2006-2010: National News
2006 Prussian Crown
The year was 2006 and it was time for another competition for the Prussian Crown again. Last time, Ostmark Danzig had been victorious and won the large sum of money associated with the Prussian Crown. Regular competition in the last five years saw several clubs become better as new players entered onto the stage. In particular, BuEV Danzig had come particularly close to several titles, and even managed to do well on the European stage. The first stage saw much less exciting matches compared to the last edition of the tournament. Only the duel between Königsberg and Breslau was a noteworthy one. Only in overtime did the final verdict fall, allowing Breslau to move on to the next stage. The quarter finals saw way more action than the first stage and had the first really exciting matches of the tournament. This included a rematch between Ostmark Danzig and BuEV Danzig, this time more unruly than last edition. The match had to be paused several times because of clashes between fans of both teams. Albrecht Schwartzmann himself was said to be among those injured by the small skirmishes. In the end, BuEV turned out to be too strong for Ostmark and went through to the semi-finals. Another major match in the quarter finals was Posen facing off against Stettin. Last time, Posen was defeated in the first stage, but this time they were dead-set on winning against Stettin which came second last time. Stettin took an early lead in the first half, but in the second half, some clever changes of players and positions gave Posen two beautiful goals on the counter. Posen went on to face off against BuEV Danzig, while Breslau and Oppeln faced off for the other spot in the finale. Posen’s tactical insight did not help them in the match against a fast and decisive Danzig team and in the end they went down valiantly against BuEV. Breslau on the other side easily defeated Oppeln, which came from a bracket of all relatively weak teams. And thus the finale of the 2006 Prussian Crown would be played in Königsberg between Borussia Breslau and BuEV Danzig. Danzig managed to attract many supporters for their cause in comparison to Breslau. Their speed and technical skills outclassed Breslau in the first half, giving them a head start of 2-0, but in the second half Breslau unexpectedly came back and managed to beat Danzig 2-3. Borussia Breslau had scored a goal in the last three minutes of the game, thus snatching away the victory from BuEV.
Königsberger Tiergarten celebrates 110th birthday – 2007
In 2007, the Königsberger Tiergarten, the zoo in the capital, celebrated its 110th birthday. Königsberger Tiergarten was one of the oldest zoos in Prussia and underwent major renovations in the last 15 years. Among the prized animals were Nanook the polar bear, Avi the Bengal tiger and Krisha the Indian elephant. Nanook was a recent addition to the zoo and was given as a gift by the Russian embassy in Königsberg. Not everyone is celebrating the zoo’s birthday though, as animal rights protestors have recently started a campaign, demanding the closure of the Königsberger Tiergarten. According to them, several animals would live in enclosures that were too small, including Nanook and his companion Aput. The zoo’s administration countered the protestors’ arguments and stated that the Tiergarten was vital for several international breeding programs and for educating people about the preciousness of life on planet Earth. GfP’s Margerete Weber motioned for an assessment of the zoo’s facilities, but failed to get the government on board. A reality tv series following several zoo keeper at the Tiergarten further downplayed the activists’ complaints and helped the zoo to regain the trust of the public.
Entrance of the Königsberger Tiergarten.
Syndicalist Unions go on strike - 2008
In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, several syndicalist unions went on strike following a statement made by the SAP’s Albrecht Schwartzmann on government policy. Their main complaint was that the government was doing everything to bail out banks, but did little to nothing to ease the issues of Prussia’s workers. The syndicalist action seemed to be a major miscalculation on the part of the union leaders though, as angered employers easily found unemployed people who were eager to replace the strikers. As a result, the strikes quickly died down due to lack of working class unity and the syndicalist unions had to look to other alternatives to achieve their goals. In one instance, a local union in a car factory in Posen took violent action against their employer. After several weeks of continuous lowered wages, the factory workers took matters in their own hands and occupied the factory, selling the cars they produced at a much lower price on the local market. After several days, their operation was shut down by the police, who arrested the ring leaders and charged them with burglary, theft and dealing on the black market. The SAP was furious and demanded the release of the prisoners, stating that they had simply expressed their right to go on strike.
Factory workers occupying a car factory in Posen.
2010 Prussian Crown cancelled due to financial issues
The financial crisis of 2008 did not only affect the big banks and corporations, but also sport competitions like the Prussian Crown. In 2009 it was revealed that the tournament had been financially mismanaged for years and that it had failed to attract investors for the next five years. As a result, the big money prize that teams won at the end of the tournament could no longer be guaranteed. In a sad turn of events, the 2010 Prussian Crown had to be cancelled due to this, as even crowd-funding did not manage to save the competition from bankruptcy. The normal competition between Prussian football clubs still continued, but many smaller clubs felt the financial crisis and had to increase ticket prices. It remains to be seen whether or not the organization behind the Prussian Crown will recover from this and if the 2014 tournament will be able to go through.