Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Debate over how to revive surfing at German landmark English Tensions in the garden escalated Sunday after city workers removed a beam that had been secretly deployed over Christmas to restore surfable waves in the river that flows through the park.
The spot has been a hotspot for surfers and spectators for many years due to the strong currents of the Eisbach River that generate one-meter (three-foot-tall) waves. But the waves disappeared in October after city crews cleared away sediment, gravel and debris that had accumulated on the riverbed. That sparked discussions between the city and surfers about how to restore the waves.
The authorities are clearly not moving fast enough to meet the needs of at least some surfers. On Christmas Day, beams were placed in the river bed by unknown persons who wore wetsuits to enjoy a few days of holiday surfing. A banner on a nearby bridge read in English: “Attention please. Merry Christmas!”
Surfers may be excited, but the city is not. The fire department took action early Sunday morning and the temporary structures and waves disappeared, dpa news agency reported.
The city urges patience and asks an engineering professor Munich Universities of Applied Sciences provide advice on possible solutions.
Safety concerns were highlighted in May when a 33-year-old surfer died after her board became trapped underwater and she was unable to free herself from the leash attached to her body.
The Munich Surfing Association complained on its website Thursday that the city had imposed too many conditions on efforts to restore waves and that the process had “come to a standstill.”