A Schalker's Life

From the youth at Schalke to the maker of Schalke's youth

Bodo Menze - that's 70 years of Schalke in its purest form. The father of Schalke's famous youth section "Knappenschmiede" was born and raised in Schalke, learnt to play football here and taught others to do the same. He was always at home on the Schalker Meile. He is now on the board of the Schalke Market Foundation and will take you on a journey through Schalke and through time. The tour starts in front of the entrance gate to the Glückauf Kampfbahn.

Audiowalk

Heute ist der Eingang zum Vereinslokal "Bosch" an der Kampfbahn Glückauf in Schalke überdacht. Auf dem Dach ist über die ganze Breite angebracht. Auf dem Schild steht "FC Schalke 04".

1/12 Clubhouse "Bosch"

Willkommen bei der Tour "Ein ganzes Leben in Schalke" mit Bodo Menze. Du befindest dich hier zwischen dem Eingang der legendären Kampfbahn Glückauf und dem traditionellen Vereinslokal "Bosch". Wische nach rechts um direkt mit der Tour zu starten oder drücke auf Play um dir zuerst die Einführung anzuhören.
Heute ist der Eingang zum Vereinslokal "Bosch" an der Kampfbahn Glückauf in Schalke überdacht. Auf dem Dach ist über die ganze Breite angebracht. Auf dem Schild steht "FC Schalke 04".

2/12 Clubhouse "Bosch"

Get to know your way around the tours! If you'd rather read than listen: Swipe right to go to the next stop. Press play to listen to the audio file. On the map below you can see the route, the current highlighted stop and the other stops on the tour.

3/12 Geburtshaus Bodo Menze

Bodo was born here at Kurt-Schumacher-Strasse 133 (formerly König-Wilhelm-Strasse 65) in 1953. On the walls hang pictures that are part of the "Legendentafeln" that honor great players and officials in the history of the Schalke club.

4/12 Hinterhof - Kurt Schumacher Straße

This is where Bodo Menze's "soccer career" began. In the 1950s, the neighborhood met in this backyard to play soccer and the FC Schalke scouts always had an eye on the boys.

5/12 Glückauf Stadium - South Bank

Let Bodo tell you the anecdote of how he experienced a dangerous afternoon with his mate Teddy.

6/12 Glückauf Stadium - South Bank

The most direct route from Bodo's home to the Glückaufkampfbahn led over the walls and fences of the Südkurve. Let Bodo tell you the anecdote of how he skilfully combined his weekend job with a visit to the stadium.

7/12 Glückauf Stadium - Main Stand

For Bodo, the time-honoured grandstand of the Glückauf stadium was more than just a place from which to look out onto the pitch. The office, youth rooms and changing rooms of the Glückauf-Kampfbahn were housed here.

8/12 Kampfbahn Glückauf - Spielfeld

The centrepiece of a stadium is, of course, its pitch. Bodo occasionally played on this pitch as an active player. But he spent much more time in the stands. From here, he accompanied big names such as Manuel Neuer, Mesut Özil and Leroy Sane on their way into professional football as youth coordinator at FC Schalke.

9/12 Kampfbahn Glückauf - Spielfeld

The legendary manager Rudi Assauer once sat here while the U23s and U19s played on the pitch. Bodo explains why that was the case here.
Das Eingangstor an der Kampfbahn Glückauf wird in der Dämmerung von vier Strahlern blau beleuchtet. Auch die Tribüne im Hintergrund ist in blaues Licht getaucht.

10/12 Glückauf Stadium - Entrance Gate

Here between the replica of the historic entrance gate of the Glückauf-Kampfbahn and the former club pub "Bosch" starts the tour with Bodo Menze, which will take you across the Schalker Meile, into the interior of the Glückauf-Kampfbahn as well as to the Schalker train station and the cemetery Am Rosenhügel.

11/12 Schalke-Nord Station

In Bodo's youth, supporters of the visiting teams and FC Schalke 04 arrived here by the trainload to make the pilgrimage to the nearby Glückauf stadium. For Bodo, it was an everyday part of his journey to school from the age of six. You can hear for yourself how Bodo fared during his school career.

12/12 Rosenhügel Cemetery

In his role as Managing Director of the Schalker Markt Foundation, the remembrance of the old legends is one of Bodo Menze's most important topics. Here at the Rosenhügel cemetery, Bodo can often be seen commemorating the "Szepan and Kuzorra" sung about in the club song. Listen to Bodo explain why these two are still so important to him today.

About the tour

Duration: 1 Hours 15 Minutes
Distance: 3.5 km

About the tour guide

Bodo Menze (*1953 in Gelsenkirchen-Schalke) was head of Schalke's youth academy "Knappenschmiede" from 1991 to 2013. From 2006 to 2019, he was also responsible for "International Relations and Associations" at FC Schalke 04. Since the 2020/21 season, he has acted as patron for the development of the girls' and women's football department. Bodo Menze has been a member of the foundation's board since the Schalker Markt Foundation was established.
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