Sanslines
01-27-2008, 10:07 AM
Nude in Germany - German Nudists Bare All
<SCRIPT type=text/javascript>h1 = document.getElementById("title").getElementsByTagName("h1")[0];h1.innerHTML = widont(h1.innerHTML);</SCRIPT>Nude Beaches, Resorts and Spas Are Commonplace in Germany
By Michele Hartley (http://gogermany.about.com/mbiopage.htm)
Nudism in Germany is not shocking, it is daily life. German nudists are everyday people like you and me. The first documented nudist camp was established just outside of Hamburg in 1904 by Paul Zimmerman, although having lived in Hamburg for sometime, I can't imagine why he chose Hamburg to start a nudist colony - most of the year, the weather hardly lends itself to running around naked. Freikörperkultur (free body culture or FKK (http://fkk-online.de/) for short) has a huge following with campsites and vacations spots for the entire family. Germans don't mind nudity. It is accepted and sometimes expected, as in most saunas, where bathing suits are generally verboten or at least looked upon as an oddity. Every state and many cities in Germany have organizations which offer activities, vacation packages and locations to hang out in the nude. These members of the Deutscher Verband fur Frierkörpheit (http://www.dfk.org/adressen/) offer listings of events and locations in their areas.
I am not going to create a list here of all the places you can be nude in Germany (it would take weeks), but to give you an idea, you can be nude in the English Gardens in Munich, actually, you can be nude almost anywhere in Munich. Sunbathing in the nude is commonplace in the major city parks around Germany (including Berlin) and the beaches are very often clothing optional. Whole families (from Grandma down to toddler) frolic on the beaches naked. If you go to a beach, either look for the DFK or FKK sign which indicates that nude bathing is accepted or simply stroll the beach and if there are naked people, you are fairly safe in assuming you too can go skinny dipping.
Face it, there is something freeing about being nude, the air on your body, no clingy wet bathing suits...I am a bit too American - don't really want people to see me romping naked in the sand but Germans have a healthy regard for their bodies and for nature. Nudity is accepted on network television and is a natural part of life. That being said, most Germans generally don't flount it. It is much more likely that someone will sit on their blanket or in their beach chair, get undressed and stretch out to read or chat.
Spas in Germany (http://gogermany.about.com/od/greatdestinations/qt/spatowns.htm) often have clothing free days and many swimming pools are also clothing optional. Don't wear a bathing suit in a German sauna unless you want the people to know you are an American and for goodness sake, don't stare - if you are a prude, I don't suggest you go into a German sauna. Many of Germany's spas have mens and womens days so if you prefer not to be seen by the opposite sex, check it out with the spa you intend to visit.
The German islands all have nude beaches and the islands of Mecklenberg-West Pomerania (http://gogermany.about.com/od/regionalvacations/ig/German-States/Mecklenburg-Western-Pomerania.htm) and Schleswig-Holstein (http://gogermany.about.com/od/regionalvacations/ig/German-States/Schleswig-Holstein-Snapshot.htm) are gorgeous as are the Frisian Island in the North Sea. Sylt (http://gogermany.about.com/od/greatdestinations/p/sylt.htm) is extremely popular with the in-crowd of Northern Germany, make sure to bring enough cash to shop and dine. Naturally, it goes without saying that the best time to visit for nude beaches is July and August. Otherwise, I love the beaches in the fall and winter, the sand dunes, the thatch roofed houses, the lighthouses, and the long stretches of beach are perfect for long walks, a bicycle ride or simply snuggling up in a beach basket with a book or a friend. Nudism in Germany is a long established tradition, as Chad Ross writes in his excellent book, Naked Germany, Health, Race and the Nation, a fascinating book about nudism in Germany
<SCRIPT type=text/javascript>h1 = document.getElementById("title").getElementsByTagName("h1")[0];h1.innerHTML = widont(h1.innerHTML);</SCRIPT>Nude Beaches, Resorts and Spas Are Commonplace in Germany
By Michele Hartley (http://gogermany.about.com/mbiopage.htm)
Nudism in Germany is not shocking, it is daily life. German nudists are everyday people like you and me. The first documented nudist camp was established just outside of Hamburg in 1904 by Paul Zimmerman, although having lived in Hamburg for sometime, I can't imagine why he chose Hamburg to start a nudist colony - most of the year, the weather hardly lends itself to running around naked. Freikörperkultur (free body culture or FKK (http://fkk-online.de/) for short) has a huge following with campsites and vacations spots for the entire family. Germans don't mind nudity. It is accepted and sometimes expected, as in most saunas, where bathing suits are generally verboten or at least looked upon as an oddity. Every state and many cities in Germany have organizations which offer activities, vacation packages and locations to hang out in the nude. These members of the Deutscher Verband fur Frierkörpheit (http://www.dfk.org/adressen/) offer listings of events and locations in their areas.
I am not going to create a list here of all the places you can be nude in Germany (it would take weeks), but to give you an idea, you can be nude in the English Gardens in Munich, actually, you can be nude almost anywhere in Munich. Sunbathing in the nude is commonplace in the major city parks around Germany (including Berlin) and the beaches are very often clothing optional. Whole families (from Grandma down to toddler) frolic on the beaches naked. If you go to a beach, either look for the DFK or FKK sign which indicates that nude bathing is accepted or simply stroll the beach and if there are naked people, you are fairly safe in assuming you too can go skinny dipping.
Face it, there is something freeing about being nude, the air on your body, no clingy wet bathing suits...I am a bit too American - don't really want people to see me romping naked in the sand but Germans have a healthy regard for their bodies and for nature. Nudity is accepted on network television and is a natural part of life. That being said, most Germans generally don't flount it. It is much more likely that someone will sit on their blanket or in their beach chair, get undressed and stretch out to read or chat.
Spas in Germany (http://gogermany.about.com/od/greatdestinations/qt/spatowns.htm) often have clothing free days and many swimming pools are also clothing optional. Don't wear a bathing suit in a German sauna unless you want the people to know you are an American and for goodness sake, don't stare - if you are a prude, I don't suggest you go into a German sauna. Many of Germany's spas have mens and womens days so if you prefer not to be seen by the opposite sex, check it out with the spa you intend to visit.
The German islands all have nude beaches and the islands of Mecklenberg-West Pomerania (http://gogermany.about.com/od/regionalvacations/ig/German-States/Mecklenburg-Western-Pomerania.htm) and Schleswig-Holstein (http://gogermany.about.com/od/regionalvacations/ig/German-States/Schleswig-Holstein-Snapshot.htm) are gorgeous as are the Frisian Island in the North Sea. Sylt (http://gogermany.about.com/od/greatdestinations/p/sylt.htm) is extremely popular with the in-crowd of Northern Germany, make sure to bring enough cash to shop and dine. Naturally, it goes without saying that the best time to visit for nude beaches is July and August. Otherwise, I love the beaches in the fall and winter, the sand dunes, the thatch roofed houses, the lighthouses, and the long stretches of beach are perfect for long walks, a bicycle ride or simply snuggling up in a beach basket with a book or a friend. Nudism in Germany is a long established tradition, as Chad Ross writes in his excellent book, Naked Germany, Health, Race and the Nation, a fascinating book about nudism in Germany