It was founded in Berlin in 1888 as the Deutsche Nationale Eislauf-Verband, before being renamed the Deutscher Eislaufverband in 1897. In the early days, the skating federations of Austria and the Netherlands were also members. After World War II, the association was dissolved and replaced by two successor organizations, the Deutsche Eis- und Rollsport Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DERAG) and the Deutsche Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Eissport (DAGE). In Mannheim in 1949, the Deutsche Eissport-Verband was founded in place of the old union to serve as West Germany's ice sports governing body. East Germany's counterpart, the Deutsche Eislauf-Verband der DDR was founded in 1954.