The big splash - A history of bathing culture

… was the refrain from a popular German tune of the 1950s. Warm water, blue skies and endless sunshine attracted millions of Germans to the beaches of the North Sea. Those with no beach nearby went swimming at the next best quarry, lake or public pool. People have been enthralled by water for thousands of years and every era has had its own bathing culture.

The early Romans were already big fans of public baths, like the reconstruction shown here of a spa from that period. Alternating between hot, warm and cold pools, the Roman men and women worked up a sweat, or froze - in separate areas, of course. The Roman spas primarily served personal hygiene, but they were also a meeting point for gossip, relaxation - and business.

After the fall of the Roman empire, the spas fell into disrepair. But people during the Middle Ages were by no means afraid of water. In bathhouses, like this one, people climbed into tubs, although the Catholic Church condemned excessive bathing as sinful. Just as in Rome, the bathhouse was a place to meet and mix. And sometimes it was a hotbed of sin where men and women got together.

Water isn't just water. Mineral springs were a big draw among the affluent of the 15th century seeking a quicker cure for their ills. "A lot helps a lot" was the motto at the time and spa guests spent long hours soaking in special tubs. Plenty of food, plenty to drink and extensive partying rounded out the health regimen. The clergy frowned on so much exuberance.

Over the centuries, however, spa go-ers began to step out of their tubs and head for the sea. Heiligendamm on the Baltic coast was Germany's first outdoor saltwater spa in 1793 and still exists today. It was a draw for guests from around the world, including a Russian czar. Heiligendamm was an expensive destination that only the rich could afford. The rest of the populace swam in lakes or rivers.

It didn't take long for more seaside spas to spring up. However, it was considered unchaste for women to bathe anywhere near the men. One solution was the horse-drawn bath cart. It carried the guest from the beach into the water where a woman could then discretely slip into the refreshing froth unseen. Many cities not on the sea also began setting up public baths along rivers.

"Manly Elegance at the Ahlbeck Spa for Men" is on display in this photo from the island of Usedom. The Baltic resort was a summer retreat in the early 20th century that more and more people could afford. But, there were no women here. The ladies had their own area farther down the beach. It wasn't until the 1920s that married couples in Germany were allowed to bathe together.

It didn't take long after that for bathing to become a popular pastime. Around 1900, many cities already had public pools that almost anyone could afford. For those who didn't want to pay there was always a local swimming hole nearby, like Wann Lake in Berlin. Swimming became a sport for the masses: "Every German should take a bath once a week ", recommended a dermatologist around 1870.

Proponents of nude bathing were a shocking development. The happy-go-lucky skinny-dippers, who pre-dated the back-to-nature hippy movement by more than half a century, unleashed a storm of protest among the guardians of public morals. Swedish bathing, as it was called in Germany, first appeared around 1900 and was supposed to work against effeminate behavior.

Germans living in communist East Germany after World War II also wanted to go swimming - and not just in the Baltic. But, unlike their West German cousins, they were not allowed to vacation in the West. Lake Balaton in Hungary was the alternative. The East Germans always brought canned goods along; otherwise, the trip would have been too expensive for them.

Everybody goes swimming nowadays. On many beaches people are packed like sardines. But deserted coves still exist – provided they haven't been touted in the news media as 'secret.' And back home, of course, there is always the public pool, which is usually not as full as many of the beaches in Spain. Whatever your preference, though, somewhere there is a bathing culture for you.