Rafting has been a tradition in the district for centuries.
Once wood and lime were rafted to Vienna, today the Isar rides are a leisure attraction.
The season starts on April 29th.
The Angermeier family is making the final preparations.
Arzbach
– The resinous smell of fresh wood is in the air.
Despite the icy wind, Michael Angermeier works between almost 20 meter long spruce trunks next to his warehouse opposite the Arzbach sports field.
The 72-year-old cuts a notch in a tree trunk with an axe.
Small splinters of wood jump away with every hit.
He runs his hand over the indentation and wipes away the shavings.
"This is where a crossbeam, a so-called ray, comes in to stabilize the raft," he explains, leaning against a trunk.
Six new rafts have to be built before the start of the season in May.
Isar rafting Angermeier: Family business in the 5th generation
Michael Angermeier has been working on the completion since the beginning of March with his son Stefan, with whom he now runs the business together.
There's a lot of work behind them.
"We received the spruce trees in October - they come from the surrounding forests of the state forests," says the senior manager.
The trees are felled after the waning moon.
An ancient lore.
“It has always worked.
When the moon is waning, there is less moisture in the trunk,” explains Michael Angermeier.
Once the trees have been felled and arrived at the storage area in Arzbach, the bark has to come off.
Finest handwork.
"Then the trees are stored here over the winter." The cold makes the trunks lighter.
“It is important for them to swim well.
As the moon wanes, there is less moisture in the trunk.
Michael Angermeier, raftsman from Arzbach
In the spring, the father-son duo then brings the trunks into shape.
"First we cut them to length," says junior manager Stefan Angermeier.
"Each log has to be 18.30 meters long," he says, pointing to the precisely cut ends as he punches a square hole in the wood.
Every move fits.
"That will be the attachment for the rudder." Precision is the be-all and end-all. "The rudder has an immense leverage effect, so everything has to be stable."
Rafting in the Isar valley: from goods transport to leisure attraction
Stefan Angermeier inherited his knowledge of rafting from his father.
In the fifth generation, the family builds the wooden vehicle.
Michael Angermeier's great-grandfather built up the business.
"Back then it was all about transporting goods," reports the current senior manager.
“When my grandfather and father were raftsmen, things changed.” Rail and road transport gradually replaced the Isar as a trade route.
+
Stefan Angermeier is the fifth generation to join the family business.
He has been shaping the tree trunks in Arzbach since March.
© arp
"Without the rafting, Munich wouldn't be where it is today," the 72-year-old is certain.
For many years, large quantities of wood and lime were transported down the Isar from the region for the buildings in the Bavarian state capital.
“It was all over by 1960 and we relied on rafting,” reports the 72-year-old.
At first it was only young people from a few student associations who used the nearly 30-kilometer raft trip as a pleasure tour.
Then the Isar raft trips by the Arzbach family became more and more popular.
Today, company parties, bachelor parties, birthdays and even weddings take place on the rafts.
"It gradually developed into the experience it is today," says the senior boss.
Nothing has changed in the craft over the years.
"It's still a tough but nice job," says Stefan Angermeier.
“It was always clear to me that I wanted to get into the business.
Ever since I could swim, I've been there every free minute.” There is no apprenticeship for the profession.
"You have to grow into it." That takes different lengths of time.
"One got it after three years, the other after five," says Angermeier senior.
shrugging.
There is a lot of interest in the job.
"Most of them are acquaintances who want to work with us." For a year now, the Angermeiers have even had their first female raftsman candidate on the team.
"She was a guest and approached us after the trip," remembers Stefan Angermeier.
"And she's not doing badly," praises his father.
22 ton raft steered by hand
A great responsibility rests on the raftsmen.
“You have to know the course of the river well.
Nevertheless, no journey is like the other.
There are big differences depending on the water level,” explains the 35-year-old.
Arm strength is also very important.
After all, it is no easy task to steer the 7 by 18 meter large and 22 ton raft by hand.
A raftsman's day begins at 5 a.m. with assembly.
"We roll the logs into the water in Wolfratshausen and then assemble them," says the 35-year-old, describing the processes.
“The journey starts at 8 a.m..” A three-man crew – consisting of the Förg (raft leader), the third Förg and the Stürer (helmsman) at the back – takes the guests to Munich-Thalkirchen.
There the raft is then disassembled again and the logs are brought back to Wolfratshausen by truck.
“We train for that all season.
We can do it in September,” jokes Michael Angermeier with a laugh.
River rafting on the Isar: changing clientele
While the craft has remained static, the clientele has changed.
"There used to be a lot of partying, but now the audience has calmed down and most people experience the trip more as a nature experience," notes the senior boss.
The Angermeiers will spend every day on the Isar until the second Sunday in September.
At the end of the season, the logs come to the sawmill and are processed further.
The Angermeiers are pleased that the demand for the trips is unbroken.
“We only have a few appointments left.
The weekends are usually already fully booked in November,” explains Stefan Angermeier.
No wonder: after all, rafting was declared an intangible cultural heritage of mankind by Unesco.
For this reason, Michael Angermeier also feels confirmed in his work: "That was already an accolade",
You can find even more current news from the region around at Merkur.de/Bad Tölz.
