Isar (Munich)

The Alpine river that runs through Munich, Bavaria, Germany.

At a glance

Source	Author	Role	In one line
The man who swims to work	Daniel Loher	subject	A Munich man who swims 2 km to his office instead of sitting in traffic.
These Germans Who Swim To Work Are Happier Than You	Rebecca Schuman	subject	The same swim commute, held up as a model of German happiness.

The man who swims to work — Daniel Loher (2026)

Source: Readwise highlight

So he now packs his laptop, suit and shoes into a waterproof bag, straps it to his back and swims 2km to work along the Isar River in Munich, Germany.

• Role: subject
• In the article: A short piece on Benjamin David, who swims along the river to work in trunks or a wetsuit, with rubber sandals against glass and the odd bicycle on the riverbed. People on the bridges sometimes laugh; he says it is faster and more relaxing than traffic.
• Why it matters: The river is the commute; without the Isar running through the city there is no story.

These Germans Who Swim To Work Are Happier Than You — Rebecca Schuman (2026)

Source: Readwise highlight

Munich resident David Benjamin both lives and works near the city’s Isar river

• Role: subject
• In the article: Fed up with gridlock on the road alongside, he swims the two kilometres to his office, wetsuit in cold weather and laptop in a dry bag, often floating on his back. The column pairs him with a woman in Rodgau who swims across the Main to her office because the early ferry stopped running (that crossing isn’t located precisely enough to pin).
• Why it matters: The Isar swim is the column’s lead example for its argument about German work-life balance.