The cold spell let the first lakes in the district freeze over - and triggered a real rush of leisure activities on the ice rinks at the weekend.
The community of Murnau had to pull the emergency brake on Saturday and close the Froschhauser See.
There, the corona rules were apparently broken in rows.
District
- When Murnau's mayor Rolf Beuting (ÖDP / Bürgerforum) rushed to the Froschhauser See, popularly simply called Froschsee, on Saturday after a hint from his chief of public order, he could not believe his eyes: On the relatively small ice surface it was like in a dovecote - although it was late in the afternoon.
An estimated 100 to 200 people cavorted on the ice, enjoyed the fresh winter air, went ice skating or played ice hockey.
Beuting speaks of a "large collection".
Things were so bad at the parking lot that the police had to punish 40 violations.
Distance rule violated
But the car chaos was the slightest problem: Many of the Froschsee visitors did not adhere to the contact restrictions, which are intended to prevent or at least contain the spread of the corona pandemic.
For example, according to reports, the distance rule has been broken in a row.
And that a team sport like ice hockey is actually taboo didn't interest anyone on this wonderful winter day.
“That doesn't work,” says Beuting.
“We have a complete lockdown.” And there shouldn't be such hotspots - with all due understanding for the need for recreation and leisure.
The Murnau local chief and his administration pulled the rip cord on Saturday - and imposed an emergency ban on entry.
According to Tagblatt information, it is so far the only closure of a lake in the district.
This was the result of a survey among mayors and a request from the police (as of Sunday noon).
At the weekend it was not only pretty busy at Froschsee, but also at the already frozen waters in Werdenfelser Land and Isar Valley.
There was already a dispute with the law enforcement officers at the Pflegeersee, as reported by the Upper Bavaria South Police Headquarters.
There seven people refused to keep the distance on Saturday lunchtime - even though the officials had explicitly asked them to do so.
The result: advertisements rained down.
"We always try to solve this communicatively first," says police spokesman Martin Emig.
But if the appeal to reason doesn't work, you get to feel the harshness of the law.
The mayor and the police are watching the situation in the district very closely.
There is still great hope that people will remain insightful.
And a prolonged cold spell may provide relaxation.
This could then be the case, according to the calculation, even if larger lakes such as the Staffelsee have formed closed ice sheets and those seeking relaxation are better distributed.
But it cannot be ruled out that further closures will follow if the onslaught and thus the risk of infection become too great.
For example, Grainau's mayor Stephan Märkl (CSU) wants to discuss the issue with his administration.
Because the situation on the Eibsee - the wonderfully situated mountain lake has also been frozen over since last week and is therefore a popular excursion destination - is sometimes "borderline".
Be careful when walking on the ice
Apart from the corona issue, everyone who gets on the ice must be aware of the dangers.
Caution is advised.
The icy idyll has many pitfalls, for example at the inlets and outlets.
Sometimes life is in danger.
Only when the ice surface is at least 15 centimeters thick in stagnant water (in streams and rivers it is even 20 centimeters) is it sustainable, warns the German Life Saving Society.
