In the past surfers tied a leash to the bridge to hold onto, but a sign announces that this is both dangerous and forbidden. There is a second standing wave on the Eisbach located a few hundred meters downstream further north in the Englischer Garten. Such a shape makes the wave easier to surf for river surfers (playboating makes fewer demands of the wave shape). Just past a bridge near the Haus der Kunst art museum, the river forms a standing wave about one metre high which is a popular river surfing spot.

The wave is predominantly used by surfers, and animosities of surfers towards kayakers have occasionally been reported. To provide the 28 hydroelectric power plants with enough water power the river’s water is diverted several times and almost the whole river was canalized. Due to the more recent development of playboating, kayakers have only more recently—and so far not in great numbers—started to surf the wave. Another wave for beginners is in Although authorities don't strictly enforce the swimming ban, they caution against the dangers even for experienced swimmers: The Eisbach has a very strong current and no affixed exit points, which makes it hard to get out again. Kayakers are on the left, rivers surfers on the right side of the wave (downstream). Hence, swimmers sometimes float too far and get stuck in the lattice behind the Tivoli bridge before the hydroelectric power plant, where they must be rescued. It’s important to stick to local rules and read the signs at the location. Lastly, even in the summer, the water doesn't get warmer than 15 °C, which harbors the risk of Not even snow holds them back!

There is a part of the Isar River in Munich, that people Surf in. This is the Eisbach, a small channel of the Isar River that runs through Munich's big, central park. Newer interpretationsPassing Landshut, the river makes its way through the Most of the small islands and gravel banks keep changing shape and size due to the annual floods. Also, the Eisbach is shallow, which can lead to injuries not only when jumping in, but while swimming as well, also because obstacles like stones, broken glass and even disposed bicycles can be found on the ground. The Isar Wave – caused by ground sills in the Isar river bed – is a 30 meter wide, well-known kayak playspot in southern Germany; therefore heavily crowded during weekends. For example, since May, 2000, the river is being re-naturalized in the southern part of the river’s passage through the city of Munich, between Großhesseloher Brücke and Reichenbachbrücke. The Eisbach is wider at this point, so the water flows more slowly and the wave is less demanding, which results in the wave being used by beginners to develop their surfing skills. It may be possible that the ancient name of the lower part of the river Danube, Ister, has the same source. Together with other cities and communities along the Isar, Munich has set a goal to reduce the number of germs until the water quality is good enough to allow bathing in the river. Besides an improved protection against flooding the river was, thus, brought into an almost natural state and this resulted in an improved quality of the recreational area within the city of Munich. Among those are the Museumsinsel (on which the It is quite likely that the Isar was used as a trade route, even in prehistoric times, to transport wares from the Alps and even At a few places the Romans built wooden bridges across the Following their executions on October 16, 1946, the ashes of the convicted Since the 1920s the water of the Isar has been used for the generation of electricity. The number of germs, however, is still relatively high. For example, just north of Lately, there have been attempts to bring the Isar closer back to a natural character.

The local surfers have forced the wave to break more cleanly, with increased height, by attaching ropes to the bridge which trail submerged planks, creating two large "U"-shapes. The sewer plants on the upper river are now treating the sewage with There are a number of natural reservations along the Isar, including special protection areas for birds, for example the natural reserve There are several areas along the river Isar that have been designated since the 1960s as This article is about the river. For the administrative subdivision of Iran, see However, there is also speculative evidence that the ultimate root of the river's name may not be Indo-European at all, but from an even more ancient source (see

If this is achieved, Munich would be one of the few big cities in Europe with a river with water of good enough quality to allow swimming in it.