For decades, Germans holidaying on the white sandy beaches of Usedom have opted to leave their swimming trunks at home. Their penchant for naked bathing is nothing unusual in a country where naturism is popular and seen as, well, natural.
But this summer, border controls between Germany and Poland were dismantled as part of the Schengen agreement. Now flocks of Poles stroll along the leafy coastal paths to nearby German towns — and many are shocked by what they see.
“It is unheard of. People sunning themselves in the nude! And right on the coast, where normal people go walking,” Stanislawa Borecka, a 63-year-old from the Polish town of Szczecin, told the Markische Allgemeine newspaper. “What should I tell my grandson?”
But for Germans of all ages who enjoy swimming and sunbathing on naturist — or FKK (free body culture) — beaches, the disapproving glances from Polish walkers are incomprehensible and intrusive.
“It’s an FKK beach. It’s awful that fully dressed Polish people come and stare at us,” said 46-year-old Elke Bernholz.
Naturism is so popular on the Baltic coast island of Usedom that German travel agent OssiUrlaub selected it as a destination for its first nudist charter flight, a trip which was later canceled because of “moral concerns.”
The culture clash between the border towns is a recent phenomenon. Many cheered in December, when the barbed-wire fence was dismantled as part of the Schengen deal.
“Finally we can cross the border without passport controls,” said Szczecin’s mayor, Janusz Zmurkiewicz.
Little did he know that some German tourists prefer to stroll in their “birthday suits.” With the FKK beach lying close to the border, some naturists have strayed on to the Polish beach.
For many, that is a step too far.
“It is disgusting,” said Edward Zajac, a Szczecin politician who wants to move the FKK beach from the Polish border.
But the Germans, who have been unfolding their towels on the beach year in year out, are unlikely to want to move.
For the time being, authorities plan to put up signs marking the boundaries of the nudist beach — in both German and Polish.
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