Ach, nein! Swiss village fights back after invasion of naked Germans

Ach, nein! Swiss village fights back after invasion of naked Germans

By Eddie Wrenn
Last updated at 11:20 AM on 30th January 2009


The Swiss village of Appenzell is now off-limits for hikers like these thanks to a £122 'nudity fine'

A Swiss Alpine village is trying to ban an unwelcome German invasion... nudist ramblers who have taken a liking to hiking with nothing but a rucksack on the back.

Officials in Appenzell are instituting a fixed fine for anyone caught on the mountainside wearing just a pair of boots following an influx of naked walkers, who were encouraged to pay a visit by a German nudist organisation.

The group suggested the area's lax rules made it an ideal spot for a walk as nature intended, but the recommendation has left the town red-faced at their bare-faced cheek.

Local government secretary Markus Dörig said: 'Local people were offended by the visitors. It became clear there was a desire to fine people.

'We live in the countryside and people here want to live a quiet and undisturbed life. These incidents were really annoying.'

The area already has a statutory provision in place to allow fines to be imposed, but it required members of the public to put their name on a report of the incident, which rarely happened.

'It was maybe a little embarrassing for people to speak,' said Mr Dörig. 'That made it very difficult for us to do anything.'

The law was changed last Wednesday to allow the police to act without a formal complaint , and now any nude walkers can be hit with a cheek-clenching fine of 200 Swiss francs (£122).

Locals had positive reaction to the rules. Stephanie Sutter, who works in the local tourist office, told The Independent: 'They had to do something before it exploded this year. It's sort of a joke. But there are lots of kids hiking in this area and they shouldn't have to face these people.'


The picturesque village of Appenzell, where the mountains reach 2,5000m in height, has seen an influx of naked hikers

However Barbara Foley, a member of the central committee of the International Naturist Foundation, said: 'I can understand that we all have to live in this world together.

'But I would certainly enjoy doing the hike in the nude and I wouldn't want to be deprived of it. It's nice to feel the sun on your skin. Maybe they should designate a couple of trails and people would know they might come across naturists there.'

The new fine leaves the Harz mountain range in Germany as the undisputed favourite naturist spot. Two villages have boosted their tourism by declaring themselves nudity-friendly holiday spots.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1132194/Ach-nein-Swiss-village-fights-invasion-naked-Germans.html