I should have posted
this story earlier. (Thanks to
Daydream for bringing this to my attention.)
Basically, it seems that about a week ago the Augustiner Keller (yes, number 1 on my list above) closed the gates one morning about 0100 while about 100 guests were still there, trapping them inside so that they had to climb over the fence.
The story is half tongue-in-cheek, beginning (rough translation), "
'The cordiality of the service leads you to feel as though you are at home, and all this in the midst of nature' - at the Augustiner Keller, so it seems, they take their advertising slogan for the soccer world championship quite seriously. So seriously that even sleeping under the Heavens is not precluded."
It goes on to state that the senior public prosecutor is mulling charges of false imprisonment.
According to the reporter, she had been enjoying an apple schorle with friends when close to one o'clock the lights flickered a couple of times (note: this indicates closing time in Munich). She and her friends made their way to the gates where they had left their bicycles, but the gates were already locked, trapping her and about 100 others inside. They shook the gates and made noise, hoping to attract the attention of someone with a key, but to no avail.
The Landlord apologises but can't explain why it happened, and says it was certainly not their normal practice. He notes that the blinking of the lights is a signal that the beer garden is about to close, but the help should still encourage those who remain to leave. He added that he lives in a house adjacent to the beer garden, and he's sure he would have noticed if 100 people were there making noise after closing.
The senior prosecutor, however, is not satisfied that simply switching the lights on and off is sufficient notice before locking the gates. He asks what happens if someone is in the toilette, or is a stranger coming for the World Cup and is unfamiliar with the custom that blinking the lights is a signal to leave because the place is closing. For such folks, particularly if they are elderly, handicapped, or even drunk, being locked in and having to climb over the fence can be very dangerous. He is convinced that the landlord has a duty to ensure that his guests can find a working exit in all circumstances, if necessary by installing a (one-way) gate that can always be used to go out.
The landlord says he'll consider that.
My thought: If they'd just left a keg of beer open, probably no one would have cared.
