The Deutscher Verband für Freikörperkultur (DFK; German Association for Free Body Culture) represents the interests of organized supporters of the

Freikörperkultur The Freikörperkultur (FKK) is a social and health culture that originated in the German Empire; its beginnings were historically part of the ''Lebensreform'' social movement in the late 19th century. The ''Freikörperkultur'', which translates ...

(free body culture) in Germany. The DFK is a member of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) as an association with special tasks for popular sports in

nude recreation Nude recreation refers to recreational activities which some people engage in while nude. Historically, the ancient Olympics were nude events. There remain some societies in Africa, Oceania, and South America that continue to engage in everyday p ...

. In addition, the DFK represents its members at the international level in the

International Naturist Federation The International Naturist Federation (INF) or Fédération naturiste internationale (FNI) or Internationalen Naturisten Föderation (INF) is the global umbrella organisation representing official national naturist societies. Membership The INF ...

(INF), which also sees itself as representing the interests of non-organized

naturists Naturism is a lifestyle of practising non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms a ...

History

The DFK was founded in

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...

on 6 November 1949 as the umbrella organization for the then three allied occupied zones in Germany (British, French and American). The entry in the register of associations took place in 1953 at the

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

District Court. In 1953, the DFK awarded an honorary membership to one of the pioneers of the

(FKK) movement,

Richard Ungewitter Richard Ungewitter (December 18, 1869 in Artern, Province of Saxony – December 17, 1958 in Stuttgart) was a German pioneer of the ''Freikörperkultur'' (free body culture) movement and one of its first organizers. There was a '' völkisch'' eleme ...

, despite the allegations of eugenics and anti-Semitic activities that had been made against him. Conversely, in 1964,

Adolf Koch Adolf Karl Hubert Koch (9 April 1897 in BerlinBirth Register: Standesamt Berlin IVa, Registration No. 343/1897 – 2 July 1970) was a German educationalist and sports teacher. He was the founder of a gymnastics movement named after him and a pio ...

, the socialist pioneer of Freikörperkultur in the former

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is al ...

, was excluded from the association because Koch's public relations work was considered too aggressive. In 2007 the DFK threatened to leave the

(INF). For a number of years before, the DFK had criticized, among others, the INF's alleged misuse of membership fees. After a personal discussion between the associations on 18 August 2007, the DFK remains one of the major net contributors to the INF. In 2009 the 60th anniversary of the DFK took place in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

. By far the most extensive collection on the historical and current situation of the ''Freikörperkultur'' (free body culture), the "International Naturist Library" (formerly the ''Damm - Baunatal'' Collection), is located in the in Hanover, Germany.

FKK-Youth

Analogous to the DFK is the "fkk-jugend e.V." (FKK-Youth) sports organization. This independent Freikörperkultur youth sports association is by contract the DFK's youth organization and represents - in addition to its direct members - the interests of around 8,000 children and young people in the DFK associations. The fkk-jugend e.V. has its roots in the

German Youth Movement The German Youth Movement (german: Die deutsche Jugendbewegung) is a collective term for a cultural and educational movement that started in 1896. It consists of numerous associations of young people that focus on outdoor activities. The movement ...

Organization

The DFK has its office in

Langenhagen Langenhagen ( Eastphalian: ''Langenhogen'') is a town in the Hanover district of Lower Saxony, Germany. History From 1866 to 1868 Robert Koch worked in Langenhagen. On June 18, 1972, Red Army Faction terrorist Ulrike Meinhof was arrested in La ...

, Hanover, Germany. In addition to the association's president, the

Presidium A presidium or praesidium is a council of executive officers in some political assemblies that collectively administers its business, either alongside an individual president or in place of one. Communist states In Communist states the presidi ...

includes a vice-president and one each for sport and finance, as well as a federal chairperson of the FKK-Youth.

References

External links

DFK homepageINF homepagefkk-jugend e.V. homepage
Clothing free organizations Naturism in Germany 1949 establishments in Germany Organizations established in 1949 {{Germany-org-stub

History

FKK-Youth

Organization

See also

References

External links