JournalSURFING THE EISBACH RIVER

SURFING THE EISBACH RIVER

Recently, we’ve been to Munich to surf at the Eisbach with the local surf community. A special and very known spot for Europe’s surfers.

History:

The Eisbach is a 2 km long side arm of the Isar river, located in Munich - in the south of Germany. It flows through a city park called the “Englischer Garten” (engl. “English Garden”) and is an artificial river known for its famous surf spot which is close to the “Haus der Kunst” (engl. House of Arts”), an art museum. Initially, it was not the city’s intention to create an artificial wave in the Eisbach. To slow down the strong current, they placed concrete blocks in he river, which then formed today’s famous “Eisbachwelle”. However, the popular wave has not been as famous all along. For the first time in 1972 a group of enthusiastic surfers conquered it, while it was still illegal to do so. Only in 2010, the municipality gave the official permission to surf the Eisbachwelle. Before, they even considered to remove the concrete blocks and shut down the local surf spot as it can be seen as a danger. After some local surfers started a petition against the examination of the wave, it successfully remained and even got “stabilised” to not be as weather and water level dependent as before. The famous spot at the Haus der Kunst however requires advanced surfing skills, as the current is very strong even though it’s only 40cm deep. Next to that the entrance has to be done by jumping on the wave from the side banks of the river. For beginners and intermediate, there is easier spots as well, since in Munich there are three more natural spots to surf.

Community:

Today, the wave is still dominated by mostly local surfers. But also kayakers, kneeboarders and bodyboarders are frequently seen at the Eisbachwelle. As in all other surf spots around the world, there is a large local engagement in Munich. This community has welcomed our team with great enthusiasm, sharing the same passion for surfing in a different environment.

Alternative Surfing Spots:

As Munich is an inland city, it of course has no sea around. Therefore, they do have a wave pool, O2 Surftown. It is a nice artificial alternative to real surfing out there.