Nudists in GDR and BRD

Bonn: Bund für Freikörperklutur e.V., [1955]. A5 sized stapled pamphlet with illustrated cover; 24 pp (including covers). This is a guide to nudist beaches in West Germany and Austria.

Together with:

Baden Ohne. FKK zwischen Mövenport und Talsperre Pöhl. Leipzig: VEB Tourist Verlag Berlin, 1985. 3rd edition. A5 sized stapled illustrated wrappers; 64 pp. An extensively illustrated guide to nudist beaches in East Germany.

Both overall very good.

Two guides to German nudist beaches — one from West Germany (1955) and the other from East Germany (1985).

Freikörperkultur (FKK) translates to ​“Free Body Culture.” It is a movement that originated in the German Empire around 1898. FKK is an attitude towards life, according to which the naked body is no reason for feelings of shame. The communally practiced nudity of FKK goes hand in hand with mutual acceptance and a positive body image. The nudity of naturism has no sexual relation. FKK-inspired naturism in Germany was especially popular in East Germany after World War II, possibly because of a more secular cultural development. These two booklets help us understand the difference in the development of nudist culture in West Germany and East Germany.

Neither book in the United States per OCLC. The 1955 publication is objectively scarce with OCLC locating only one copy worldwide (in Germany) and no copies currently in the trade.