1977 the club was sent down to the Landesliga Hamburg, in 1987 several club members left to form Hamburger Club Deportivo Espanol. League re-organization led to the Verbandeliga becoming a fifth division circuit in 1994, Victoria won promotion to the Oberliga Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein for a single season but immediately slipped back. In 2007, the won the Hamburg city cup final by defeating VfL93 Hamburg 1,0. This earned Victoria a place in the DFB Cup 2007-08 competition, in the 2010–11 season they took part in the DFB-Pokal once again and produced a shock result by putting 2. Bundesliga club Rot-Weiß Oberhausen out of the competition in the first round with a 1–0 win, before being defeated 1–3 by VfL Wolfsburg in second round. They were eliminated again in first round in the 2012–13 season. The club was relegated from the Regionalliga in 2014 and now plays in the Oberliga Hamburg again, at the end of season 2015-16 Victoria placed the third rank. The ground, the Victoria-Stadion Hoheluft, is located next to the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, the stadium currently has a capacity of 17,000. The record attendance for the ground was 37,000 during the final of the British Zone Championship in which Hamburger SV beat FC St. Pauli 6–1, altonaer FC von 1893 also played there during the 2008–09 season
10.
Northern German football championship
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The regional associations, including the NFV, were dissolved in 1933 and the competition was not held again until 1946. German football was, from its beginnings, divided into regional associations and these often pre-dated the national German championship. With the inception of the latter in 1903, the former became qualifying tournaments, regional championships still held a high value for the local clubs. At the end of the Second World War, some resumed, in the North, a championship had been started in the summer of 1946 but it had to be stopped during the quarter-finals when the British Military Government intervened. Subsequently, the Oberliga Nord was established in 1947, others, such as the Baltic championship, completely disappeared because the territories they were held in were no longer part of Germany. With the South West German football championship, a new regional competition also appeared in 1945 in the French Zone, ultimately, with the formation of the Fußball-Bundesliga, regional championships ceased altogether. For the two Prussian provinces, this meant that the Kingdom was replaced with the Free State of Prussia. The very first federation in the North, inaugurated in 1894, incorporated clubs from Hamburg as well as Altona, the Northern German football championship was first contested in 1906 and won by Victoria Hamburg. Six clubs had qualified and the stages were held as a knock-out competition with a one-off final at the end. The winner of this first competition took part in the fourth edition of the national German championship. Northern German clubs had taken part in each of the previous three national championships. To qualify for the Northern German championship, a club had to take out the title in its local or district competition or league, the second edition was played out in the same modus but now with eight clubs, a system that remained in place for the following seasons. The northern champions experienced some first national success in 1910, when Holstein Kiel reached the German final, in 1912, the Holstein returned to the national final once more and became the first northern club to win it, this time beating Karlsruher FV 1-0. In its last pre-First World War season,1914, the became a regional league. In 1914-15, football in Germany had come to an almost complete halt, as it became clear, that the war would last longer than anticipated, local competitions restarted in 1915. In most regions of Germany, like the South, the championships were restarted from 1915 onwards but in the North, a northern championship was played in 1916 again, but only for selections, not clubs. In 1917, a championship was played once more but in 1918. The Northern German championship resumed in 1919, as a competition, with eleven clubs
11.
Western German football championship
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The competition was disbanded in 1933 with the rise of the Nazis to power. It is not to be confused with the German championship in what was referred to as West Germany from 1949 to 1990. German football was, from its beginnings, divided into regional associations, which carried out their own championship, with the interception of the later in 1903, the former became qualifying tournaments for it but these regional championships still held a high value for the local clubs. At the end of the Second World War, some resumed, others completely disappeared, like the Baltic championship, as the territories they were held in were not part of Germany any more. With the South West German football championship, a new regional competition also appeared in 1945, ultimately, with the formation of the Fußball-Bundesliga, all this regional championships ceased altogether. For the two Prussian provinces, this meant that the Kingdom was replaced with the Free State of Prussia. On 23 October 1898, the Rheinischer Spielverband was formed, initially without the clubs from the region around Kassel, in 1900, the Rheinisch-Westfälischen Spielverband was formed, which, in 1907, was renamed Westdeutscher Spielverband. The Western German football championship was first contested in 1903 and won by the Cölner FC1899 and it consisted of three clubs, one each from Essen, Cologne and Mönchengladbach, then spelled München-Gladbach, and was determined in a group stage with home-and-away games. The winner of this first competition did not take part in the first edition of the national German championship, to qualify for the Western German championship, a club had to take out the title in its regional competition or league. As more football clubs were formed in Germany, the number of leagues increased, the second edition was played out in the same modus and its champion was permitted to enter the national finals for the first time. A round of deciders was necessary to determine the Western champion as all three sat on equal points. In 1906, the championship was expanded to four clubs with a once more being necessary to determine the champion. In 1907, the system to determine the Western champion was altered to a knockout modus with six clubs participating, increased to seven for the following year and eight in 1909. The Duisburger SV in turn was a powerhouse of western football. The last pre-First World War season,1914, saw a return to the finals being played as a league with home-and-away games, five clubs were meant to compete but Düsseldorfer SV was deemed to have been determined to late as local champions and it was barred from participating. In 1914-15, football in Germany had come to an almost complete halt, as it became clear, that the war would last longer than anticipated, local competitions restarted in 1915. In most regions of Germany, like the South, the championships were restarted from 1915 onwards but in the West, a Western German Championship was not played again until 1920. As a consequence of the lost war, a strip of land along the German - Belgian border was awarded to the later, with the cities of Eupen and these were the only territorial changes within the area of the Western championship
12.
Southern German football championship
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The Southern German football championship was the highest association football competition in the South of Germany, established in 1898. The competition was disbanded in 1933 with the rise of the Nazis to power, German football was, from its beginnings, divided into regional associations which carried out their own championship, which often pre-dated the national German championship. With the interception of the later in 1903, the former became qualifying tournaments for it, at the end of the Second World War, some resumed, now in league format. Others completely disappeared, like the Baltic championship, as the territories they were held in were not part of Germany any more, with the South West German football championship, a new regional competition also appeared in 1945. Ultimately, with the formation of the Fußball-Bundesliga, all this regional championships ceased altogether, the Süddeutsche Fußball-Verband, the Southern German Football Association was formed in Karlsruhe on 17 October 1897, three years before the German Football Association was formed. It originally was named Verband Süddeutscher Fußball-Vereine, one of the leading figures and driving force in the Southern German football was Walther Bensemann, founder of the kicker sportmagazin, a position he retained until the Nazis rise to power. The other driving force behind football in the south of Germany was Friedrich William Nohe, the association was formed by eight clubs, those being, Karlsruher FV Phönix Karlsruhe Fidelitas Karlsruhe 1. FC Pforzheim FC Heilbronn FG96 Mannheim FC Hanau 93 Germania 94 Frankfurt The SFV originally covered a larger area. With the interception of the German football championship in 1903, the Southern German championship functioned as a tournament for it. Nevertheless, it enjoyed a high value of status. The competition went through a number of changes throughout its live time, from this season onwards, the competition also grew in size. Previously, only a few selected clubs from cities like Frankfurt, Mannheim and Karlsruhe had taken part, in its early years, competition was very localised and patchy, with a handful of clubs dominating play. After the end of the First World War, the region of Alsace-Lorraine once more part of France. The semi-final winners then entered the Southern German final, the number of leagues remained the same for the 1922 edition but now league winner and runners-up both qualified for a knock-out round to determine the champion. In 1923, the league winners again were the only once qualified and the ten teams played a round first. After the 1923 season, the German league system was reorganised and streamlined, only the champion would then move on to the German championship. In the following season, only the five winners would compete for the southern title. For the 1926 edition, the modus remained unchanged apart from the Southern German cup winner also entering the finals tournament, in 1927, the modus again remained unchanged
13.
Leipzig
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Leipzig is the largest city in the federal state of Saxony, Germany. With a population of 570,087 inhabitants it is Germanys tenth most populous city, Leipzig is located about 160 kilometres southwest of Berlin at the confluence of the White Elster, Pleisse, and Parthe rivers at the southern end of the North German Plain. Leipzig has been a city since at least the time of the Holy Roman Empire. The city sits at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, Leipzig was once one of the major European centers of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing. Leipzig became an urban center within the German Democratic Republic after the Second World War. Leipzig later played a significant role in instigating the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, through events which took place in, Leipzig today is an economic center and the most livable city in Germany, according to the GfK marketing research institution. Since the opening of the Leipzig City Tunnel in 2013, Leipzig forms the centerpiece of the S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland public transit system, Leipzig is currently listed as Gamma World City and Germanys Boomtown. Outside of Leipzig the Neuseenland district forms a lake area of approximately 300 square kilometres. Leipzig is derived from the Slavic word Lipsk, which means settlement where the linden trees stand, an older spelling of the name in English is Leipsic. The Latin name Lipsia was also used, the name is cognate with Lipetsk in Russia and Liepāja in Latvia. In 1937 the Nazi government officially renamed the city Reichsmessestadt Leipzig, the common usage of this nickname for Leipzig up until the present is reflected, for example, in the name of a popular blog for local arts and culture, Heldenstadt. de. Leipzig was first documented in 1015 in the chronicles of Bishop Thietmar of Merseburg as urbs Libzi and endowed with city, Leipzig Trade Fair, started in the Middle Ages, became an event of international importance and is the oldest remaining trade fair in the world. During the Thirty Years War, two battles took place in Breitenfeld, about 8 kilometres outside Leipzig city walls, the first Battle of Breitenfeld took place in 1631 and the second in 1642. Both battles resulted in victories for the Swedish-led side, on 24 December 1701, an oil-fueled street lighting system was introduced. The city employed light guards who had to follow a schedule to ensure the punctual lighting of the 700 lanterns. The Leipzig region was the arena of the 1813 Battle of Leipzig between Napoleonic France and a coalition of Prussia, Russia, Austria and Sweden. It was the largest battle in Europe prior to the First World War, in 1913 the Monument to the Battle of the Nations celebrating the centenary of this event was completed. The railway station has two entrance halls, the eastern one for the Royal Saxon State Railways and the western one for the Prussian state railways
14.
Dresden
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Dresden is the capital city and, after Leipzig, the second-largest city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the border with the Czech Republic, Dresden has a long history as the capital and royal residence for the Electors and Kings of Saxony, who for centuries furnished the city with cultural and artistic splendour. The city was known as the Jewel Box, because of its baroque, the controversial American and British bombing of Dresden in World War II towards the end of the war killed approximately 25,000, many of whom were civilians, and destroyed the entire city centre. After the war restoration work has helped to reconstruct parts of the inner city, including the Katholische Hofkirche, the Zwinger. Since German reunification in 1990 Dresden is again a cultural, educational and political centre of Germany, the Dresden University of Technology is one of the 10 largest universities in Germany and part of the German Universities Excellence Initiative. The economy of Dresden and its agglomeration is one of the most dynamic in Germany and it is dominated by high-tech branches, often called as “Silicon Saxony”. The city is one of the most visited in Germany with 4,3 million overnight stays per year. The royal buildings are among the most impressive buildings in Europe, main sights are also the nearby National Park of Saxon Switzerland, the Ore Mountains and the countryside around Elbe Valley and Moritzburg Castle. The most prominent building in the city of Dresden is the Frauenkirche, built in the 18th century, the church was destroyed during World War II. The remaining ruins were left for 50 years as a war memorial, the church was rebuilt from 1994 to 2005. Although Dresden is a relatively recent city of Germanic origin followed by settlement of Slavic people, Dresdens founding and early growth is associated with the eastward expansion of Germanic peoples, mining in the nearby Ore Mountains, and the establishment of the Margraviate of Meissen. Its name etymologically derives from Old Sorbian Drežďany, meaning people of the forest, Dresden later evolved into the capital of Saxony. Around the late 12th century, a Slavic settlement called Drežďany had developed on the southern bank, another settlement existed on the northern bank, but its Slavic name is unknown. It was known as Antiqua Dresdin by 1350, and later as Altendresden, dietrich, Margrave of Meissen, chose Dresden as his interim residence in 1206, as documented in a record calling the place Civitas Dresdene. After 1270, Dresden became the capital of the margraviate and it was given to Friedrich Clem after death of Henry the Illustrious in 1288. It was taken by the Margraviate of Brandenburg in 1316 and was restored to the Wettin dynasty after the death of Valdemar the Great in 1319, from 1485, it was the seat of the dukes of Saxony, and from 1547 the electors as well. The Elector and ruler of Saxony Frederick Augustus I became King Augustus II the Strong of Poland in personal union and he gathered many of the best musicians, architects and painters from all over Europe to the newly named Royal-Polish Residential City of Dresden. His reign marked the beginning of Dresdens emergence as a leading European city for technology, during the reign of Kings Augustus II the Strong and Augustus III of Poland the Zwinger Royal Palace, the Hofkirche and the Frauenkirche were built
15.
Hamburg
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Hamburg, officially Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg, is the second largest city in Germany and the eighth largest city in the European Union. It is the second smallest German state by area and its population is over 1.7 million people, and the wider Hamburg Metropolitan Region covers more than 5.1 million inhabitants. The city is situated on the river Elbe, the official long name reflects Hamburgs history as a member of the medieval Hanseatic League, a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire, a city-state, and one of the 16 states of Germany. Before the 1871 Unification of Germany, it was a sovereign state. Prior to the changes in 1919, the civic republic was ruled by a class of hereditary grand burghers or Hanseaten. Though repeatedly destroyed by the Great Fire of Hamburg, the floods and military conflicts including WW2 bombing raids, the city managed to recover and emerge wealthier after each catastrophe. On the river Elbe, Hamburg is a port and a global service, media, logistics and industrial hub, with headquarters and facilities of Airbus, Blohm + Voss, Aurubis, Beiersdorf. The radio and television broadcaster NDR, Europes largest printing and publishing firm Gruner + Jahr, Hamburg has been an important financial centre for centuries, and is the seat of Germanys oldest stock exchange and the worlds second oldest bank, Berenberg Bank. The city is a fast expanding tourist destination for domestic and international visitors. It ranked 16th in the world for livability in 2015, the ensemble Speicherstadt and Kontorhausviertel was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 2015. Hamburg is a major European science, research and education hub with several universities and institutes and its creative industries and major cultural venues include the renowned Elbphilharmonie and Laeisz concert halls, various art venues, music producers and artists. It is regarded as a haven for artists, gave birth to movements like Hamburger Schule. Hamburg is also known for theatres and a variety of musical shows. St. Paulis Reeperbahn is among the best known European entertainment districts, Hamburg is on the southern point of the Jutland Peninsula, between Continental Europe to the south and Scandinavia to the north, with the North Sea to the west and the Baltic Sea to the north-east. It is on the River Elbe at its confluence with the Alster, the city centre is around the Binnenalster and Außenalster, both formed by damming the River Alster to create lakes. The island of Neuwerk and two neighbouring islands Scharhörn and Nigehörn, in the Hamburg Wadden Sea National Park, are also part of Hamburg. The neighbourhoods of Neuenfelde, Cranz, Francop and Finkenwerder are part of the Altes Land region, neugraben-Fischbek has Hamburgs highest elevation, the Hasselbrack at 116.2 metres AMSL. Hamburg has a climate, influenced by its proximity to the coast
16.
Mannheim
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Mannheim is a city in the southwestern part of Germany, the third-largest in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart and Karlsruhe. Mannheim is among the twenty largest cities in Germany, with a 2015 population of approximately 305,000 inhabitants, the city is at the centre of the larger densely populated Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region which has a population of 2,400,000 and is Germanys eighth-largest metropolitan region. Mannheim is located at the confluence of the Rhine and the Neckar in the corner of Baden-Württemberg. The Rhine separates Mannheim from the city of Ludwigshafen, just to the west of it in Rhineland-Palatinate, Mannheim is downstream along the Neckar from the city of Heidelberg. Mannheim is unusual among German cities in that its streets and avenues are laid out in a grid pattern, the eighteenth century Mannheim Palace, former home of the Prince-elector of the Palatinate, now houses the University of Mannheim. In addition, Mannheims SAP Arena is not only the home of the German ice hockey record champions the Adler Mannheim, but also the well-known handball team, the Rhein-Neckar Löwen. According to the Forbes magazine, Mannheim is known for its exceptional power and was ranked 11th among the Top 15 of the most inventive cities worldwide. The New Economy Magazine elected Mannheim under the 20 cities that best represent the world of tomorrow emphasizing Mannheims positive economic, since 2014, Mannheim has been a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network and holds the title of UNESCO City of Music. Mannheim is a Smart City the citys electrical grid is installed with a Power-line communication network, the citys tourism slogan is Leben. The civic symbol of Mannheim is der Wasserturm, a Romanesque water tower completed in 1886 that rises to 60 metres above the highest point of the art nouveau area Friedrichsplatz, Mannheim is the starting and finishing point of the Bertha Benz Memorial Route. The name of the city was first recorded as Mannenheim in a transaction in 766. The name is interpreted as the home of Manno, a form of a Germanic name such as Hartmann or Hermann. Mannheim remained a mere village throughout the Middle Ages, in 1606, Frederick IV, Elector Palatine started building the fortress of Friedrichsburg and the adjacent city centre with its grid of streets and avenues. On January 24,1607, Frederick IV gave Mannheim the status of a city, Mannheim was mostly levelled during the Thirty Years War around 1622 by the forces of Johan Tillys troops. After being rebuilt, it was severely damaged by the French Army in 1689 during the Nine Years War. During the eighteenth century, Mannheim was the home of the Mannheim School of classical music composers, Mannheim was said to have one of the best court orchestras in Europe under the leadership of the conductor Carlo Grua. The royal court of the Palatinate left Mannheim in 1778, two decades later, in 1802, Mannheim was removed from the Palatinate and given to the Grand Duchy of Baden. In 1819, Norwich Duff wrote of Mannheim, In 1819, the climate crisis of 1816-17 caused famine and the death of many horses in Mannheim
17.
Berlin
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Berlin is the capital and the largest city of Germany as well as one of its constituent 16 states. With a population of approximately 3.5 million, Berlin is the second most populous city proper, due to its location in the European Plain, Berlin is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. Around one-third of the area is composed of forests, parks, gardens, rivers. Berlin in the 1920s was the third largest municipality in the world, following German reunification in 1990, Berlin once again became the capital of all-Germany. Berlin is a city of culture, politics, media. Its economy is based on high-tech firms and the sector, encompassing a diverse range of creative industries, research facilities, media corporations. Berlin serves as a hub for air and rail traffic and has a highly complex public transportation network. The metropolis is a popular tourist destination, significant industries also include IT, pharmaceuticals, biomedical engineering, clean tech, biotechnology, construction and electronics. Modern Berlin is home to world renowned universities, orchestras, museums and its urban setting has made it a sought-after location for international film productions. The city is known for its festivals, diverse architecture, nightlife, contemporary arts. Since 2000 Berlin has seen the emergence of a cosmopolitan entrepreneurial scene, the name Berlin has its roots in the language of West Slavic inhabitants of the area of todays Berlin, and may be related to the Old Polabian stem berl-/birl-. All German place names ending on -ow, -itz and -in, since the Ber- at the beginning sounds like the German word Bär, a bear appears in the coat of arms of the city. It is therefore a canting arm, the first written records of towns in the area of present-day Berlin date from the late 12th century. Spandau is first mentioned in 1197 and Köpenick in 1209, although these areas did not join Berlin until 1920, the central part of Berlin can be traced back to two towns. Cölln on the Fischerinsel is first mentioned in a 1237 document,1237 is considered the founding date of the city. The two towns over time formed close economic and social ties, and profited from the right on the two important trade routes Via Imperii and from Bruges to Novgorod. In 1307, they formed an alliance with a common external policy, in 1415 Frederick I became the elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg, which he ruled until 1440. In 1443 Frederick II Irontooth started the construction of a new palace in the twin city Berlin-Cölln
18.
Braunschweig
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Braunschweig, also called Brunswick in English, is a city of 252,768 people, in the state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the furthest navigable point of the Oker river, today, Braunschweig is the second largest city in Lower Saxony and a major centre of scientific research and development. The date and circumstances of the foundation are unknown. The towns original name of Brunswik is a combination of the name Bruno and Low German wik, the towns name therefore indicates an ideal resting-place, as it lay by a ford across the Oker River. Another explanation of the name is that it comes from Brand. The city was first mentioned in documents from the St. Magni Church from 1031, up to the 12th century, Braunschweig was ruled by the Saxon noble family of the Brunonids, then, through marriage, it fell to the House of Welf. In 1142 Henry the Lion of the House of Welf became duke of Saxony and he turned Dankwarderode Castle, the residence of the counts of Brunswick, into his own Pfalz and developed the city further to represent his authority. Under Henrys rule the Cathedral of St. Blasius was built and he also had the statue of a lion, his heraldic animal, the lion subsequently became the citys landmark. Henry the Lion became so powerful that he dared to refuse military aid to the emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, Henry went into exile in England. He had previously established ties to the English crown in 1168, through his marriage to King Henry II of Englands daughter Matilda, however, his son Otto, who could regain influence and was eventually crowned Holy Roman Emperor, continued to foster the citys development. By the year 1600, Braunschweig was the seventh largest city in Germany, the Princes of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel didnt regain control over the city until the late 17th century, when Rudolph Augustus, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, took the city by siege. In the 18th century Braunschweig was not only a political, influenced by the philosophy of the Enlightenment, dukes like Anthony Ulrich and Charles I became patrons of the arts and sciences. In 1745 Charles I founded the Collegium Carolinum, predecessor of the Braunschweig University of Technology, with this he attracted poets and thinkers such as Lessing, Leisewitz, and Jakob Mauvillon to his court and the city. Emilia Galotti by Lessing and Goethes Faust were performed for the first time in Braunschweig, in 1806, the city was captured by the French during the Napoleonic Wars and became part of the short-lived Napoleonic Kingdom of Westphalia in 1807. The exiled duke Frederick William raised a corps, the Black Brunswickers. After the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Braunschweig was made capital of the reestablished independent Duchy of Brunswick, in the aftermath of the July Revolution in 1830, in Brunswick duke Charles II was forced to abdicate. His absolutist governing style had alienated the nobility and bourgeoisie. During the night of 7–8 September 1830, the palace in Braunschweig was stormed by an angry mob, set on fire
19.
Nuremberg
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Nuremberg is a city on the river Pegnitz and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia, about 170 kilometres north of Munich. It is the second-largest city in Bavaria, and the largest in Franconia, the population as of February 2015, is 517,498, which makes it Germanys fourteenth-largest city. The urban area also includes Fürth, Erlangen and Schwabach with a population of 763,854. The European Metropolitan Area Nuremberg has ca.3.5 million inhabitants, Nuremberg was, according to the first documentary mention of the city in 1050, the location of an Imperial castle between the East Franks and the Bavarian March of the Nordgau. From 1050 to 1571, the city expanded and rose dramatically in importance due to its location on key trade routes, Nuremberg is often referred to as having been the unofficial capital of the Holy Roman Empire, particularly because Imperial Diet and courts met at Nuremberg Castle. The Diets of Nuremberg were an important part of the structure of the empire. The increasing demand of the court and the increasing importance of the city attracted increased trade. Nuremberg soon became, with Augsburg, one of the two great trade centers on the route from Italy to Northern Europe. In 1298, the Jews of the town were accused of having desecrated the host, behind the massacre of 1298 was also the desire to combine the northern and southern parts of the city, which were divided by the Pegnitz. The Jews of the German lands suffered many massacres during the plague years, in 1349, Nurembergs Jews were subjected to a pogrom. They were burned at the stake or expelled, and a marketplace was built over the former Jewish quarter, the plague returned to the city in 1405,1435,1437,1482,1494,1520 and 1534. Charles was the patron of the Frauenkirche, built between 1352 and 1362, where the Imperial court worshipped during its stays in Nuremberg. Charles IV conferred upon the city the right to conclude alliances independently, frequent fights took place with the burgraves without, however, inflicting lasting damage upon the city. Through these and other acquisitions the city accumulated considerable territory, the Hussite Wars, recurrence of the Black Death in 1437, and the First Margrave War led to a severe fall in population in the mid-15th century. During the Middle Ages, Nurembergs literary culture was rich, varied, the cultural flowering of Nuremberg, in the 15th and 16th centuries, made it the centre of the German Renaissance. In 1525, Nuremberg accepted the Protestant Reformation, and in 1532, during the 1552 revolution against Charles V, Nuremberg tried to purchase its neutrality, but the city was attacked without a declaration of war and was forced into a disadvantageous peace. The state of affairs in the early 16th century, increased trade routes elsewhere, frequent quartering of Imperial, Swedish and League soldiers, the financial costs of the war and the cessation of trade caused irreparable damage to the city and a near-halving of the population. In 1632, the city, occupied by the forces of Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, was besieged by the army of Imperial general Albrecht von Wallenstein, the city declined after the war and recovered its importance only in the 19th century, when it grew as an industrial centre
20.
Kicker (sports magazine)
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Kicker Sportmagazin is Germanys leading sports magazine and is focused primarily on football. The magazine was founded in 1920 by German football pioneer Walther Bensemann and is published twice a week, usually Monday and Thursday, the Monday edition sells an average of 240,000 copies, while the Thursday edition has an average circulation of about 220,000 copies. The magazine also publishes a yearbook, the kicker Almanach and it was first published from 1937 to 1942, and then continuously from 1959 to date. The magazine kicker first appeared in July 1920 in Konstanz, Germany, the magazine headquarters was originally in Stuttgart but moved to Nürnberg in 1926. During World War II, the merged with the publication Fußball. After the war, the magazine was published by the newly incorporated Olympia-Verlag publishing company. Former chief editor Friedebert Becker again began publishing kicker in 1951, in 1966, kicker was sold to Axel Springer AG. In 1968, Olympia-Verlag in Nuremberg acquired kicker and merged it with Sportmagazin, the first issue of the newly founded kicker-sportmagazin was released on 7 October 1968. Beside the two publications, kicker provides a digital edition since 2012. The online version of kicker. de offers a live ticker for over 80 different international leagues. A mobile version of kicker. de can be found among others in the portal of T-Mobile, Vodafone, O2. In addition, the magazine has three apps in the iTunes store. The modern version of kicker covers a number of sporting competitions and events, including, kicker annually awards the most prolific scorer of the Bundesliga with the kicker Torjägerkanone award. It is equivalent to the Pichichi Trophy in Spanish football
21.
Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation
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The Rec. Sport. Soccer Statistics Foundation is an international organization dedicated to collecting statistics about association football. The foundation aims to build an archive of football-related information from around the world. This enterprise according to its founders was created in January 1994 by three regulars of the Rec. Sport. Soccer Usenet newsgroup, Lars Aarhus, Kent Hedlundh, and Karel Stokkermans. It was originally known as the North European Rec. Sport. Soccer Statistics Foundation, today the RSSSF has members and contributors from around the world, and has spawned seven spin-off projects to more closely follow the leagues of that projects home country. The spin-off projects are dedicated to Albania, Brazil, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Romania, Uruguay and Venezuela. This enterprise was for years closely tied with the newsgroup RSS. Weighting in vain for Fifas ranking aficionados, Rec. Sport. Soccer Statistics Foundation RSSSF Charter Best of RSS
22.
German football championship
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The German football champions are the annual winners of the highest association football competition in Germany. The history of the German football championship is complex and reflects the turbulent history of the country through the course of the 20th century. Before the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963, the format was based on a knockout competition. Since 1963, the finisher in the Bundesliga has been recognized as the national champion. Championship play was suspended twice, from 1915 to 1919 due to World War I, Following World War II, Germany was occupied by the victorious Allies and two German football competitions emerged when the country was divided as a result. Following the reunification of the country in 1990, the two football competitions were merged and a single national championship was restored. Bayern Munich hold the record for the most championships with 24, all, Dynamo Berlin claimed 10 titles in the former East Germany, winning these championships in consecutive seasons. The history of the German football championship is complex and reflects the turbulent history of the country through the course of the 20th century. Before the formation of the Bundesliga in 1963, the format was based on a knockout competition. Since 1963, the finisher in the Bundesliga has been recognized as the national champion. Championship play was suspended twice, from 1915 to 1919 due to World War I, Following World War II, Germany was occupied by the victorious Allies and two German football competitions emerged when the country was divided as a result. Following the reunification of the country in 1990, the two football competitions were merged and a single national championship was restored. Bayern Munich hold the record for the most championships with 26, all, Dynamo Berlin claimed 10 titles in the former East Germany, winning these championships in consecutive seasons. The new English game of football quickly caught on in late 19th-century Germany, the earliest attempt at organizing some form of national championship came in 1894 when city champions Viktoria 89 Berlin invited FC Hanau 93 to play a challenge match. The Hanauers were unable to afford the cost of the trip, in 2007, the 1894 final was replayed and Viktoria were crowned the official 1894 champions. The formation of the DFB helped establish for the first time a clear divide between association football and its close cousin, to qualify for the German championship finals, a club had to win one of the regional championships, which, in some cases, predate the national one. The two strongest regions, South and West were also allowed to send their third-placed team and this system of regional championships was abolished in 1933 by the Nazis and superseded by the Gauliga system. Key Under the Nazis, German sports competitions were consolidated for political reasons, clubs whose leanings were unpalatable to the regime as leftist or faith-based were either banned or their memberships dispersed through forced mergers with other ideologically acceptable clubs
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