After the Eisbach in Munich, which has become famous, the Pegnitz in Nuremberg should now also become the Dorado for surfers: On Friday, Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) opened the second standing surfer wave in Bavaria. Unlike in Munich, it was created deliberately, legally and with financial help from the Bavarian state government by surfing enthusiasts.
“It was always a thorn in my side that there is only such a great wave in Munich,” said Söder – who was born in Nuremberg – at the opening. “Because the Franconian can surf just as well.” You now have a “Copacabana on Lake Wöhrder”, he said with a view of the local recreation area in the former suburb of Wöhrd.
The project, half of which is financed by the Free State of Bavaria, is designed to be environmentally friendly, includes a fish ladder and is easily accessible for surfing enthusiasts by bicycle or public transport, said the Prime Minister. According to the German Surfers’ Association, Nuremberg is trendy. There will be many new waves in the next five to ten years. There are considerations in cities like Hanover, Gießen or Augsburg. Planning has been going on in Nuremberg since 2012.
The project cost around three million euros and construction took a year. The eight meter wide “fox hole wave” is created by a wave system in a canal parallel to the Pegnitz. A weir dams up the river water, which is channeled through the canal over a ramp. Below it meets slower water: A wave is created. Their size and thus their degree of difficulty for the surfers can be controlled via modules.