From the street to the park
Most skate parks in Munich are so-called street facilities. They are intended to depict the urban street space. That sounds a bit awkward, but in concrete terms it means that what you otherwise encounter out on the street is imitated in the skate park with the help of obstacles, for example walls, stairs, railings or ramps – at least that’s how it should be.
The Munich skate parks are planned in cooperation with representatives of the skate scene, especially since the 2000s. Before that, many precast facilities were built with the same obstacles: simple ramps, pyramids, sometimes there was also a rail, a rail on which tricks were performed.
Although these old parks get a lot of traffic, they can’t compete with the more modern facilities. It is sufficient for skating, but there is a lack of variety. In addition to the dozens of precast facilities, there are other skate parks worth mentioning. A selection.
For beginners and advanced
The skate park at the celebration.
(Photo: Julian Thamm)
A lot was done right during the construction of the skate park at the Feierwerk. The facility is characterized by its varied elements: there are ramps, steps, banisters, a wooden mini ramp and even a quarter pipe on the Platzl. And all of that in the middle of the city. It is one of the first facilities that was developed in cooperation with the Munich skate scene – and you can tell. The individual elements are well coordinated.
The park goes back to the cultural organizer Feierwerk and was planned and built in 2010 in cooperation with the Munich social department and the local skate scene. The same organizers also give skate courses every year during the school holidays.
Variety at the Wacker
The Wacker skate park in Sendling.
(Photo: Julian Thamm)
If you ask the skaters in Munich for the best parks, there is often only one word: “Wacker”. What is meant is the Wackerplatz on Neuhofener Berg in Sendling. Here, too, there is a large variety of elements – whether ramps, benches, railings or steps. There is even a small bowl in the back part of the park, a pool for skating. The variety is fun and is certainly one of the main reasons for the park’s popularity. But that was not always so.
In 2014, the city council decided that seven skate parks should be renovated. Including the Wackerplatz, the facility was simply too old. There is nothing left of the uneven ground and worn elements of the past.
The park isn’t the biggest at around 500 square meters and since many young skaters use the sunny afternoons to polish up their tricks on the board, it quickly gets full at the Wackerplatz. So: If possible, avoid rush hours.
Olympic experience
The skate park in the Olympic Park.
(Photo: Julian Thamm)
At the 2021 Olympics, skateboarding was a competitive discipline for the first time in history. So it’s perfect that one of the best street facilities is right next to the Olympiazentrum underground station. The city council also decided on the renovation in 2014, and it was implemented two years ago. The city got support from the local skate scene and invested around 250,000 euros. There is no trace of the old park with cracked ground. Instead, there are modern street elements on the almost 450 square meters.
But be careful: this park is also very busy during the usual peak times, such as on sunny afternoons. Not every skater can always practice his tricks at the same time. Only patience helps – but there is enough to see.
Roll effortlessly
The park in Freiham is the latest addition to the Munich skate park list.
(Photo: Julian Thamm)
In Freiham they skate on a dark gray floor and with modern obstacles. The facility was set up in autumn 2019. And here, too, representatives of the scene were involved in the development.
Although the park is primarily street, there is a larger bowl element on one side. Other parks also combine different skate elements, but nowhere does this combination seem as effortless as here. The individual elements go together. For example, the bowl can be skied without having to get off the board. The other areas in the park are also coordinated. This creates an extremely varied skating experience.
Admittedly, the park is not really centrally located. It takes more than 20 minutes to get to the main train station by train. But a trip to Freiham to this skate park is worth it.
Pool party in the concrete desert
Skaters in the skate park in Munich’s Hirschgarten.
(Photo: Catherine Hess)
What may look like a small concrete desert with large holes to outsiders is the absolute dream of many a skater. In the 1970s, the first skaters in the USA experimented with dry swimming pools. They used the steep walls to quickly build up speed and drive through the pool – the birth of the so-called Pool Ridings. The empty pools are also called bowls. Nowadays they have long been an integral part of the skate scene, including here in Munich.
From the skateboard to the lake
The skate park at Fasaneriesee.
(Photo: Julian Thamm)
For skaters who also like to go swimming, Feldmochinger Straße 325 is probably the best address. The skate park at Fasaneriesee is located here. First do a few laps in the concrete pool and then off into the water. The walk to the lake takes less than a minute.
When the park opened in 2007, it was the only one of its kind and size. Bowl and street elements were installed here over 970 square meters. Cost: almost 270,000 euros. Two key-shaped bowls are located in the center of the complex. A small, less demanding bowl and a deep one that will challenge even experienced skaters. In addition, the deeper bowl is also well suited for “vert tricks”. The skaters fly over the edge into the air and perform tricks.
Even if the focus is more on bowl skating, thanks to railings, stairs and ramps, street skaters can also let off steam here. Another plus: The nearest beer garden is less than five minutes away by board.
Undisturbed in the pool
The skate park in Trudering-Riem is one of the best places to go for new bowl skaters.
(Photo: Julian Thamm)
Hidden behind bushes and trees is another concrete bowl on Xaver-Weismor-Straße in Trudering-Riem. What looks like an inconspicuous small skate park in front of the metal fence turns out to be one of the best places to go for new bowl skaters. It’s like the little sister of the skate park at Fasaneriesee. Similar to there, there are also two bowls here, but they are connected to each other. Here you can perfectly learn the basics of pool riding. But even advanced skaters can have fun here.
The skate park was built in a quiet location in 2007 for 100,000 euros. Maybe it’s because this park doesn’t get as many visitors, but maybe it’s just because there are fewer bowl skaters. However, one thing is certain: if you want to do your laps in a concrete bowl undisturbed, you probably have the best chance here.
Vertically in the bowl
The Hirschgarten Bowl has existed since 2010. It is the most expensive skate park in Munich to date.
(Photo: Julian Thamm)
Pure bowl facilities are rare, which makes the one at the Hirschgarten all the more striking. The facility has been in existence since 2010 and is, so to speak, the epitome of “pool riding”. The Hirschgarten Bowl cost almost 1.2 million euros, making it the most expensive skate park in Munich to date.
Basically, there are elements of all levels of difficulty. Nevertheless, the facility is more suitable for advanced skaters. So you should have spent a few hours on the board before jumping three meters vertically into a pool with the roller board.
The absolute highlights of the park are the cloverleaf pool with the rows of blue tiles at the edge of the pool, which was built according to the American model, and the so-called fullpipe: a concrete tube with a diameter of up to six meters. Both elements are real eye-catchers and represent a real challenge even for experienced skaters.
Perfect for touching
In the Wesentfelser Park, beginners can slowly approach the bowl.
(Photo: Julian Thamm)
If you don’t yet dare to drive in the Hirschgarten or on Xaver-Weismor-Straße, you can slowly approach the bowl in the Wesentfelser Park. The Skatepark Neuaubing is ideal for those very first steps in bowl skating. The area is characterized by numerous half bowls. Unlike most other facilities, there are no steep walls or complete bowls.
Nevertheless, complex maneuvers and tricks can also be performed here. In addition to the bowl elements, the park also has a wall that can be driven on. Also called wall rides in skater jargon, the skaters ride along the wall with enough speed.
But there isn’t really a lot of space on the site. With 270 square meters, the Neuaubinger skate park is relatively manageable.
Like a concrete lunar landscape
According to the building department, the “field” is a “multifunctional flow system”.
(Photo: Julian Thamm)
The green area “Im Gefilde” is located in Perlach and since 2011 there has been a very special skate park. According to the building department, what looks like a concrete lunar landscape is a “multifunctional flow system”. This means that there are no obstacles with hard edges and corners throughout the park. Instead, “soft shapes and transitions” determine the driving experience. And that works really well too.
The facility, worth 450,000 euros, is a custom-made product that was planned in cooperation with the skate scene. The individual wishes of the skaters were taken into account. This also includes a so-called oververt corner: a concrete structure that protrudes into the air like an open shell. A real eye-catcher on the site and in the spirit of the flow facility.
However, the skate park is also extremely popular with many scooters due to its concept. If you want to surf undisturbed on the concrete waves, you should avoid the typical peak times – in the late afternoon and early evening – here as well.
A list of all public skate parks in the city of Munich Is there … here.