World Naked Bike Ride makes its Berlin debut

The World Naked Bike Ride set off in Berlin for the first time on Sunday, with hundreds of people cycling naked, or partially so, through the capital's streets on a very sunny day with temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius, police said.

The ride started in Mauerpark in east Berlin, close to the former border, and then headed to the government quarter. Organizers said the more than 30-kilometre route was to follow the Berlin Wall Trail to Schönefeld, which is near the airport.

Participants had the choice of being partially or completely naked, organizers said - or "dressed or undressed in whatever way they themselves feel most comfortable."

"Tolerance and self-acceptance"

The organizers, on their website, said they wanted to adapt the old naked body culture, known as Freikörperkultur (FKK). Its motto? "Naked we are all equal."

They said it was about the diversity of human bodies rather than conformity. The aim was to send a signal for "tolerance and self-acceptance, closeness to nature and protection of the environment and for inclusion and diversity."

One of the organizers said ahead of the demonstration that one of the basic ideas of naturism was meeting naked because people then met without masks and without status symbols. The organizers also wanted to use the demonstration to promote their movement, as clubs and associations in Germany were seeing an increasing decline in membership, they said.