FKK: New show sheds light on Germans' love for shedding their clothes
Germans (well, many of them) like to go nude. Whether it's in the sauna or at designated areas at beaches or lakes, Freikörperkultur (FKK) - which roughly translates as free body culture, or naturism - is surprisingly big across the country.
A new exhibition in the northern German city of Hanover dubbed "Unter Nackten" - "Among the Naked" - traces the history of the FKK movement in Germany from its beginnings during the German Empire at the end of the 19th century to the 1970s.
Nude culture, as it was called in the early days of the German Empire, was part of the Lebensreform (life reform) movement that emerged in the mid-19th century. Its followers longed to escape the polluted cities and live a healthier lifestyle.
"The stressed urban bodies were supposed to recover through light, air and sun," explained the exhibition's curator Cornelia Regin on Thursday at the museum of Hanover's Herrenhausen castle.
At that time, however, people did not completely take off their clothes when engaging in so-called air bathing; men wore swimming trunks while women wore thin "light dresses," instead of the long-sleeved, high-necked garments with a corset underneath that were customary in everyday life.
The show opening on Sunday and running until September 1 is based on a unique collection of FKK exhibits kept by the Lower Saxony Institute for Sports History in Hanover since 2011.
In addition to numerous photographs, writings and posters, historical films and audio documents are also on display.
Organizers have also reconstructed a so-called air hut. These small wooden houses were used in sanatoriums to allow patients to take in fresh air and light with as little clothing on as possible, sheltering them from view.
The exhibition also touches on the situation of nudist clubs during the Nazi regime and the different developments of the movement after Germany was divided into the Federal Republic of Germany and the communist East Germany.
Contemporary photographs by Julia Gaes, who accompanied a nude hiking group with her camera from 2014 to 2019, are also on display.
"Germany has a rich cultural and historical tradition of nudity and naturism," Alfred Sigloch, Chairman of the German Association for Nudism (DFK), told dpa.
During the coronavirus pandemic, many naturist clubs grew in number, he says, with the number of members in the federal association growing to almost 34,000 from 30,000 five years ago. "This can be attributed to the fact that the pandemic has encouraged many people to seek alternative and healthy outdoor leisure activities, among other things," said Sigloch.
In addition to the special exhibition "Among the Naked", the Herrenhausen Palace Museum showcases baroque treasures and famous personalities from Hanover's history in its permanent exhibition.
Admission includes a visit to the Great Garden and the Berggarten.
