Pirita Says No to Nude Sunbathers
Tallinn's main beach, Pirita, will not have an area designated for nudists this summer, local authorities have decided.
The city's Pirita District Government has turned down a request by the Nudist Society to re-establish the apportioned area that existed during the 2008 bathing season, citing complaints from visitors.
Priit Pruul, spokesman for the Pirita District officials, told ERR News that problems had arisen because many of those using the area were in fact "exhibitionists" and not nudists. Most complaints, he said, came from parents with small children.
Õhtuleht reported that the head of the Nudist Society, Olev Meremaa, had proposed setting up a fence to control who would be using the area.
However, Pruul said that setting up such a fence would be illegal since the beach is a public area and access cannot be restricted.
Steve Roman