(23 Aug 2013) Either this cheeky couple have forgotten to pack their swimming costumes or they're heading to the beach at Europe's largest naturist resort. The European Union's newest member, Croatia, has arrived with a surprising boast - it claims to be the number one destination for naturists on the continent. Blessed with more than 1,000 islands and a stunning Adriatic coast, this Balkan country was among the first to allow naturism on its coast. This is Croatia's - and indeed Europe's - first naturism resort. Kees van der Schoot, a Dutch naturist, is here with with his wife Jeanne. He says: "We like to stay up in the morning, go naked in the water, go naked in the freedom, don't have to worry about clothes, about anything, that's what we like and that's why we live like this." It was founded in 1961, initially perched on a small island of the same name, near the town of Vrsar, on the northern peninsula of Istria. Koversada soon became very popular and spread over to the mainland, covering some 100 acres of land by 1971. Igor Vidas is the head of Koversada resort. He explains the camp's development: "Koversada was the first and is still the biggest naturism centre in Europe, set up in 1961, initially on the small island of Koversada, after which it was named as the naturism centre. After the first few years of visits by naturists in the Vrsar area, there was a need to spread the capacities for their accommodation, so we moved on to the mainland and Koversada in the next ten years, by 1971, took up about 100 acres and was at the moment one of the most visited camps in Europe." "The guests who are naturists, are, as a rule, regular guests, they the people who have been coming for years and always come back. Naturism is a way of life, a life together with nature, it's a specific way of spending holiday time but also more than that, people sometimes spend three, even the whole six months at Koversada," he adds. At first, the locals found it hard to accept naked men and women in their neighbourhood - Croats are typically staunch Roman Catholics and fairly conservative . But over the years, naturism became one of the trademarks of Croatian tourism, with naturist camps sprouting on various locations along the coast. Hotel manager, Kristijan Zuzic says: "At the start the local citizens were against that because it was very strange for them to have naked people in the vicinity, not so far away, but with the time they accepted that and it was fully normal" In the 1960s and 70s when Croatia was a member of the former, communist-run Yugoslavia, it welcomed naturists from all over Europe, who enjoyed the country's rocky coastline, crystal clear waters and pine forests. With the break-up of the former Yugoslavia and the war for independence in 1991, Croatia's tourism suffered because of the fighting. The end of the war in 1995, hailed the beginning of the revival, but unlike the rest of the tourism industry, Croatia's naturism sector suffered a decline. Despite naturism losing appeal throughout the rest of Europe, Croatia's secluded camps still attract many of the regular guests, who keep coming back. Manfred John, a German naturist, is one of Koversada's regulars. He comes not just for the atmosphere but also for its health benefits. He says: "There is a saying: 'Once Koversada, always Koversada'. We feel fantastic here, from the first year on. In the meantime I had my leg amputated, there is phantom pain, the climate here has positive influence and I feel less pain." But the beaches and the camp grounds at Koversada appeared far from fully booked during high season this July. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/c980c0caeab60337afec25b5ebce9560

• published: 31 Jul 2015
• views: 172361