Surf in Munich

An amazing surf spot in the city center

Yes surfing in Munich! It was on this cold December day, I did not expect at all to come across a surf spot right in the city center of Munich. I was walking by the English garden, saw some people gathering to one place, then I discovered this place. Located on the Eisbach (Ice River), the one meter artificial wave was created in 1972 by surf adept on this tributary of the river Isar. It is technically forbidden to swim there but the authorities of the city tolerate it for the high skilled surfer and since 2012 it is legal to surf there.

Eisbachwelle

The Eisbachwelle, or the ice break wave and its surfer offers an incredible scene, moreover all passing people stops and lose the notion of time, as I spent more than half an hour to watch these Surfers defying the cold and standing up to this wave that undulates to infinity. The scene is worth a visit, if you pass by the Haus der kunst or the Englischer Garten stop there, you will be surprised by the frame as well as the noise of this powerful wave deferring in the middle Of the Bavarian capital.

False informations about the Munich wave

This wave is artificial and unnatural as some tour guides or travel agency such as easy travel says that it’s a natural one. Also it is deplorable to see some information on the net as of course on RTL (French news website) where they advertise for O’Neill and says that it is the brand who made it possible to surf in Munich (900 km away from the first surf spot worthy of the name.) So, no gentlemen !  They surf since 1972 and it is not the brand Which allowed this, but good a little ad on RTL to disinform it always helps. Anyway, apparently the story was bought…

European Surf Championship on artificial wave

In August 2012, Munich hosted the second European Surf Championship on an artificial outdoor wave, built next to the city’s airport. It was part of a three-week Surf and Style event that was sponsored by Lufthansa and had the full support of local authorities – away from the early days of surfing on the river. The sport began in the 1970s, with a small group attaching towing cables to the bridge that crosses the Eisbach near the southern edge of the Englischer Garten Park. They held the ropes, tried to stand on door-shaped planks, and tried to imitate the ocean surfers they had seen abroad.