Between Nazism and Democratic Tourism
With the arrival of warm weather, it’s common for people to cool off in the lakes and rivers found throughout Germany. In the Berlin area, for example, there are lakes in both urban and rural areas, but they all share one common feature: nudism.
This may surprise some tourists, but for locals, it’s perfectly normal. It’s part of summer, just like barbecues or Biergartens, the country’s iconic beer gardens.
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Back to Nature
This nudism is the legacy of decades of nature worship, an entire philosophy of life that seeks to live in harmony with nature. The so-called “free body culture” or Freikörperkultur (known by its German acronym, FKK) dates back to the late 19th century.
“It was part of the life-reform movement with the slogan ‘Back to Nature,’ which aimed to resist industrialization,” explains Maren Morling, a professor of comparative cultural and social history in modern Europe at the University of Leipzig, to El País.
“The idea was precisely to expose the entire body to the sun and the air, so as to promote well-being. It also included exercise.”
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Anti-Semitic Implications
It became popular in the 1920s and, with the rise of Nazism, was seen as a way to promote the “perfect body of the Aryan race.”
Even the pro-Hitler filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl made documentaries featuring naked, athletic men. But at that time, as Morning points out, “the main purpose was to check whether the other person was healthy, which had, in part, anti-Semitic implications, since one could determine whether someone was circumcised.”
“Democratic Nudism”
After World War II, people distanced themselves from organized nudism. In the German Democratic Republic (GDR), associations were banned, and people simply practiced it on their own.
It began to be seen as a kind of “democratic nudity,” where everyone was equal. Initially, the GDR tried to suppress it, but in the 1970s it decided to tolerate it. Meanwhile, in West Germany, the beaches were clearly segregated.
Nudism and Goethe
“With reunification, this became a major problem. Hoteliers on the Baltic Sea would tell people: ‘You can no longer swim naked here, because many West Germans find it strange to see naked people when it’s not a nudist beach,’” Moring explains.
However, this practice continued at the lakes in the East.
But why was it so popular? According to Moring, if one analyzes it from a philosophical or even historical-cultural perspective, one must take into account Goethe’s belief that “Only the naked human is the true human.”
“Of course, he meant it metaphorically. But I believe there is a tradition of thought according to which covering oneself implies a desire to hide something,” she explains.
The Catholic Church as an Opponent
Religion also played a decisive role. The main German nudist centers are located in Protestant regions. “In Catholic regions, the situation was different,” he notes.
“The Catholic Church was the main opponent and filed numerous lawsuits against nudist associations for immorality.”
The future of nudism—or simply the pleasure of being naked in a lake—is uncertain due to the rise of social media.
“A Bright Future”
Young people are more cautious, fearing secret photos. However, the German Naturist Federation (DFK), which comprises 120 clubs, remains optimistic and foresees a “bright future.”
After years of decline, membership has risen from 32,000 in 2018 to about 35,000 today. It is worth noting that in East Germany there is no particular tradition of joining nudist clubs as a member, which makes it difficult to determine the exact number of enthusiasts.
An aging target group
DFK Vice President Manuela Fernandes, believes this increase is due to efforts to modernize the organization’s websites and social media presence, with the aim of attracting a younger audience.
At present, however, more than half of the members are 61 years of age or older.
“We’ve been developing our activities for about five years now,” he says. “I believe people have now come to understand that this is not an outdated, narrow-minded, or restrictive culture.
“Naturism is in harmony with nature. We want to live sustainably, protect the environment, and preserve it—and these are modern goals.”
Source: in.gr
