The 'Stadium next to the old forester's lodge' is located in Köpenick, in the southeast of Berlin. As I've written in my account of the club's history on the main club page, it's been Union's home since 1920. Until 2008 a fairly modest ground, with one small grandstand and three sides of uncovered terracing, it was rebuilt between then and 2013, so that it now looks as shown in the photo above: a large, modern main stand, and still three sides of terracing, albeit now with newly laid concrete and a roof.

The 'home end' is the Waldseite (on the right of the photo, backing onto the woods, the 'Wald'), while away fans are housed at the other end, on the main stand side of the Wuhlseite (so called because of the Wuhl, a brook that runs behind the terrace there).

My regular spot is on the 'Gegengerade' (literally, the 'straight opposite [the main stand]'), which combines the terrace experience with a side-on view.

I've posted a collection of further Stadion An der Alten Försterei photos here.

There are plans in the offing to add an upper tier above the three terraces, thus taking the capacity up from c. 22,000 to - depending on which version of the plans you read - 37-42,000. These plans, however, were first announced back in 2017 and as I write this in September 2024 work has yet to begin. One factor in the delay has been problems with devising an adequate matchday travel plan for getting the larger crowds to and from the ground. The expansion of Köpenick S-Bahn station into a regional mainline station should go a long way to solving that issue. But the work on the station is not scheduled for completion until 2028...

Getting there from the city centre
The S3 S-Bahn runs from the city centre to Erkner, passing through Köpenick. From Köpenick S-Bahn station it's then a 10-minute walk at most to the ground. You can pick up the S3 from numerous central stations, including Zoologischer Garten, Hauptbahnhof, Friedrichstrasse, Alexanderplatz, Ostbahnhof and Ostkreuz. From Alexanderplatz, for instance, the journey takes 23 minutes.

For other travel options, see my Union Berlin Travel page. Note that unlike at some German clubs, Union match tickets do NOT double as tickets for local public transport.

Depending on the length of your planned stay in Berlin/Germany, it might be worth you getting a Deutschlandticket for unlimited use of local and regional public transport throughout the country. Otherwise, if you're planning on doing some sightseeing as well as going to the game, a Berlin Welcome Card could be a good option. It gives you unlimited local travel and discounts on entry to many Berlin sights.

For getting to the stadium straight from the airport, see my Berlin BER Airport page.