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On Saturday, almost 30 years after the Fall of the Wall, all Berlin will vibrate with the first derby of the city in the history of the Bundesliga. The Union, from the Eastern part, traditionally supported by opponents of the communist regime, receives the Hertha, the great club of West Berlin, at the Stadion an der Alten Försterei (6:30 pm).

The rivalry in the German capital is nothing like that of Liverpool, Glasgow, Seville or Rome, with particularly tense derbies. "We have nothing against Hertha," estimates Elmar Werder, a Union fan since 1979. "In his day, some of our fans were even going to support Hertha, especially when he played in European competitions," adds Andreas Cramer, another follower of the team led by Urs Fischer.

The massive displacement of both hobbies to Prague for the return of the quarterfinals of the 1979 UEFA Cup still survives in memory. Then the Hertha of Kuno Klötzer eliminated the Dukla (1-1 and 1-2) before falling to the front to the Red Star in the semifinals for the double value of the goals (1-0 and 2-1). Only the fall of the Wall, that unforgettable November 7, 1989, fueled the confrontation on the grass.

Dinner in common

On January 27, 1990, just two months after the opening of the city, the city took to the streets for a big party. It was the first derby in 28 years. That day, with 51,270 spectators in the stands of Olympiastadion, the Union won 2-1 and the players of both teams closed on Saturday with a fraternization dinner. Since then, there were four other duels, all in the second division, in the 2010-2011 and 2012-2013 seasons.

Timo Dobbert, a fan of Hertha, believes that this duel is presented as a magnificent opportunity to create a different culture: "It would be formidable that Berlin was the only city in Europe in which two clubs of the first division and their fans are supportive of each other ".

The derby will be held in the picturesque Alten Försterei, a stadium to some extent communal, given that its reopening in 2009 was completed after more than 140,000 hours of volunteer work by Union members. This modest team is the only survivor of the Democratic Republic (GDR) in the Bundesliga, while Dinamo Dresden and Aue are sailing in the second division. The other anomaly is represented by the RB Leipzig, driven by the money of the multinational Red Bull.

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