The wave itself
A standing wave surfers ride in turns, running all year round.
Harald Süpfle — CC BY-SA 2.5 · Jakub Hałun — CC BY 4.0 · Flocci Nivis — CC BY 4.0 · Rufus46 — CC BY-SA 3.0
In the middle of Munich, on a small watercourse at the entrance to the English Garden, there is a permanent wave that surfers ride all year round. The sight is thoroughly odd: an inland city nowhere near the sea, with people on boards in the middle of it. The wave is not entirely natural. It forms because water runs fast over a ledge beneath the bridge and rebounds, holding a standing wave in place. The phenomenon has been known since the 1970s and has become part of the city's identity. Riding it is for experienced surfers only: the current is strong, the water is very cold even in summer and the bed is concrete. Do not go in unless you know what you are doing — the warning signs are clear. Watching is free and possible at any hour, from the bridge or the bank. People stop here for a few minutes to look, and it makes one of the most distinctive pictures in Munich.
A standing wave surfers ride in turns, running all year round.
The park begins right here — one of the largest urban parks in Europe.
Prinzregentenstraße, at the entrance to the English Garden, 80538 München
Haus der KunstThe "House of Art" is a vast exhibition hall at the edge of the English Garden, 2 minutes walk4.3
Archaeological State CollectionThe Bavarian Archaeological State Collection sits at the southern tip of the Eng3 minutes walk4.5
Bavarian National MuseumThe Bavarian National Museum shows applied art and the history of craft in Bavar3 minutes walk4.5
The Schack CollectionThe Schack Collection is a small, quiet museum of nineteenth-century German pain5 minutes walk4.6
The Diana TempleAn octagonal stone pavilion at the centre of Munich's Hofgarten, built in 1615 a8 minutes walk4.8Only if you are an experienced surfer. The current is strong, the water is very cold year round and the bed is hard concrete, so injuries happen. Beginners should not go in, and the signs say so plainly.
Any time — the wave runs all year in all weather. Afternoons and weekends have more surfers. Winter gives the strangest sight: surfers in the water with snow around them.