Viktoria Koln

FC Viktoria Koln is a German association football club from the city of Cologne in North Rhine-Westphalia, that competes in the 3. Liga.

History

Founded in 1904 as FC Germania Kalk it is one of the oldest football clubs in the city. In 1909 Germania merged with FC Kalk to form SV Kalk 04 and in 1911 this club was, in turn, united with Mulheimer FC to create VfR Mulheim-Kalk 04. The club was renamed VfR Koln 04 in 1918 and, in 1926, won its first Western German football championship and entry to national championship play.

After the re-organization of German football in 1933 under the Third Reich into sixteen top flight divisions, VfR played in the Gauliga Mittelrhein taking titles there in 1935 and 1937 but then performed poorly at the national level. In 1941 The Gauliga Mittelrhein was split into the Gauliga Moselland and Gauliga Koln-Aachen, with VfR playing in the latter division. Two years later the club joined Mulheimer SV to play as the combined wartime side (Kriegsspielgemeinschaft) KSG VfR 04 Koln/Mulheimer SV 06. Mulheim had also played in the Gauliga Mittelrhein since 1933 claiming titles of its own in 1934 and 1940, and had similarly poor results at the national level. Play in the Gauliga Koln-Aachen was suspended in the 1944–45 season as Allied armies advanced into Germany at the end of World War II.

After the war VfR Koln resumed playing first division football in the Oberliga West, but lasted only a single season before being relegated. In 1949 the team merged with its wartime partner Mulheimer SV to become SC Rapid Koln 04 and played in the 2. Oberliga West (II) until falling to third tier football after 1952. Rapid joined local rivals SC Preusen Dellbruck forming SC Viktoria 04 Koln in 1957. Of these sides, Preusen Dellbruck was most successful, advancing to the semi-finals of the national championships in 1950 before going out against This page also has a version in other languages :  Виктория 1904 (russian)