Gothenburg/SWE has a fine reputation in the running community, and the city has been host to many great championships. In 1995, the World Championships in Athletics took place there, in 2006 they hosted the European Championships, and the European Athletics Indoor Championships have taken place in the Scandinavium three times: in 1974, 1984, and most recently the 32^nd European Athletics Indoor Championships from March 1-3, 2013.

Gothenburg has on more perk for runners, though: The "Göteborgs Varvet" (Gothenburg Half Marathon)  – which took place this year on May 18. The Gothenburg Half Marathon is the largest half marathon event in the world; with 44,094 finishers in 2012, it is a race that has always sold out very quickly.

And with such a great sporting tradition, Gothenburg also has a sports museum, and an organization that supports the museum and continues its members' education with visits to other sports museums around the world.

Hans-Jürgen Blisch, who is a Berlin runner and a supporter of the Berlin Sports Museum, and also has a second home near Gothenburg, knows the Swedish organiser well and invited her to visit the Sports Museum in Berlin-and to bring along a few new artefacts from the European Athletics Indoor Championships to donate as well.

38 Swedish guests, headed by Harry Erikson, the founder and long-time head of the Gothenburg Half Marathon, then visited Berlin from April 21-24, 2013, and stayed appropriately at the Scandic Hotel at Potsdamer Platz.

On Monday, April 22, they visited the Berlin Sports Museum, where they were greeted by Martina Behrend, the head of the museum, and then received a tour of the collection at Adlerplatz by Gerd Steins. He also shared the historical development of the Olympic Park during a visit to the Olympic Cupola Hall from 1936.

The visit concluded with a ride to the top of the Bell Tower on the Maifeld fields, with an amazing view across the stadium and out into the landscape of Berlin. In addition to presenting the Berlin Sports Museum with items from the European Championships, they also extended an invitation to visit the sports museum in Gothenburg.

 

Horst Milde

 

Hans-Jürgen Blisch on the Gothenburg Sports Museum:

 

The Sports Museum in Gothenburg has existed for over 30 years and is located on an historical military base from the 19^th century. It contains a wide selection of artefacts from many areas of sport, with an emphasis on the athletes and events from Gothenburg and the surrounding area.

The last major sports events to take place in Gothenburg, including the World Championships in Athletics in 1995, the European Championships in 2006, and the three European Indoor Championships are not yet included in the collection-"much too recent for us", they told me. There are, however, numerous permanent exhibits dedicated to local athletes, who have made great contributions not only as athletes, but after their careers as well.

One example is Ingemar Johansson – who sensationally became heavyweight boxing world champion in the late 1950s in a fight against Floyd Pettersson in the USA. He also participated in the early years of the Gothenburg Half Marathon and was a very popular citizen of Gothenburg. Another is Lars Hindmar (born in 1921), who was a runner and walker who won numerous world records in walking and is a great collector and supporter of the museum, to whom an entire room is dedicated.

There are also numerous artefacts collected and on display from the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. Many personal mementos from Swedish participants are presented, and their experiences are recorded in the letters and postcards, which they sent home. There are numerous artefacts from the 1936 Games, such as tickets, posters, volunteer armbands, sports gear, and countless photos from the events and from the life and doings of the participants in the Olympic Village in Elstal and in Berlin. 

The 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm are also presented, with a large and wonderful special exhibit commemorating the 100^th anniversary of the so-called "Sunshine Games", which was open to the public from May to September.

The Sports Museum is open almost daily. The entrance fee for non-members is 20 Kronor (about 2.20 Euros).

 

Hans-Jürgen Blisch

 

Göteborger Museen

Göteborg Sportmuseum

Göteborg Halbmarathon

 

 

Here is the essential information about the museum:

 

General Information on the Berlin Sports Museum- AIMS Marathon Museum of Running

 

The Berlin Sports Museum – The AIMS Marathon Museum of Running – The most fit museum in the German capital:

The Berlin Sports Museum – The AIMS Marathon Museum of Running – The most fit museum in the German capital

 

The AIMS Marathon-Museum of Running Presentation

 

News Sports Museum

 

2500 Years of the Marathon – The current Newsletter:

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More information about "The Artifact of the Month":

 

“The Artefact of the Month” No I. – Rare museum artefacts from the Berlin Sports Museum – AIMS Marathon Museum of Running – The Starting Pistol – Horst Milde reports

 

Artefact of the Month” No. II. – Museum Rarities from the Berlin Sports Museum – AIMS Museum of Running – The New York City Marathon – Current Gifts – Horst Milde Reports

 

“The Artefact of the Month” III. – Rare museum artefacts from the Berlin Sports Museum – AIMS Marathon Museum of Running – Dr. David Martin (Atlanta, GA) and his donations to the Berlin Sports Museum – AIMS Marathon Museum of Running – Current Donations – Horst Milde reports

 

"The Artefact of the Month" IV. – Museum Rarities from the Berlin Sports Museum – AIMS Museum of Running – Wim Verhoorn / NED and his Gifts to the Berlin Sports Museum – AIMS Marathon Museum of Running – Current Gifts – Horst Milde Reports

 

"The Artefact of the Month" V. – Museum Rarities from the Berlin Sports Museum – AIMS Museum of Running – Bernd Hübner / Berlin and his Gifts to the Berlin Sports Museum – AIMS Marathon Museum of Running – Current Gifts – Horst Milde Reports

"The Artefact of the Month" VI. – Museum Rarities from the Berlin Sports Museum – AIMS Marathon Museum of Running – The “Golden Shoe” from the AIMS/ASICS World Athlete of the Year Award. Horst Milde Reports

 

Berlin Sports Museum – "AIMS Marathon Museum of Running" receives the "David E. Martin Collection" – The "Artefact of the Decade"!

 

"The Artifact of the Month" VII. – Museum Rarities from the Berlin Sports Museum – AIMS Marathon Museum of Running – Victah Sailer and his donation. Horst Milde Reports

 

"The Artifact of the Month" VIII. – Museum Rarities from the AIMS Marathon Museum of Running – Berlin Sports Museum – Tokyo Marathon and Athens Classic Marathon – Horst Milde Reports

 

"The Artifact of the Month" IX. – Museum Rarities from the AIMS Marathon Museum of Running – Berlin Sports Museum – The PUMA Sprint Spike from Usain Bolt – Horst Milde Reports

"The Artifact of the Month" X. – Museum Rarities from the AIMS Marathon Museum of Running – "Big guys of running", the World Marathon Majors – Horst Milde Reports

 

"The Artifact of the Month" XI. – Museum Rarities from the AIMS Marathon Museum of Running – The addition for the "David E. Martin Collection" – The "Artefact of the Decade"! – Horst Milde reports

 

"The Artifact of the Month" XII. – Museum Rarities from the AIMS Marathon Museum of Running – Henryk Paskal donates his valuable collection to the Berlin Sports Museum – Horst Milde reports