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Photo: Usien, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Eisbach is an artificial side-channel of the Isar, culverted beneath Altstadt but emerging at the bridge on Prinzregentenstraße, south edge of English Garden. Here it drops over a 1 m weir to form a standing wave, surfable whenever there's a good flow of water. Late winter into early summer is best, as its parent river cascades down from Alpine snows and the "ice stream" earns its name. Surfers queue up on the banks - there's only room for one at a time, and as it's a standing wave you can surf as long as you can stay upright. After half a minute it's etiquette to attempt a move beyond your skill level, wipe out and be borne by the current to the back of the queue. It's considered an expert surf, and beginners should hone their skills 500 m northeast downstream at Dianabadschwelle, where the wider stream makes for a gentler wave shared with kayakers. They might also try the Floßlände wave in Obersending south side of Munich. The main Isar is occasionally surfable at Wittelsbacherbrücke just south of Altstadt, but only in spate with all sorts of unpleasant or hazardous stuff racing down the brown torrent.
River surfing is the sport of surfing either standing waves, tidal bores or upstream waves in rivers. Claims for its origins include a 1955 ride of 2.4 km (1.5 mi) along the tidal bore of the River Severn.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Chinesischer Turm
This 25 m high pagoda was constructed with the original park in 1790, and rebuilt after World War II in 1952. It has a beer garden, with a Bavarian oompah band performing at weekends from the second floor. It can feel touristy, and horse-drawn carriage and rickshaw tours through the garden start here - see below for the Kocherlball in summer and the Christmas Market. Until the end of 2022, the tower is scaffolded for re-roofing; the beer garden remains open. The tower is 1 km from the U-Bahn at Universität, but Bus 54 runs past it from Münchner Freiheit and Ostbahnhof S- and U-Bahn stations.
In the late 19th century the population of Schwabing grew rapidly, so they built this Roman Catholic church, consecrated in 1897. It's a neo-Renaissance brick building with campanile, and faces north (not the standard east) because of its position at the end of Friedrichstraße.
This was the original parish church of Schwabing, first documented in 1315, until supplanted by St Ursula's. A neo-baroque "new church" extension was added in 1925.
Northern Cemetery
In mid-19th century the city's only cemetery was the Southern in Ludwigvorstadt. It was getting full so a north cemetery was opened in 1868 in Maxvorstadt - and was obviously too small for the burgeoning city. A further north cemetery was created here in 1884. Among the 34,000 interred are singer-actor "Jopi" Heesters, Ernst Mach who gives his name to a measure of supersonic speed, and Oswald Spengler who predicted the collapse of Western civilisation from 2000 AD. It has an impressive funeral chapel and morgue, which figure in Thomas Mann's novel Death in Venice. The "grove of honour" holds 2099 victims of the World War II Allied air raids.
Olympic Tower
This 291 m tower was built in 1968 and looks it: the centrepiece for the 1972 Olympic complex. The revolving restaurant (see below) is at 182 m and the observation deck is at 190 m. Until 2021 it housed a rock and roll museum but this has closed. No reservations for the lift, but advised for the restaurant. There's special midnight opening on New Year's Eve.
Extensive museum displaying the evolution of motoring technology, from the earliest days to future concepts.