Eleven thousand roaring voices. That’s the capacity of Stadion Bäuminghausstraße. Can you imagine the energy?
This isn’t just any stadium. Stadion Bäuminghausstraße in Essen’s Altenessen district is steeped in history. It opened in 1939. It became home to TuS Helene Essen. This football club achieved remarkable success. In its first year at Bäuminghausstraße they rose to the top-tier Gauliga Niederrhein. They even won the championship in 1940/41.
Their journey took them to the 1941 German football championship final round. There they faced strong opponents. VfL Köln 1899 Kickers Offenbach and FC Mühlhausen 93 were among them. They finished third. Despite the war the stadium thrived. TuS Helene Essen attracted up to 15000 fans.
Tragedy struck near the war’s end. Fourteen bombs destroyed the stadium. Amazingly repairs were finished in 1945. The stadium’s record attendance was set on May 11 1947. Thirty thousand people watched Sportfreunde Katernberg play Rot-Weiß Oberhausen. Oberhausen won 2-0.
The old stadium even served as a film set. Parts of it appeared in the TV movie Landauer Der Präsident. A major renovation took place. Between November 2013 and July 2014 3.5 million euros were invested. The natural grass pitch remained. A synthetic running track was added. Two artificial turf pitches were also built. New floodlights a new grandstand and new changing rooms were constructed.
Today Stadion Bäuminghausstraße stands as a testament to resilience and sporting passion. Its history echoes in every roar of the crowd. It’s a symbol of Essen’s rich sporting heritage a place where dreams are played out on the hallowed turf.