FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — City workers in Munich removed a beam installed over Christmas to revive a popular surfing wave in the Eisbach river on Sunday, escalating a debate over restoring the landmark attraction.
Restoring the Eisbach Wave
For years, the Eisbach river’s meter-high (three foot-high) wave was a draw for surfers and spectators. The wave disappeared in October after the city cleared sediment, gravel, and debris from the riverbed, prompting discussions on its restoration.
Surfers took matters into their own hands, deploying the beam across the riverbed on Christmas Day and surfing the resulting wave in wetsuits. A banner on a nearby bridge read, “Just Watch. Merry Christmas!”
The city disapproved. The fire department removed the improvised structure and the wave early Sunday morning, according to the dpa news agency.
Authorities have urged patience and are seeking advice from an engineering professor at the Munich University of Applied Sciences on potential solutions.
Safety Concerns and Stalled Progress
Safety concerns were heightened in May when a 33-year-old surfer died after becoming trapped underwater by her leash. The city’s climate and environment department stated Sunday that the beam was “illegal and potentially dangerous,” and that impermissible structures at the Eisbach wave would not be tolerated following the accident.
The Munich surfing association said Thursday on its website that the city was imposing too many conditions, causing the restoration process to “stall.”
The association stated the city is adding “ever more conditions and added demands,” including requiring indemnification for risks during a test period and an engineering certificate verifying the adjacent bridge’s structural integrity for the wave device’s fastenings.
The association warns the site “is not a wave for beginners” and highlights the danger of concrete blocks placed behind the wave to break the current, stating that inexperienced surfers could be seriously injured if forced against them.
Rules for use include being a fit, experienced surfer and using a breakaway leash.
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