The water of the Eisbach churns and foams, but it’s not enough. The surfers are waiting, and they have been for weeks. The iconic Eisbach wave, a symbol of Munich’s unique urban culture, has vanished. For months, joint efforts by the city and the surfing community to revive the wave have failed. Since February 11th, the city of Munich has banned surfing on the Eisbach wave. In response, many surfers demonstrated yesterday, Sunday, with placards, whistles, and boos.
The Blame Game: Bureaucracy vs. Freedom
People stood on tree roots along the banks of the stream, sat on the river’s edge, and gathered on the sidewalk in front of the Eisbach bridge. The exact number of attendees was hard to estimate, but the passion was palpable. They held up signs with defiant slogans: “Surfing is not dangerous, but the fear of freedom is” or “Bureaucracy surfs here.” One poster featured photos of the three mayoral candidates: Dieter Reiter (SPD), Clemens Baumgärtner (CSU), and Dominik Krause (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen), with the caption: “Posing is not enough. Wave instead of election campaign.”
Most blame politics for the wave’s dysfunction. “It’s one step forward and two steps back,” says Conni Grundmann, who registered the demonstration. She has been surfing the wave for 30 years and is deeply disappointed. “Politics is using the wave as an election campaign program,” she loudly proclaimed into a microphone, met with boos from the crowd. She added another powerful statement: “It’s only about one thing: we want to keep this piece of freedom.” The crowd applauded.
A Melting Pot of Free Spirits
Tanja Thaler, 49, confirms the magic of this place. She has been surfing the Eisbach wave since 2001 and cherishes this athletic meeting point. “Everyone comes here, whether doctors, students, or artists – it’s a melting pot of free spirits.” She believes this spirit must be restored. Lino, 28, who came to the demo with his girlfriend Luise, agrees. He was able to surf for a year, made friends, and now nothing works. “It hurts,” he says. But aside from surfing, he believes it’s a tragedy for the city and Munich’s culture that the wave is no longer surfable.
Brigitte Düwel, 63, is not a surfer, but she quickly made a poster. “Let my boys surf again,” it reads. She has four sons, three of whom regularly surf here. “Quickly before work, or during lunch break,” she says. She simply wishes for her sons that things return to how they were before: that the city tolerates surfers, with self-responsibility.
A father stands with his young daughter on the Eisbach bridge, looking into the bubbling water. “Why isn’t anyone surfing?” the child asks. He explains it to her, expertly. The girl probably didn’t fully grasp the explanation, but she finds the “river really beautiful.” A group of Spaniards are disappointed that no one is surfing. Especially now that they are in Munich. They “came especially” to watch the surfers. But they understand why the surfers are demonstrating. “The wave must return,” one of them says.
The Magic Word: Ramp and Self-Responsibility
When asked what needs to be done, the surfers almost unanimously utter the magic word: ramp. “For 30 years, surfers have used ramps,” says Conni Grundmann. And everything worked. “All we want is to install a ramp. Then the wave will be more consistent and safer.” Self-responsibility is the other key phrase. Everyone should be able to surf, but everyone is also responsible for themselves, says Valeska Schneider, 34. And it’s important to know: the Eisbach wave is like a black diamond ski slope, only for experienced surfers.
A few weeks ago, Aljoscha Lubos (FDP) offered to act as an investor for the city of Munich. He wants to be a liable tenant to “maintain and secure the Eisbach wave in the long term,” he says. The managing director of Dr. Lubos Clinics in Munich believes that a ramp can only be installed if there is a “civil operating company.” The surfers at the demonstration want nothing to do with this. “We don’t want an operator,” says Conni Grundmann. No one should profit from the Eisbach wave. “Because then all the magic of this place will be gone.”
Source: https://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/muenchen-eisbachwelle-demonstration-surfer-li.3392889
