Overview
- Early Sunday, Munich’s fire department, accompanied by police and using a crane, dismantled all fixtures from the Eisbach and returned the stream to its wave‑less state.
- The wooden ramp had been covertly installed by unknown activists over Christmas to briefly restore the famous standing wave that has been absent since October.
- Authorities say the unapproved, wave‑forming structures were illegal and potentially life‑threatening, and they point to fines of up to €50,000 for unauthorized installations.
- Surf organizations condemned the removal, halted their city‑approved trial over permit demands they call unworkable—liability, full costs, on‑call duties and high‑level technical proofs—and now urge the city council to act.
- The technical reason the wave no longer forms after the October bed cleaning remains unresolved, no new restoration plan is in place, and Munich’s deputy mayor has called the situation unsatisfactory.