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60th Anniversary of the “Miracle of Bern”

Germany won the 1954 Football World Cup in Switzerland.

02.07.2014
picture-alliance/dpa - Miracle of Bern
picture-alliance/dpa - Miracle of Bern © picture-alliance/dpa - Miracle of Bern

Pope Pius XII warns against the dangers of television. In Wolfsburg, the 600,000th VW Beetle rolls off the production line. In (West) Berlin, the first self-service shoe shop opens. It is the year 1954, and the Federal Republic of Germany is only five years old. It is the year in which Germany’s national football team qualifies for the Football World Cup in Switzerland thanks to a 3:1 victory over Saarland, which as yet is not part of the Federal Republic.

The preliminary round sees Germany playing Turkey and Hungary, the best team in the world at the time. National coach Sepp Herberger’s squad beats Turkey 4:1 but loses badly to Hungary, the final score being 8:3. Thanks to a play-off, however, Fritz Walter, Helmut Rahn and the rest of the team make it through to the next round. As the tournament progresses, they come out on top against Yugoslavia and Austria and unexpectedly find themselves playing in the final in Bern – against Hungary.

“The moment the Federal Republic of Germany was really born”

They seem to be facing an almost impossible challenge, as Hungary has remained unconquered for four entire years up to this point. Just six minutes in, the first goal is scored by Hungary, with another making it 2:0 only two minutes later. As radio reporter Herbert Zimmermann comments: “Just what we had feared has come to pass.” But then something happens which today is dubbed the “miracle of Bern”: the German team scores the next goal and even manages to equalize in the 18th minute – with a winning goal coming just before the end to make it 3:2.

“Rahn shoots! – Gooooal! Gooooal! Gooooal! Call me crazy...” The words spoken by this now legendary radio commentator become engraved on the country’s collective memory. Germany is the world champion. The victory in Bern was not only a sporting highlight in 1954, however. As the political scientist Arthur Heinrich and the historian Joachim Fest were later to observe, it marked “the moment the Federal Republic of Germany was really born”. It gave rise to a mood of optimism and new beginnings that ultimately brought about the country’s economic miracle.

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