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The artificial ice rink at Königssee is being rebuilt after the flood

Dhe preparation of Olympic luge champions Felix Loch, Natalie Geisenberger as well as Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt for the season went as planned over the past few weeks. For the luge riders there were courses in Altenberg, Oberhof and Winterberg. As if he had had a premonition, national trainer Norbert Loch had only planned a start-up exercise unit on the track at Königssee in his training plan, which he had worked out in the spring.

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More was not possible either, because the artificial ice canal was completely destroyed on the evening of July 17th. Heavy rain had turned the small Klingerbach into a raging river. The enormous power of the water not only destroyed the starting houses for the men’s luge riders and the bobsleigh riders. It also tore between three and four inches of concrete from the sewer. A total loss.

In the past few years, Markus Aschauer and his team had long been “in the ice” at the end of October. Bobsleighs and luge, from novice drivers to Olympic champions, whizzed through the 1362 meter long concrete canal. Over and over. “The ammonia long-distance line is not defective, but it has to be replaced because it was torn from its bearings,” says Operations Manager Aschauer. When he looks out of his office window, instead of the icy target curve, he sees a pile of rubble. Will that be again?

“Now comes the concrete planning”

Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) had promised during a spontaneous visit the day after the disaster that the Free State would help with the reconstruction. Nonetheless, question marks and skepticism remained. Until last week, until a letter from the authorities cleared the way for a future. The restoration and renewal of the ice channel has been approved. The project may cost 53.5 million euros. Aschauer now has a better perspective: “Now we can start with the concrete planning.”

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