Freiham gets a bathing lake

Freiham, the new 350-hectare district in the west of Munich, will one day provide living space for over 25,000 people. A further 15,000 jobs are planned for the district. Freiham also wants to integrate high-quality open spaces for recreational use. The city council has now approved a new project for this purpose: the Freiham bathing lake.

Munich and cool water – the Isar is probably the first thing that comes to mind. Often followed by the Eisbach and its prominent wave. However, the Munich metropolitan region has many other swimming opportunities to offer in the surrounding area. Not only the lakes in the south, but also a large number of nearby gravel ponds attract visitors in the hot summer months. The city council has now set the course for another lake project. A new bathing lake is to be built in Freiham in the west of Munich.

The city council’s decision is based on the findings of a feasibility study. This was commissioned after Munich’s Second Mayor Katrin Habenschaden had already suggested a lake for the Freikam development area in 2019. To the west of the A99 between Germering and Freiham, the feasibility study proposes the location for the new bathing lake with a total size of around 14.3 hectares. As with many ponds in the area, the current plan is to have the area gravelled by a local gravel company to make the bathing lake possible. Now that the project has been approved in principle, the municipal department and the Freiham special-purpose association are in contact with the gravel company to agree the details of the rental contract and terrain modeling. The actual lake area will be adjoined by a gravel beach and a sunbathing lawn. The design of the surrounding green areas and open spaces will be examined and developed by the municipal department, planning department and building department of the City of Munich in a next step.

Reactions to the project have been positive. Munich’s Third Mayor Verena Dietl speaks of a significant upgrading of the new district in Freiham and the existing neighboring town of Germering. And for local authority officer Kristina Frank, the decision was a logical conclusion of the status quo in the west of Munich. She describes this as follows: “Everyone is currently experiencing how Munich’s lakes are overflowing. Sunbathing lawns, parking lots and roads are congested.” In her view, it is therefore essential to create new offers for those seeking recreation. The new bathing lake will become an attraction not only for the surrounding district but also for the extended neighborhood. The chosen location is therefore also based on logistical considerations. According to Frank, it will be easy to reach on foot, by bike and by S-Bahn from both Freiham and Germering.

The vision of a well-connected new bathing lake satisfies the needs of the sweating population right now. According to the World Meteorological Organization, the first week of July was “the hottest week ever recorded”. Temperatures also reached record levels in Munich. However, it will be a few more hot days before Munich residents can cool off in the new Freikam bathing lake. Around four to five years have been set aside for the construction of the new leisure oasis. The average temperatures are likely to continue to rise steadily until then.

What else is happening in urban planning in Bavaria’s state capital? Find out more about the Dreilingsweg in Munich, for example, here.