Groundbreaking Ceremony Begins Construction at Germany’s SURFTOWN MUNICH

Combining business, leisure, retail, and surf “SURFTOWN MUC” promises to be the largest and first of its kind in Europe – not just in Germany. Ground has been broken and should everything remain on track, SURFTOWN will be opening its doors in May 2023.

Press Release:
SURFTOWN® MUC: Groundbreaking for Germany’s first surf park starts now!

• Groundbreaking ceremony at “Munich Airport Business Park”
• Sustainable concepts for energy, water, and mobility successfully approved
• First spectacular visualizations of the wave pool available

The construction of SURFTOWN® MUC has been announced to the public last year as Europe’s largest surf pool, with overwhelming media attention. Since then, the initiators have consistently forged the project ahead, also to find solutions for the structural and technical requirements in close cooperation with the responsible authorities. In particular, the self-imposed goal to realize climate-neutral and sustainable concepts required time-consuming approaches and innovative answers.

Many representatives from politics, business, and surfing community were following the invitation to the groundbreaking ceremony today. “We are thrilled and proud to get closer each day to our dream of surfing near Munich”, says Chris Boehm-Tettelbach, CEO of SURFTOWN® MUC. “My sincere thanks go to the municipality of Hallbergmoos, which has accepted the challenges of our forward-thinking project with remarkable pioneering spirit, as well as to the responsible authorities,”

Josef Niedermair, Mayor Hallbergmoos: “For the municipality, SURFTOWN® MUC is a historic opportunity that everyone can benefit from. On a political level, we have done our best to ensure that this extraordinary project can be realized in our town. Once again we are proving that Hallbergmoos is capable of courageous and forward-thinking steps.”

Also, for the first time the team from SURFTOWN® MUC showcases the concrete visualizations of the project designed by Munich’s architects “Maisch Wolf Architekten”.

The organically shaped surf lagoon by Endless Surf technology is 180 meters long and is incredibly flexible when it comes to operating configurations and customizable wave production. Most notably, Endless Surf can produce a “peeling wave” along its entire length, offering up a nearly 20 second ride for surfers. The design of the surrounding buildings picks up the water theme with a reminiscent of the shape of a breaking wave. The overall result is a facility where athletes as well as the general public can look forward to a visit with high recreational value: an outdoor fitness area, a children’s playground and the beach area with many facilities to lay down and relax. In combination with a contemporary gastronomic concept, the complex is intended to convey the special surfing lifestyle that is so attractive for many people. The idea of the initiators of SURFTOWN® MUC is also to create a meeting place for the region: from onlookers to employees on their lunch break, from young surfing talents to families and children who want to spend an extraordinary day outdoors.

“At the core of all our planning is the unique surfing experience, which should provide visitors – from absolute novices to Olympians – a safe environment for everything that makes this sport such a passion,” says Chief Surfing Officer Michi Mohr, who is responsible for all sporting matters at SURFTOWN® MUC. “And that includes an innovative surf school and coaching concept for beginners, intermediate surfers and pros, in addition to a relaxed and cool ambience and additional outdoor sports facilities.” Even International Championships can take place in Hallbergmoos thanks to the flexible wave design with heights from 30cm to 2.5 meters.

Innovative technologies for a sustainable sports experience
In order to serve the various dimensions of sustainability, different ecological, economic, and social factors were considered for the conception of SURFTOWN® MUC. The overall goal is to make the facility climate-neutral and to focus on renewable energy and water-saving measures:

• 90 percent of the energy needs of the surfing facility and outbuildings are generated from photovoltaic systems used on the property as well as on an adjacent open space. The remaining electricity needs will be covered by green electricity from the local grid.
• The design for the facility’s water supply does not use valuable potable water: It feeds on local groundwater, which is abundantly available in Hallbergmoos due to its swampy topography. Special filter systems and a circulating water system are also designed to minimize consumption.

To make the arrival and departure of visitors as eco-friendly as possible, public transport passengers and drivers of electric cars, e-scooters and bicycles will be incentivized with a special bonus system. Adequate electronic charging infrastructure in parking lots will also be provided.

Innovative technologies also characterize the wave generator that will be used in SURFTOWN® MUC and forms the heart of the surf park. The artificial waves by Endless Surf are created by a pneumatic chamber system that converts pressure into wave energy. This technologically sophisticated system is provided by attractions industry leading Canadian company WhiteWater – for the first time in the world at SURFTOWN® MUC. It can roll out fully customizable peeling waves up to more than two meters in height with a time interval of about ten seconds along the entire length of the pool.

Paul Chutter, President of WhiteWater and Endless Surf: “Bringing customizable waves to an already vibrant surf community surrounding the Eisbach River will surely solidify Munich as a surfing hub for Germany and beyond. We’re incredibly honored to contribute to this rich surf culture alongside the dynamic team behind SURFTOWN® MUC. This moment marks a huge milestone for us all and we can’t wait to start rolling out Endless Surf waves in Munich.”

Rainer Maelzer, President WhiteWater ERA: “The vision for SURFTOWN® MUC is revolutionary. This is undoubtedly a world-class surf park in the making, and we are thrilled to bring it to life and add to Munich’s growing reputation of being a European powerhouse for action sports. Plus, with our European regional team local to Munich, we’ve got quite a bit of hometown pride for this one.”

“Our innovative and sustainable technologies have taken a planning and approval process that has been very time-consuming,” says Chris Boehm-Tettelbach. “Nevertheless, we expect to start test operations in late 2023, and then to open the facility in spring 2024.” SURFTOWN® MUC will be built at Lilienthalstrasse 12 in Hallbergmoos.

Adjacent to SURFTOWN®  MUC, the project developer Rock Capital Group is building the HYBRID ONE lifestyle quarter, unique in Europe, with a boulevard, showrooms, gastronomy, retail as well as ultra-modern and flexible office and laboratory space. The goal: to redefine leisure and work on 30,000 square meters. Workplaces with a view on the surfers are, open spaces for strolling and resting, space for meeting and having fun. The property is scheduled for completion in 2025 and will go into operation as an “Immune Office”, where the risk of infection by viruses will be significantly reduced.