A walk of fame like in Hollywood and other cities is now installed in the German city of Dortmund. Elsewhere the installation pays tribute to actors – here, the industrial centre honours the local soccer club BVB on the occasion of its 100th anniversary in December 2009. The significance of soccer is demonstrated by the fact that the 100 plaques were finished a mere 9 months after the idea was made public. The idea was born in a local newspaper „Ruhr Nachrichten“ by stone mason André Faure, a fan himself, who developed the practical permutation: he took black Indian granite, cut to 30 x 30 cm, 8 cm thick, polished it and set it in the middle of a bronze star – black and yellow the club’s colours – total weight of each star: 35 kg.

The plaques are reminiscent of the club’s great moments like the national championship or triumphs in international competitions. Some stars commemorate players or functionaries.

The price of a single star including installation was 3,999.00 €. Each plaque bears the name of persons or events. The left upper point is reserved for the name of the sponsor, the right point bears the logo of „Ruhr Nachrichten“. The stones are set from the club stadium to the Borsigplatz in various intervals. Stonemason Faure produced all 100 plaques.

And what about the best-before-date? „Stone in highly frequented areas looks sanded rather than polished after but a few months“, according to André Faure. In the case of bronze the reverse is true: when often touched by passers-by, the metal gains a polished finish where it would otherwise be dull. Bronze would, perhaps, have been more suitable says Faure.

An interactive path can be viewed on-line, where information is supplied. For children there is a page with games and lots of information on the ties between sponsors and the club.

Incidentally, the BVB is the only national league club whose shares are traded on the stock exchange.

In Brazil, Grêmio from Porto Alegre was the first club to install a „Calçada da Fama“ with prints of players’ feet or hands (goalkeepers) in concrete, as our correspondent Marcelo Oliveira da Silva reports. In 1996, the ceremony was held for the first time. Since 1999, the big party with fireworks and carnival takes place every two years.

BVB Walk of Fame (German)

Stonemason André Faure (German)

Photos: André Faure

(February 2011)