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FLEX |
| Location: Flex, Ringseisstraße 11A, 80337 Munich, Germany Report by Martin Wiest (aka Mr. Startrek) Flex is a bar and music club founded more than twenty years ago in the Civic Centre of Munich.
It is located in the basement of an apartment block in a street with mostly residential properties, approximately a ten-minute walk from the Thersienwiese where the Octoberfest takes place every year. Flex is very special compared to other bars. It has a rather worn-out furniture, stickers and inscriptions everywhere, and some parts of the installation look really rubbish.
But this is also the special charm of it, and it attracts visitors of all ages and from all social classes. You can see students celebrating their birthdays, as well as a businessman coming to drink a beer and play some pinball, pool or foosball, or a local guy living next door just drinking his evening beer.
The prices are quite reasonable compared to other Munich pubs. The music is often a bit louder than in other bars and some days the tracks are chosen by a DJ sitting at the mixing desk. The Bar owner is named Olaf and he's a very nice guy. The same applies to his whole crew which does a great job. Since its opening in the mid '90s, Flex has had space for arcade games and traditionally hosted two pinball machines besides darts, pool and three foosball tables.
A few years ago the pinball machines (Elvis and Ripleys) were in very poor condition, so via a friend we contacted the owner and took over the pinball operation. Since then we have tried to keep the games at Flex in very good shape, doing frequent checks and cleans.
A few weeks ago the number of games was increased to three, as can be seen in the pictures of an Addams Family, a Roadshow and an almost new Metallica Pro. As far as I know it is the only commercial location in Munich area where more than one pinball machine is operated.
I still remember a famous match on my 52nd birthday where Zac Sharpe and my friend Klaus battled to be the evening's champion - each of them winning a game. A small tournament is organised here once a year, typically around mid-summer. So if you happen to be staying in Munich for a business trip, vacation or Octoberfest, stop by and play some games while drinking an Augustiner beer at Flex.
(PS. Flex is a famous maker of angle-grinders and THE name used for these tools in Germany.) You can get more details of Flex on their website or Facebook page.
© Pinball News 2016 |
