Bundesliga club-by-club historical guide: Dynamo Dresden
Dynamo Dresden were East Germany's most successful club and still have one of the biggest fanbases in the country, despite struggling since reunification.
bundesliga.com is taking you through all the teams to have graced Germany’s first division over the last 60 years – based on the number of seasons they’ve played up to and including 2023/24.
Discover many more memorable moments and records in the Bundesliga's 60-year history!
Dynamo Dresden
Years in Bundesliga: 4 (1991-95)
Most appearances: Matthias Maucksch (118)
Most goals: Torsten Güteschow (12)
Youngest player: Alexander Zickler (18 years, seven months, 25 days)
Dynamo Dresden as we know it today was officially formed on 12 April 1953, being affiliated with the East German security forces. They won their first league title in that same 1952/53 season, but a drop to the fourth tier followed by 1957. The recovery was slow, yo-yoing between divisions before a final top-flight return in 1969 and their second title in 1970/71 – the year they became the first team to win the league and cup double in East Germany.
With eight league crowns and seven cups, plus 98 matches in UEFA competitions, Dynamo were one of the most successful teams in East Germany. Their final title-winning team of 1989/90 included future stars like Matthias Sammer and Ulf Kirsten. In 1973, they faced Bayern Munich in the first competitive meeting between two teams from East and West Germany. It ended in a thrilling 7-6 aggregate win for the Munich club in the European Cup second round. No team has ever scored more goals against Bayern in a European knockout tie.
As a result of finishing runners-up in the final season before German reunification, Dresden qualified for the Bundesliga alongside Hansa Rostock. They battled against the drop in all four years of their Bundesliga stay, finishing 14th, 15th and 13th before coming in last place in 1994/95. Financial mismanagement from the times of reunification meant they were denied a place in Bundesliga 2 and dropped straight to the Regionalliga Nordost.
Despite spending the ensuing years bouncing between the fourth and second divisions, Dresden still boast one of the largest memberships in Germany and are second only to Union Berlin among clubs in the former East. Fans are renowned for their often giant Tifos, including a famous one in the third division against Magdeburg in October 2015 that covered every seat in the stadium except the away block. Measuring around 13,000m2, it’s the largest recorded at a game in Europe and the second biggest in the world.
Discover many more memorable moments and records in the Bundesliga's 60-year history!
