Artur Fedor Fuchs and the FKK

When other groups were being banned or disbanded due to political conflict during the 1930s, the nationalist ideology became connected with National Socialism.

The 'German Life Reform League' broke apart into political factions during this time.

The Nationalist physician Artur Fedor Fuchs began the 'League for Free Body Culture '(FKK), giving public lectures on the healing powers of the sun in the "Nordic sky", which "alone strengthened and healed the warrior nation".

Ancient forest living, and habits presumed to have been followed by the ancient tribes of Germany, were beneficial to regenerating the Aryan people, according to Fuchs' philosophy.

Han Sùren, a prominent former military officer, published 'Man and the Sun' (1924), which sold 240,000 copies; by 1941 it was reissued in 68 editions.

Sùren promoted the Aryan Master Race concept of physically strong, militarized men who would be the "salvation" of the German people.

Freikörperkultur

In many parts of central Europe up until the 18th century, people bathed naked in rivers and lakes, although often separately by sex.

Beginning in the late 18th century, public nudity became increasingly taboo, though this never penetrated into sparsely-populated Scandinavia.

At the same time, Lord Monboddo (1714-1779) practiced and preached nude bathing as a revival of Ancient Greek attitudes toward nudity.

This found literary reference in Georg Christoph Lichtenberg's (1742-1799) book 'Das Luftbad'.

In 1898 the first FKK club was founded in Essen.

In 1900 more and more Swedish baths arose in rooms in Berlin and on the North and Baltic seas.

A few years before there were mixed sex baths in many places, which, although requiring contemporary, modest bath clothes, were either forbidden or regarded as immoral.

Freikörperkultur - FKK

Behind the FKK movement lay an attitude towards life in which the naked body is not shameful.

The nudity of FKK should not involve sexuality.

In this light, the need to be nude in the shower or sauna does not belong with Freikörperkultur, since it's practically necessary.

In FKK, nudity has prior group consensus, and therefore demands no reserved zones, such as separate beaches or club areas.

Freikörperkultur - FKK

A while later, after the political liberalization, conservative circles tried to challenge the increasingly popular (especially among urban intellectuals) nude baths as a corruption of morality.

The first nude beach in Germany was established in 1920 on the island of Sylt.

In 1933 after the National Socialists came to power, nudist organizations were integrated into the NSDAP.

The first dissertation about the FKK movement was written in the 1930s.

Himmler and the SS supported Naturism.

The 'Kampfring für völkische Freikörperkultur', established in May 1933, was a National Socialist völkisch umbrella body for German Freikörperkultur nudist groups, which excluded Jews and communist nudist groups.

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