Munich's surfers celebrated on Friday as the German city officially gave them the green light to again ride a river wave after a stormy year for the attraction. The Eisbach wave on a side branch of the Isar River has been drawing surfers since the 1980s, and is a landmark in the Bavarian city.
But, after the death of an experienced surfer riding the wave at night in April last year, it was closed for two months. Then, the wave vanished in October after an annual cleanup on the riverbed.
It reappeared naturally several weeks ago and some surfers had already dared to ride it illegally, as authorities had still not formally given permission. On Friday however Dominik Krause, Munich's new Greens party mayor elected in March, said the wave was being re-opened, although with several conditions. The attraction "is part of Munich's way of life," he said in a statement.
When the wave disappeared, angry surfers staged demonstrations and tried to recreate the attraction by placing a beam in the water, which was removed by authorities.
I am glad that surfing on the Eisbach is finally possible again," declared new mayor Dominik Krause (Greens). Nature had played along, and the wave was back. Surfing on the Eisbach is "part of Munich's way of life," he added.
"We are happy, relieved and deeply grateful to see this place come back to life," the Munich Surf Club said on Instagram. "But no one should claim this moment as their own," it added, stressing that the wave had returned naturally, and not thanks to "politicians".
Munich authorities have tightened rules in a bid to ensure surfing on the river is safe. These include no surfing after 10:00 pm, and mandatory use of a system that allows the cord connecting the surfer to the board to be detached in case of emergencies.
This works because the existing subheaders already cover the backstory, the illegal rides, and the community reaction, so this new block sits naturally between the mayor's reopening announcement and the surf club's response, without repeating details already in the article.
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