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Bayern Munich ultra group Schickeria has received the prestigious Julius Hirsch Award for bringing the club's former president Kurt Landauer back into the spotlight. Landauer was one of the most influential figures at Bayern in the first decades of the 1900s and was three-time president at the club. But between his second and third stint he was forced out of office and imprisoned in the Dachau concentration camp by Nazis because of his Jewish descent. He survived the horrors of the regime when he was allowed to leave Germany for Switzerland and was welcomed back home by Bayern in the late-1940s. Landauer eventually had to step down as president in 1951 and following his death 10 years later, his legacy was forgotten for some time. However, his memory was later revived in the last decade by Schickeria, who established the Kurt Landauer Cup and has since held Landauer -- who was named Bayern honorary president in 2013 -- in high esteem, commemorating him with banners inside the Allianz Arena and at lectures. This has been one of the main factors behind the Landauer renaissance at the club, which has led to a TV film being produced on his post-war years at Bayern, which will be aired on Wednesday. On Tuesday, the German Football Association (DFB) awarded the prestigious Julius Hirsch Award to Schickeria for its work. The award was introduced in 2005 in commemoration of the Jewish Germany international Julius Hirsch, who died at the Auschwitz concentration camp. It is awarded to clubs, organisations and people who campaign against exclusion, xenophobia, racism and anti-Semitism. By bringing Landauer back into the public eye, "Schickeria has laid down a clear marker against all types of discrimination," DFB president Wolfgang Niersbach said during the awards ceremony. Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge added: "The commitment against all forms of discrimination and anti-Semitism is deeply rooted in the history of FC Bayern. I'm glad our fans have earned this acknowledgement. The creative choreography and actions of Schickeria are a shining example of that. The Julius Hirsch Award represents deserved recognition." Rummenigge also noted that during his time as a Bayern player he had never heard Landauer mentioned once. "I joined FC Bayern in 1974 and played there for 10 years, but never once did I hear the name Kurt Landauer," he said. "Thank God this has changed. Landauer's significance today is the highest merit of Schickeria."
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