Thursday midday, shortly after half past eleven, Matthias-Pschorr-Straße: forklifts curve around with pallets of beer tables, the driver’s cabs of monster trucks without trailers roar towards the exit – and a fine scent of roasted almonds wafts across the site. All right: The Wiesn is finally just around the corner again. And the people of Munich react to it the way they usually react to it every year. Some grumble and scold or go on vacation for the next two weeks. The others, however, beam with quiet anticipation, pick out lederhosen and dirndls (or jeans and leather jackets, because they don’t want to take part in the whole traditional carnival) and mentally prepare themselves for a much louder form of fun.
It’s nice that it’s finally time again. On the other hand, a lot is different than three years ago. At this time in 2019, the first Saturday at the Oktoberfest was still routine. Then Corona came and there was no Oktoberfest twice in a row. And now? Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) said during the official press tour: “Five months ago I would not have thought that I would be standing here.” Just because of the pandemic. And one or the other gets a bit uneasy when he thinks about the next 17 days (this year the Wiesn is one day longer because of the public holiday October 3rd, which falls on a Monday). And last but not least, the pandemic has meant that there will be practically no new Oktoberfest sensations from the “Faster, higher, further” ride sector this year. Hardly any showman dared to invest a lot of money in a new ride after three years of standstill.
This year, during the traditional tour, the mayor was able to announce, for example, that the city now has its own stand for its merchandising items, from beer mugs to T-shirts, and that the crinoline got a new music podium. For the Wiesn-goer from Munich, these are not exactly howlers, even if the crinoline is a wonderful ride and the return to tradition is not wrong. At least there is a really nice, big, new beer tent this year with the Bräurosl. And two new smaller ones, the Volkssänger tent “Schützenlisl” on the Oidn Wiesn and the “Münchner Stubn” on Wirtsbudenstraße. And a coffee tent has a new name: The “Café Mohrenkopf” is now called “Café Theres” in honor of the Bavarian Queen, whose marriage to Crown Prince Ludwig was the impetus for the Oktoberfest in the first place.
THE DAY IN MUNICH
“The condition of the infrastructure can only be endured with two halves” That says the managing director of the Bavarian railway company. The MVG alone is missing 30 million euros annually. From their point of view, the ticket prices would have to rise much more – by 22 percent.
Second regular route: “Worse than at Berlin Airport” Politicians are horrified by the latest projections by Deutsche Bahn on the immense cost increases in the important transport project. But not only the money hurts the town hall coalition.
Stadtsparkasse closes branches in Munich The municipal financial service provider is reorganizing its business on a grand scale. Which locations are affected.
700 pounds of marijuana, 20 pounds of hash Two alleged dealers are said to have smuggled drugs from Spain to Munich. Apparently they used a vegetable trade as a camouflage. Now they are in court.
After Gergiev, the concert master also left the Munich Philharmonic It was only in the spring that the Philharmoniker parted ways with star conductor and Putin friend Valery Gergiev. Now concertmaster Lorenz Nasturica-Herschcowici is leaving the orchestra, a part-time job in Russia – although permissible – led to resentment.
Police stop 34 speed offenders in front of an elementary school As part of the “Children Ask Raser” campaign, fourth graders spoke to the drivers – and gave them a small reminder.
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