The summer 2008 is over and the local authorities in the German region of Harz are figuring out what attractions could astonish their visitors next year. They came up with quite an original solution – a nude hiking track. A naked trip in the beautiful countryside of the Harz National Park – that is surely something that could attract new visitors. This winter, a survey should make it clear whether there is a business potential for this unusual idea.
FKK (Freie Körperliche Kultur – Free Culture of Body) has a very long tradition in Germany. There are many nude clubs, societies and groups for singles, couples and even families with children. Especially in the pre-1989 era of split Germany, naked bathing and sunbathing belonged to popular leisure activities and the freedom of nakedness at least partially substituted for the lack of political, social and personal freedom. There were even plans for a “nude airline” to the FKK-Mecca, the island of Usedom, yet there were (of course) objections and so the experiment had to be given up. The official reason was “moral doubts”.
Now there is this bizarre plan for a route, where the hikers could enjoy their trips just as naked as they were created. The Harz Transport Association is now researching the market to find out whether the social climate is nude-friendly and whether there would be sufficient demand with the nudists.
“There is a group of clients, who would appreciate the possibility of nude hiking”, says the HVV Sales Manager Michael Lücke. “All we need is a positive feedback from the locals. Then, the project of the hiking track is realizable.”
In an interview for the Radio Saxony-Anhalt, Lücke also remarked that the route should of course be situated in the far-off parts of the national park so that the nude nature lovers do not interfere with the normal ones (who would probably be quite shocked to be confronted with a group of people wearing only their hiking boots and a huge backpack). No specific track has been chosen yet.