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Address: An der Wuhlheide 263, Berlin, Germany
Capacity: 22,000
Opened: 7 August 1920
Primary Use: Football
Tenants: 1. FC Union Berlin (Football)
The Stadion An der Alten Försterei is one of the most distinctive and culturally significant football stadiums in Germany. Located in the Köpenick district of Berlin, the venue officially opened on 7 August 1920 with a football match, immediately establishing its identity as a football-specific ground.
For more than a century, the stadium has been inseparably linked to 1. FC Union Berlin, serving as a symbol of tradition, loyalty, and community-driven football culture in the German capital.
FC Union Berlin has used the Stadion An der Alten Försterei as its home ground for decades, building a reputation for one of the most intense and authentic matchday atmospheres in European football. The club is known for its close bond with supporters, a relationship that has shaped both the stadium’s evolution and its cultural importance.
Union Berlin and city rivals Hertha BSC became the first football clubs from Berlin to reach 100,000 followers on their main social media platforms, highlighting the growing national and international profile of Berlin football in the modern era.
Over the decades, the stadium has hosted countless league matches, promotion battles, and historic fixtures across different tiers of German football. Its reputation grew significantly during Union Berlin’s rise to the Bundesliga, where the venue became known for its compact design, passionate standing terraces, and formidable home advantage.
The stadium’s atmosphere, driven by standing-only supporter areas, is widely regarded as one of the most distinctive in professional football.
While preserving its traditional character, Stadion An der Alten Försterei has undergone major redevelopment and modernization phases, particularly in the 21st century. A landmark aspect of the stadium’s renovation was the direct involvement of Union Berlin supporters, who volunteered thousands of hours during reconstruction works—an unprecedented example of fan participation in stadium development.
Key modernization elements include:
Structural reinforcement and expansion of spectator stands
Compliance upgrades for professional league and Bundesliga regulations
Improved safety systems and accessibility
Enhanced media, broadcasting, and operational infrastructure
These upgrades increased the stadium’s capacity to approximately 22,000 spectators, while maintaining its historic layout and unique standing terraces.
The stadium features a predominantly standing spectator configuration, rare at top-flight European level. This design fosters a strong acoustic environment and close proximity between players and fans, reinforcing Union Berlin’s renowned home atmosphere.
Modern professional football requires advanced lighting systems that meet strict performance, broadcast, and sustainability standards.
MECREE provides professional LED sports stadium intelligent lighting solutions, including venue simulation design and electrical installation guidance. For stadiums like Stadion An der Alten Försterei, intelligent LED lighting systems deliver:
High horizontal and vertical illuminance for elite football competition
Excellent uniformity across the entire pitch
Reduced glare for players, officials, and spectators
Flicker-free performance suitable for HDTV and slow-motion broadcasting
Energy-efficient operation with flexible lighting control modes
LED lighting upgrades ensure that historic football stadiums can meet modern competition and media requirements without compromising their architectural identity.
Stadion An der Alten Försterei is widely regarded as a symbol of fan-driven football culture in Germany. Beyond competitive matches, the venue is used for community events and cultural gatherings, reinforcing its role as a social landmark in Berlin-Köpenick.
As the home of 1. FC Union Berlin, the stadium represents an alternative football identity within Berlin, complementing the city’s broader football heritage. Its rise in prominence has coincided with Union Berlin’s emergence as a stable Bundesliga club with growing international recognition.
© Thomas Balzer
© Flickr: dandeamer
© Instagram: @marci_berlin
© Wikipedia: Lear 21
With the growing popularity of nighttime sports events, professional competitions demand higher lighting quality. The glare from traditional fixtures can no longer meet athletes’ expectations for sensory experience. Leveraging breakthroughs in MECREE’s sports lighting technology, our precise light control and anti-glare designs enable athletes to perform at their peak and enjoy an exceptional sports experience.
Issues caused by unnecessary nighttime lighting, such as light pollution and light trespass, are increasingly concerning and have led to rising public complaints. Amid growing environmental awareness, lighting designers must prioritize controlling “Light Pollution” and “Light Trespass.” We are committed to addressing this challenge through innovative optical technologies.
Currently common traditional stadium lights model for some international stadiums as below:
MVF406/1800W, HNF003, MVF401, MVF403, MVF024, EF-2000, YOA56305, YOAX56400, 2kW: HQI-TS 2000WDS, 2kW: HQI-TS 1000WDS, MHN-SA 2KW 400V/956, MHN-SB/HO 2KW 400V/956, LPW2000M/D, LPW1000MB/L, LPP2000MHN-SA, LPP2000MHN-SB.
There is big problem that traditional lamps can not cannot meet the needs of 4K and 8K high-definition broadcast and huge energy consumption.
With the strengthening of environmental lighting awareness and the pursuit of high-quality lighting, there is a trend to replace traditional lamps by high quality of LED Stadium Lights.
MECREE has launched the following series of LED Sport Stadium Lighting:
MECREE’s specially engineered precision lighting control is designed to meet the needs of such users. The polarized light range of 65-73° is defined as the P73-L and A65 series products, which deliver an unparalleled visual experience while offering access to thousands of IES profiles.
Our precisely engineered optics of polarized light aim light directly onto the field of play, to shine uniformly and to minimize glare. Outdoor venues benefit from spill light control, no more skyglow and no more complaints from the neighbors.
1. Such light shield is useless,just misleading customers.
2. As tested it will cause 30% reduction of light output
3. While 70% still have high overflow
4. Unbearable strong glare
5. Waste energy,outdated reflective technology
The power supply and lamp body can be mounted separately, reducing the withstand weight of the lamp pole and facilitating maintenance.
Customized crossarms are available to meet all your existing old poles without replacing the main rod, crossarms bolt directly to light pole, easy and accurate installation saves time, ensures performance, safety and reliability,also lower the budget.
In current sports lighting projects, high-altitude light calibration is recognized as a major efficiency bottleneck. The process carries high safety risks, is prone to aiming deviations, and involves cumbersome installation and removal procedures, making it difficult to achieve the required uniformity.
MECREE’s innovative laser aiming mount was designed precisely to address these issues. It revolutionizes the workflow through three key advantages:
Easy Installation: With a simple design, it allows rapid mounting and dismounting, significantly lowering the operational threshold.
Precise Aiming: Ensures accurate laser alignment, fundamentally guaranteeing uniform illumination and compliance with lighting standards.
Efficient Operation: Reduces labor and time costs by up to 80%. Calibrating 200 fixtures at height previously took 20 days; now the same workload can be completed in just 4 days.
Choosing MECREE means choosing a safer, more precise, and highly efficient sports lighting solution.
Through lighting simulation calculations and programming of light show designs, solutions oriented towards either visual effects or cost-effectiveness are provided. Design of Lighthouse, parameters required for building foundation, (axial force, shear force, bending force). High power generator set supporting,circuit design service,cable supply. We are your best supply chain manager! We are committed to providing you with a one-stop solution. We focus on the research, design, and manufacturing of our products, delivering customized and energy-efficient lighting system solutions for all types of sports venues and multifunctional facilities.The details are as follows:high-power sports lighting、arena night lighting retrofit、smart stadium lighting control、energy-efficient LED stadium lights、stadium lighting power supply optimization、broadcast-quality sports lighting、large venue lighting retrofit、adjustable brightness and color temperature lighting、LED floodlight installation and upgrade、stadium lighting maintenance and management、energy-saving lighting solutions for stadiums、multi-purpose venue lighting design、night game lighting optimization.
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MECREE sincerely invite you meet us on the Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition, 9th-12th...
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