The Dutch naturist movement dates from the 1920s, when three small clubs were set up, including the Vrije Lichaams-Kultuurbeweging [Free Body Culture Movement, 1926-1945], which allowed only “Aryans” to join.
The Amsterdam Bond van Lichtvrienden [Union of Friends of Light, 1931-1935] was socialist. In this case, “Light” was a synonym for “Nudity”. The Friends of Light organized picnics and sports events outdoors, but they did not have their own recreational sites.
It was not until after the Second World War that the first such site was established, when the Verbond van Nederlandse Naturisten Zon en Leven [League of Dutch Naturists Sun and Life] was set up.
The league organized special campsites for nudists and published a monthly naturist magazine, Zonnewijzer [Sundial]. The first such site, De Vier Elementen [The Four Elements], opened its gates on a small island near Loosdrecht in 1949. Dutch naturism was family oriented. In Zonnewijzer coy pictures of happy families abound.
In the 1950s and 1960s the League had fewer than a thousand members. This increased during the 1970s, a period of great social change, and the Nederlandse Federatie van Naturistenverenigingen [Dutch Federation of Naturist Associations, NFN, was founded. The first nude beach opened in 1973 near Callantsoog. Nude bathing was technically illegal, but thanks to the characteristically Dutch policy of “turning a blind eye” (gedoogbeleid) nude beaches began to appear all along the coast. In 1985 a bill was passed legalizing recreational nudity. Nude resorts became very popular, though the naturist ideology that originally underpinned nudity gradually faded. Nowadays, the motto of the NFN, which represents those interested in recreational nudity and naturism, is simply: Enjoy Going Naked in Holland and Abroad.