Braunschweig’s current supporter culture was not built around regular Bundesliga football or European away days. Much of its identity developed through long periods in the second and third tiers, where the division changed more often than the routines of the active scene. Home matches in the Südkurve, organised away travel and the preparation of banners and choreographies remained central regardless of the opponent. Today, Cattiva Brunsviga stands at the heart of the organised support in Block 7, alongside the wider structure known as Ultrà-Szene - BTSV Eintracht 1895.
Eintracht Braunschweig was founded in 1895 and won the German championship in 1967, but the club’s sporting history is only part of the story behind its terraces. The modern fan scene was shaped just as strongly by relegations, financial uncertainty and promotion campaigns far away from the national spotlight. Blue and yellow remained visible across Germany even when Eintracht was playing outside the Bundesliga, and that consistency became one of the defining features of the support.
The Early Ultras Scene and the Rise of Cattiva Brunsviga
Organised fan culture existed in Braunschweig long before the arrival of the ultras movement. Traditional fan clubs, large flags and a strong away following were already part of matchdays during the 1980s and 1990s, while hooligan groups also occupied a visible place within the wider scene. As ultras culture spread across Germany around the turn of the century, younger supporters began developing a more structured approach based on capos, continuous chanting, choreographies and independent organisation.
Ultras Braunschweig 2001, commonly known as UB01, became one of the first major groups associated with this new generation. Cattiva Brunsviga followed in 2004 and gradually established its own position inside the Südkurve. The two groups later became involved in a deep internal conflict that included disagreements over the direction of the scene, political identity and relationships with other parts of the fanbase.
The dispute escalated during the early 2010s and became one of the most controversial episodes in modern Braunschweig fan history. Public accounts differ considerably depending on whether they come from UB01, Cattiva, other supporter organisations or outside observers. Physical confrontations and stadium restrictions followed, while UB01 eventually disappeared from the organised core of the stadium. Rather than presenting one side’s version as the complete truth, it is more accurate to recognise the episode as a major rupture that reshaped the scene.
Cattiva Brunsviga subsequently developed into the most recognisable ultras group at Eintracht. Its members lead chants, prepare visual displays, organise collections and take public positions on issues affecting football supporters. The name Ultrà-Szene - BTSV Eintracht 1895 is also used when the active groups and supporters act collectively, allowing the wider scene to present joint decisions without suggesting that every participant belongs to Cattiva.
This distinction is important. Cattiva is the central group, but the Südkurve includes other organised supporters, traditional fan clubs and people with no formal group membership. The atmosphere is prepared by a relatively small active core, yet it only works properly when the rest of the terrace participates.
From Block 9 to Block 7
For many years, the organised scene stood in Block 9 of the Südkurve. The location dated back to the reconstruction of the stand in 1995, when active supporters were moved away from their previous position in the areas now known as Blocks 10 and 11. Block 9 was close to their former location, but it was positioned towards the side rather than directly behind the goal.
As the ultras scene developed, the limitations became increasingly clear. Chants beginning in Block 9 did not always reach the opposite side of the Südkurve at the same moment, while the capos, drums and largest flags remained separated from the natural centre of the stand. The active scene therefore proposed moving to Block 7, located directly behind the goal.
The plan was not introduced without discussion. More than 500 supporters attended a public information meeting in 2019, where the club, active scene and existing Block 7 season-ticket holders discussed the proposal. Some welcomed the possibility of stronger support, while others were concerned about overcrowding, restricted views and the effect of large flags on people who had occupied the block for years.
A planned trial was delayed by the pandemic and finally took place during the closing home matches of the 2021/22 season. The club concluded that chants spread more effectively from the central position and that participation across the Südkurve had improved. The move was approved permanently in June 2022, making Block 7 the recognised centre of organised support.
The relocation did not remove every disagreement. Large flags and two-pole banners can obstruct the view, while supporters differ over whether chanting should continue constantly or follow events on the pitch more closely. These tensions are normal inside a large terrace and show why the Südkurve cannot simply be described as a single unified group.
Cattiva and the capos provide direction from the centre, but they cannot control every part of the stand. The strongest moments arrive when chants spread naturally from Block 7 into the surrounding sections and the entire Südkurve becomes involved. The move created better conditions for that to happen without pretending that every supporter shares the same understanding of terrace culture.
 |
| Photo: cattiva-brunsviga.de |
Choreographies and Visual Identity
The visual identity of the Braunschweig scene is built around the club’s blue and yellow colours. Large waving flags, fence banners, scarves and two-pole flags form the regular appearance of Block 7, while full choreographies are normally prepared for derbies, anniversaries and other important fixtures. The designs frequently refer to Braunschweig, the lion, the club’s traditional symbols or moments that hold particular meaning within the fan scene.
Choreographies are financed through donations, merchandise and collections organised by the supporters themselves. Members gather money across the Südkurve and other parts of the stadium before selected matches, with the funds reserved for future displays. This financial independence allows the scene to decide on its own designs and messages without turning the terrace into an extension of the club’s marketing department. The work behind a display begins long before the stadium opens. Fabric must be purchased and painted, cards and flags prepared, while the material must be distributed correctly across the stand. What appears for only a few minutes before kick-off may require weeks of voluntary work carried out away from public view.
Pyrotechnics have also appeared during derbies, promotion matches and selected away fixtures. Their use is prohibited and can result in investigations, stadium bans and fines for the club. Within the active scene, however, pyrotechnics are viewed as part of a broader visual culture rather than an isolated act intended only to delay a match. As in other German fan scenes, the issue remains contested. Football authorities and police emphasise safety and stadium regulations, while ultras argue that blanket prohibition has not removed pyrotechnics from the terraces. Cattiva’s public positions place the subject within a wider debate about supporter rights, repression and the way football institutions respond to active fan culture.
Away Support and Fan Politics
Away travel remains one of the clearest measures of commitment within the Braunschweig scene. Eintracht’s movement between divisions has taken its supporters to major Bundesliga stadiums, traditional second-tier grounds and smaller venues across the 3. Liga. The attraction of the destination may change, but the expectation within the organised scene remains the same: the club should have an active blue-and-yellow section wherever it plays. Cattiva and the wider scene attempt to position capos, flags and the most vocal supporters in the same part of the guest block. This gives the away support a clear centre and prevents active groups from being scattered across different sections. Buses, trains and meeting points are organised around individual fixtures, while information about police restrictions and permitted materials is distributed before departure.
The defence of the guest sector is also a political issue. Reduced allocations, personalised tickets, restrictions on flags and preventative measures against travelling supporters are viewed as attempts to weaken independent fan organisation. Cattiva has repeatedly published or supported statements concerning stadium bans, policing, commercialisation and the treatment of away fans. The group also supports the preservation of standing areas and the 50+1 rule. For the ultras, these issues are connected because they determine who controls German football and whether match-going supporters retain a meaningful place within it. A terrace may be visually important to clubs and broadcasters, but organised fans reject the idea that their only role is to provide colour and noise while decisions are made without them.
Protest can take different forms. Banners and public statements are the most common, but the scene may also suspend organised chanting or boycott a fixture when it believes normal support would weaken its message. The most striking example of this approach came not against an ordinary opponent, but during the fixture that matters most to Braunschweig.
Friendships with Basel, Magdeburg and Sampdoria
The original claim that Braunschweig has few meaningful friendships does not reflect the current scene. Several visible relationships exist, although they belong primarily to particular groups and personal networks rather than automatically including every supporter of the clubs involved. One of the most recognisable international connections is with supporters of FC Basel. Basel groups have repeatedly visited Braunschweig and participated in events organised by Cattiva, while Braunschweig supporters have maintained contacts in Switzerland. The relationship is visible not only during football matches but also through social gatherings and charitable activities.
A strong German connection exists with supporters of 1. FC Magdeburg. Teams representing friendly Magdeburg fans have taken part in Cattiva’s annual indoor tournament, and the relationship is acknowledged within the wider Braunschweig fan environment. Matches between Eintracht and Magdeburg can still produce competitive and vocal terraces, but they should not be described as a major rivalry. Contacts with Sampdoria have also become increasingly visible. A team involving Sampdoria ultras participated alongside Basel supporters in the 2025 edition of Cattiva’s charity tournament. This provides clear evidence of an organised relationship, although it is safer to describe it as a friendship or close contact involving specific groups rather than an official bond between the complete fanbases. The importance of these relationships lies in repeated contact rather than symbolic declarations. Supporters travel to one another’s cities, attend events and maintain connections outside the fixture calendar. They are part of the social structure of the ultras movement, but their strength can differ between generations and individual groups.
 |
| Photo: cattiva-brunsviga.de |
Hannover 96 and the Niedersachsen Derby
No opponent carries the same meaning for Braunschweig as Hannover 96. The Niedersachsen Derby is not simply the most important fixture on the calendar but the rivalry through which much of the scene defines itself. The relationship combines football, regional identity and the historic competition between the two cities. For the organised supporters, derby preparations begin long before matchday. Choreographies and banners are developed in secrecy, while the positioning of active supporters and the distribution of materials receive far more attention than during an ordinary league fixture. Songs and messages become more direct, and the performance of the opposing terrace is followed almost as closely as the match itself.
The hostility does not depend on the position of either club. Hannover remains the defining rival whether the teams are fighting for promotion, avoiding relegation or competing in different divisions. For many supporters, winning the derby can change the mood around an entire season, while defeat remains difficult to escape because followers of both clubs live and work throughout the same region. Security policy has increasingly affected the fixture. Authorities have discussed or introduced reduced guest allocations, restrictions on fan material and extensive police measures following earlier disorder. Both fan scenes argue that such measures remove an essential part of the derby and punish thousands of supporters collectively.
This conflict produced an unusual act of solidarity in October 2024. The allocation for Hannover supporters in Braunschweig was reduced by 40 per cent, while flags, choreographies and other materials were restricted. Hannover’s organised scene boycotted the match, and the Braunschweig ultras responded by suspending their own organised support. Standing silently during the biggest rivalry was a significant decision. It did not weaken the hostility between the scenes, but it showed that both considered the defence of away culture more important than gaining a temporary advantage from the absence of the rival’s support. The action demonstrated how ultras groups can remain enemies while cooperating against measures they believe threaten the culture of the terraces as a whole.
Wolfsburg and the Rivalry Hierarchy
VfL Wolfsburg occupies a secondary position in Braunschweig’s rivalry hierarchy. Geographic proximity and the contrast between the clubs create obvious tension, particularly because Wolfsburg’s rise is closely associated with Volkswagen and a corporate structure that many traditional fan scenes reject. Banners and chants frequently emphasise the difference between Eintracht’s historic identity and Wolfsburg’s modern development. Matches can therefore carry additional hostility, especially when the clubs compete in the same division. However, the fixture does not possess the history or everyday emotional significance of the Hannover derby. This distinction should remain clear. Hannover is the main and defining rival, while Wolfsburg is a disliked regional opponent whose football model also attracts ideological criticism. There is no need to create a long list of supposed rivalries simply because Braunschweig has played heated matches against other traditional clubs.
The Jannesturnier and Work Beyond Matchday
Cattiva’s most important activity away from the stadium is the annual charity tournament commonly known as the Jannesturnier. The event brings together fan teams in Braunschweig’s Alte Waage sports hall, combining an indoor football tournament with fundraising, auctions and social activities. The tournament is named after Jannes Müller, Cattiva’s sponsored child, who has received long-term support from the group. Money is also distributed to other children, social organisations and projects in the Braunschweig area. The event shows how the organisational structures of an ultras group can be used for something far removed from chanting or choreographies.
The 2025 edition involved 22 fan teams, including groups connected to Basel and Sampdoria. It raised a record total of €47,395, which was distributed among Jannes, local children, a children’s home, a support bus, visually impaired match commentators and other charitable projects. The tournament has become an annual meeting point for the wider Eintracht fan community. Younger supporters, families, ultras and friendly groups from other cities share the same space without the restrictions and tension of a normal matchday. It also gives Cattiva a way to connect its terrace identity with practical work inside the city.
This side of the scene is often overlooked when ultras are discussed only through pyrotechnics, confrontations or police reports. The same people who prepare banners and organise away travel also collect donations, arrange tournaments and maintain long-term support for individuals and institutions. In Braunschweig, the Jannesturnier has become one of the clearest examples of that connection.
The Braunschweig Scene Today
The centre of the present scene is easy to locate. It stands behind the goal in Block 7, where Cattiva Brunsviga and the wider Ultrà-Szene - BTSV Eintracht 1895 organise the visual and vocal support. The move from Block 9 gave the ultras a stronger central position, but the atmosphere still depends on the response of the surrounding Südkurve.
The scene’s history has included serious internal conflict, changing groups and periods in which questions away from football became impossible to ignore. UB01 belongs to that history, but it should not be presented as one of the groups currently leading the terrace. Cattiva has become the main point of continuity, while the wider active scene remains larger and more varied than a single group. Its external relationships are now clearer as well. Basel and Magdeburg are established connections, while contacts with Sampdoria are visible through shared events. Hannover remains the opponent that defines the scene, with Wolfsburg occupying a distant second place as a regional and ideological rival.
Braunschweig’s fan culture is best understood through what happens repeatedly rather than through grand claims about loyalty. It is found in Block 7 on an ordinary league weekend, in the organisation of an away section, in the silence of a derby protest and in the work required to raise almost €50,000 at the Jannesturnier. Those are the parts of the scene that continue regardless of the division in which Eintracht happens to be playing.