The athletes seem to be glued to the overhanging wall, pulling themselves up, floating head down in the air, often only finding support with a few fingers and toes. You can’t see it for yourself in those moments, probably wouldn’t see it either because of the tremendous effort, but it’s a special backdrop for the spectators. Behind the artificial wall on Königsplatz, the classical gate of the historical ensemble rises up, above it the bright blue Munich sky. “Simply nice,” says Julia Berchtenwider, who follows with interest how the athletes fight their way up and then almost all of them fall into the rope. Climbing at Königsplatz, “that’s a really good choice”.
The European Championships, the nine European championships that are currently taking place in Munich, are not content with classic sports venues such as halls or the Olympic Stadium. They are also crowding into the public space in the city center. The Königsplatz not only serves as a stage for climbers. Right next to it, the tubular steel scaffolding for the beach volleyball arena, clad in blue tarpaulin, rises into the air. The organizers have put a pretty stadium on the Königsplatz, sand below, seats all around on three sides, and the columns of the state collection of antiquities rise up on the fourth.
Mobile grandstands have also been set up a kilometer away on Ludwigstrasse. The passage from Odeonsplatz to Altstadtring is closed to normal traffic. Cyclists can set off from there at a leisurely pace and then get a feel for how fellow pros and marathon runners will feel as they cross the finish line at the end of their races. The magnificent buildings on the sides, the Feldherrnhalle in front of you. In front of it is a less decorative white tent, in which the official shop is located. The European Championships are not a mass sporting event, it’s also about business. Some visitors complain about the sometimes high ticket prices.
But these are far from enough to cover the expenses for the event. The application was based on a budget of around 130 million euros, and around 30 million are to be generated. The remaining 100 million will be shared between the federal, state and city governments, as agreed. The city is not only providing a good 30 million euros, but also two attractive public areas. Not to everyone’s delight. The famous museums on Königsplatz, the Glyptothek and the State Collection of Antiquities are said to be less enthusiastic about climbers and volleyball players in front of their main entrance.
Nevertheless, the large factions in the city council agree that the sports competitions in public spaces are a good idea. If “there’s something going on there, especially during the holidays, and it’s reasonably tolerable and well accepted by the people,” then the city can make areas available, says Green Party leader Dominik Krause. However, it should not be overloaded. It is important to him that politicians allocate public spaces according to their priorities.
Same place, different occasion: The Königsplatz was also used for the International Motor Show.
(Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa)
When it comes to sports and culture, there is usually a large consensus, even if these do have a commercial background. When it comes to the IAA International Motor Show, which also occupied Königsplatz, Ludwigstrasse and other areas, the coalition is less united. “A sports event is something different than when we make places available to companies for advertising,” says Krause. The IAA was also primarily about the massiveness with which the car companies had spread in public space. At least the Greens no longer want to allow this for the 2023 edition.
So is there a good and bad use of public space? Sport and culture top, car show a flop? For the SPD parliamentary group leader, Anne Hübner, these categories do not exist; for her, it is crucial that there are attractive offers that many people accept. But the city has to see what fits and what doesn’t. The IAA is within the tolerance range for her, like concerts or sports. “You can’t just make your own taste the yardstick,” she demands.
On the other hand, the municipality is also obliged to make public spaces available for demonstrations that are not very pro-democracy, such as those by the lateral thinkers. Hübner attaches great importance to the fact that public space is free for everyone for most of the year. With the one-off holding of the European Championships or the IAA every two years for five days, she believes that “the limit has not been exceeded”. This also applies to the Theresienwiese, which is in focus because of the planned New Year’s Eve concert by the Rammstein band: “It’s about one concert and not five a year.”
CSU faction leader Manuel Pretzl sees it that way. The competitions in the city are well received, especially by young people and families. Road users would have to accept for a certain time that they need a few minutes to curve around the closed Königsplatz. This applies to different uses. “There is someone who thinks the IAA is great, someone who likes sports, and someone who comes to culture.”
Criticism of the increasing abandonment of public space comes from smaller opposition parties. Tobias Ruff from the ÖDP finds it “annoying” that Munich residents are increasingly restricted in their freedom of movement and have to give up their recreational areas for events. For sport in particular, the city invests a lot of money in stadiums and halls, instead of competing there, the Königsplatz is “ransacked” for two weeks.
Left City Councilor Stefan Jagel had already criticized during the discussion about the major concert on the Theresienwiese that the city was increasingly commercializing its public space. Everyone demands that you have to find the right balance for events in public space. Only: A lot of people have different ideas about it.