The Dortmund-Ems canal is a very long canal (over 250 kilometers) that passes through the city of Münster. Within the city limits of Münster and about 10 kilometers north of the city center, part of the canal in the village of Gelmer is an FKK area.

The canal was constructed in the 1890's. Just north of Gelmer, a stretch of about 2 kilometers of the waterway was re-routed into a parallel channel in the 1930's. In more recent years, the old canal channel (parts of which are now dry) has evolved into a recreation area. The red line is drawn around the shoreline of a segment of the old canal that is now effectively a long, narrow pond. This pond stretches about 700 meters but is slightly less than 30 meters across.

Sunbathers gather along the shoreline of the pond—mostly along the southeastern shoreline, where there is more of a lawn than on the opposite side. Toward the southwest end of the pond (closer to Gelmer), the crowd tends to be textile. As you go to the northeast (away from Gelmer), nude bathing becomes more common.

If you keep going past the end of the pond (i.e., away from Gelmer), you will reach a historic aqueduct over the river Ems. The aqueduct, over 100 years old, is a handsome arched bridge, but it no longer carries water. (The newer, active aqueduct is less than 200 meters to the northwest, downstream.) It is possible to go down to the riverbank, and nude sunbathing also takes place along the Ems near the old aqueduct. The crowd along the Ems tends to be mostly gay men. The segment of the river in the immediate vicinity of the two aqueducts is drawn in aqua.

The German word Kanalüberführung, literally "canal bridge," is basically synonymous with "aqueduct." It is often abbreviated "KÜ." Locally, KÜ is often a shorthand way of referring to the FKK area in Gelmer.

more info (in German) from nacktbaden.de

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GPS: 52.0389, 7.6787

municipality, district, region, state, country
  Münster, [urban], Münster, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

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