INF WORLD CONGRESSES

• INF WORLD CONGRESSES - 1953 - Read more...

  The 3rd Naturist World congress was held in the Centre Helio Marin in Montalivet/Gironde/France on 22nd and 23rd August 1953. The French emphasized the condition that the letters “FNI“ must be added to the letters “INF“, because for the French naturists the name of the organisation was “Fédération Naturisme Internationale“. The name “INTERNATIONAL NATURIST FEDERATION“ was chosen, instead of “World-Union“, as proposed by the Americans. Right from the beginning the trilinguism was fixed, namely English, French and German, based on the order from the 2nd World congress 1952, Albert Lecocq, Dorothy Thornton and Erhard Wächtler had submit¬ted complete proposals for the “Constitution and Rules“. A – provisional – final refinement had been made to these Statutes. Those days Europe still was split into 4 occupation zones, communication and travel beyond bor¬ders were impeded by customs barriers and visa; order and economy were barely kept alive by the “Marshall plan“.
  At the time of the founding meeting in Montalivet, the French transport services (Post, telegraph, railways...) were on strike, and this during seven full weeks. Yet, people came by airplane, private car and by hitch hike: delegates and accompanying persons from Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Great Britain, Belgium, Netherlands, Portugal and USA, and of course the French hosts. As first President the Assembly elected the Austrian Delegate of the IG, Dr. Richard Ehrmann, Vienna, for three years.
  Albert Lecocq/France, Erhard Wächtler/Germany, Eduard Frankhauser/Switzerland and Dorothy Thornton/Great Britain became Vice-presidents. The President appointed Paul Neumann as his Secretary and Ludwig Hruschka as INF Treasurer. It had been decided that for the financing of the INF-FNI the Member Nations should pay an annual fee of 1.0.0. Pounds for each beginning 10 of their clubs, the minimum fee being fixed at 1.0.0. Pounds.
  As of 1954 an International Membership card should be implemented, (today the INF-card). This Naturist World Congress also defined the tasks for the INF: Representation of supranational interests of the Naturist Movement worldwide, promotion and maintai¬ning relationships between the national federations in the whole world, facilitation of mutual visits as well as clarification and processing of all questions of common interests.
  The Congress also passed a „Chart and Protocol“, in which the term of “Naturism“ was explained in detail. It stated here: In order to avoid any misunderstanding of the term “Naturism“, following definition was adopted: Naturism stands for the entity of all rules, aiming to help people to live a natural life. Naturism also is a synthe¬sis of ideas and methods to search for an ideal of beauty, for truth and freedom for all people, regardless of race.
  Naturism seeks a harmonious balance for everybody, in all sectors: physical, mental, etc... It is intere¬sted in every social reform, which enhances the situation of individual persons and their mutual relations.

• INF WORLD CONGRESSES - 1954 - Read more...

  4th -  1954, Lobau, Vienna, Austria
  35 countries were represented at the INF, but in various forms. For this reason the Congress decided to divide the various types of memberships in specific categories. After an extended discussion following reg¬ulation was implemented:

  • Category A includes solidly established, larger country organizations;
  • Category B comprises all other groups or organizations in one country, which however must accept that an A Member of the same country has the right to officially represent this country at the INF World Congresses. Finally,
  • Category C includes all groups or clubs of those countries where naturism is for¬bidden, besides single persons or correspondents from countries, where naturist organizations do not yet exist.

  According to this categorization the INF included following members in 1954:

  • 10 A-Members,
  • 9 B-Members
  • 16 C-Members.

  The lectures during this Congress brought many valuable thoughts and several new points of view, the discussions gave insight to the ideas of other people, and the country reports were valuable and produced many insights.
  Yet, words and ideas remained within their own cycles! Nobody talked to the outer world, the understanding, questioning and also misunderstanding world.
  Publicity was still missing. In retro¬spect, Ise Dissen wrote following about this congress: „Vienna 1954! We travelled to Vienna with great enthusiasm – everything still was fresh and new. OUR INF was only 1 year old! All of us were fully pas¬sionate, about all what we had achieved – and the friends in Vienna about the international guests. We felt being a large family - which indeed we were! As at those days the INF still had no money, we were lodging at the members of the Vienna Naturist Organisation, it was a great pleasure and cheerfulness.
  And all of Vienna seemed to be a large naturist family! As we all bore a name badge, we met friends everywhere, on the roads, in the tramways, and of course on the ferries crossing the Danube.“

• INF WORLD CONGRESSES - 1956 - Read more...

  5th 1956, BffL Hannover, Hannover, Germany
  he 5th INF World Congress took place in Hanover/Germany from 24th till 26th
  August 1956, organized by the DFK.
  During his welcome speech the INF President Richard Ehrmann talked about a Congress of probation. „The 5th World Congress must be a Congress of Probation, not only for our International Federation, but for the movement altogether.
  During the 3rd General Meeting of the INF Committee, which took place at the same time, the INF Committee will have to prove that it has worked in pursuit of the statutory objectives, to the
  best of their knowledge and belief, and has tried to press ahead to our international cooperation.“The delegates were welcomed by the Mayor Wilhelm Weber, who said, among other things, said: „I would like to heartily welcome you at the start of the 5th World Congress in Hanover. I want to especially greet all those who came from foreign countries. Their large number shows me, how widespread your organization is in the world.
  According to what I see in your program, your efforts are primarily aimed to promote people’s health.... I wish you that your meeting in Hanover will have a pleasant development. I hope you will enjoy your stay with us and you will take home good memories of Hanover and your events.“
  The number of the groups affiliated to BSBA/Great Britain now was 30, there were 23 sites.
  Portugal announced a 20% increase of members. A small club has been created in Luxembourg, which
  joined the DFK Association of Aachen/Germany. Yugoslavia could not present positive news during this congress. The attempt to gather the local naturists at a club level had failed. The application of the club had been rejected, with the reason that„the association is not conform to our social structure.“ Several years will have to pass by till the Yugoslav naturists would be able to join together in associations.
  The INF had contacts with different groups, like in Argentina, Japan, India, Belgian Congo, Egypt, Mexico and Ruanda-Urundi. In these countries, too, attempts to found associations failed due to opposition by the authorities. Dr. Richard Ehrmann withdrew his candidacy as president. The Danish editor Erik Holm became new INF President. His assistants were the Vice-presidents Erhard Wächtler/DFK, Albert Lecocq/FFN and Edi Fankhauser/ONS, in addition Ise Dissen/NFN and Alois Knapp/ ASA, Dr. Richard Ehrmann/Austria and Arthur Hodgson/Great Britain as well as Secretary Paul Neumann from Austria.
  René Kielinger/ Switzerland remained the President of the Legal Commission. This commission received the task to elaborate new pro¬posals as to the division into the various mem¬bership categories. The Con¬gress protested by a resolution against the actions by the Federal Government in Bonn towards natu¬rism in the Federal Republic of Germany, about which a report already had been made earlier. (Please refer to 1953, August). The first edition of a „Naturist Guide“, where most of the naturist sites were listed, had been issued in Germany. Because of its German ori¬gin, this manual was called the „Naturist Holiday Guide“. Today this holiday guide is published in a totally new design as „FKK-Weltführer/Guide-Mondial /World- Handbook“. The INF was registered as proper association in Paris. This registration was very important, in order that the INF was able to execute legal for¬malities. During the 5th World congress the exhibition ,,Freikörperkultur im Bild“ (Naturism in Pictures) was shown for the first time, an exhibition with about 250 pictures, drawn up by Rudolf Beißbarth, the 2nd President and the Cultural Advisor of the DFK. Following the Congress the exhibition was shown in a number of German cities as well as in Austria (Vienna, Graz).