The storm depression Zoltan has been blowing through Munich since Thursday and is affecting public life. Because of the gusts of wind with speeds between 70 and 85 kilometers per hour announced by the German Weather Service (DWD) for the city and district, the city’s building department warned in the afternoon against entering parks and green spaces. Because of the danger of breaking and falling branches, the authorities recommended generally avoiding proximity to trees. This also applies to the Isar floodplains.
The city also announced on Thursday afternoon that all city cemeteries would be closed until Saturday. However, funerals would take place as planned and mourners would be picked up at the entrance. The cemeteries are expected to reopen on Christmas Eve and Christmas concerts will also take place there.
The Bavarian Palace Administration announced that the Nymphenburg Palace Park will remain closed again, including on Friday. Several trees had already fallen on Thursday, including an ash tree around ten meters high. Experts are expected to inspect the damage on Friday to determine how soon the safety of visitors can be guaranteed again. The castle park was closed at the beginning of December because branches threatened to break under the masses of snow.
The Tollwood winter festival on Theresienwiese was also closed on Thursday due to the storm. Ticket holders for “Limbo Unhinged” can attend the show on another day or return their tickets to the ticket office used, a festival spokeswoman said. Whether the Tollwood will open again on Friday will not be decided until this morning. According to forecasts from the German Weather Service, the wind is not expected to subside until Friday afternoon.