After a turbulent couple of months, my husband’s 40th birthday was swiftly approaching. As this is one of those big birthdays that end in a zero I wanted to pull out all the stops. I needed a venue that could accomodate a small private party, ideally something with an activity, and the more offbeat the better. First I looked for a roller rink for 80s childhood nostalgia but this is surprisingly not a thing in Berlin. There is only one pop-up rink that has intermittent events and then bring-your-own-skates locales like Templehofer Feld. (if you know of a rink – please let me know!) This led me to bowling and there are plenty of alleys…but it felt a bit basic. Enter the Kegelbahn.

I’ll get into the intricacies of this unique German sport in just a moment as I discuss some of the more unusual sports in Germany. It is not just soccer/football/Fussball that make up the sports world.

Kegelbahn

The Kugelbahn in Wedding, Berlin PHOTO: Erin Porter

So, on to Kegelbahn. We had stumbled on this place in our neighbourhood years ago at a breakfast pop-up (yes, Berlin loves a pop-up). While we brunched on top, down in the basement of the building there were two small lanes and what appeared to be mini-sized bowling balls and pins. Because of their reduced size, this is often how Kegelbahnen (bowling alleys) are set-up, below a bar or establishment. The sport is related to bowling with some important differences:

• The Kegel or pins are placed in a diamond pattern versus a pyramid with more space between them.
• The pins are attached to strings which smartly lift them up after being knocked down.
• The lanes in Kegelbahn are much narrower at the start than in bowling, but slightly concave which makes it more forgiving. The lane also widens at the end.
• While some balls may include two finger holes (one for the thumb and one for the middle finger), most balls are small enough to fit within your hand(s) and don’t have holes. They are smaller than bowling bowls, made entirely of wood, and are generally one-size-fits-all.
• A rope marks where the foul line starts and you must roll the bowl beneath that. If the ball does not touch the track before the line in Kegel a foul is called.
• Most games have 9 rounds and generally a bowler rolls a maximum of 3 balls per frame.
• Bowling shoes are not required.

It was perfect for our party. No fancy equipment or skills required, and goes down great with a beer and some music.

Handball

Of course I had heard of handball before coming to Germany, but considered it more of a fun pastime or gym activity. In Germany, handball is serious business.

We got free tickets to a game once and were curious to see what took place. Certainly no casual sport, there is a German Handball Association (Deutscher Handballbund DHB) and most cities sponsor a team. There is also a national team that competes internationally – clearly not just a German thing. At the game we attended there were mascots, a half-time show, and all the hallmarks of a major sporting event.

Darts

Darts is another sport I was introduced to in Germany that is huge not only here, but in many parts of the world. Often relegated to a bar game in my native USA, my husband experienced the excitement of competitive darts in a stadium environment.

He was invited last-minute by a group of German friends to watch a dart competition and told he would need to wear a costume. Sorry – what?! The whole group was dressing up as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (Schneewittchen und die sieben Zwerge), hence the need to fill a position. He was game and so he went. They were far from the only ones to dress up. There was a whole stadium (Mercedes Benz arena in Berlin) in themed group attire.

The darts themselves were done far away on the floor, but huge television screens illuminated the action. When my husband came back from the event he was exhilarated as much from the atmosphere as the sport.

Surfing

Surfing in Munich PHOTO: Hyde Flippo

Few people associate Germany with beaches, but besides its epic northern coastline there is a surprising inland location where people enjoy the water. Maybe “enjoy” is too strong a word as surfing in the river in Munich looks fairly brutal.

Daring individuals clad in wetsuits gear up throughout the year to tackle the rapids that pour out from beneath a bridge into the Englisch Garten. This unusual German sport makes it in to all the guidebooks as it is also a spectator sport. For those willing to try the sport themselves, come prepared with board and gear and wait your turn as there is only room for one at a time. Then jump from the bank onto the board in the Eisbachwelle and try to stay upright beneath the gaze of tourists, locals, and your fellow surfers.

Underwater Hockey

Admittedly, this is one I have only read about about but it is incredible enough to include in a post of unusual sports in Germany. Apparently there is a German team in Munich, the Marlins, that still actively participates in this worldwide sport.

It appears to have similar goals to field or ice hockey in that there are two teams competing to put a (now weighted) puck in a net, but it is accompanied by a snorkel (Schnorchel) and fins (Schwimmflossen)! Adorned in much less protective gear than their icy counterparts, it is still ferociously competitive and a contact sport. That is something I’d love to see.

Do you have another unusual German sport to share?