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The Beach Basket Experience

A Sandy Tribute to German Ingenuity

Take time out to visit a German beach and you'll come across covered wicker sofas that have been offering bathers comfort and protection for over a century. Rent one and you'll wonder why this triumph of practical design hasn't yet taken over the world.

Think of a British beach and you'll probably picture a pier, an amusement arcade, sticks of rock candy, sheets of rain and elderly couples staring at the sea from inside their parked cars as they eat sandwiches and drink tea from a thermos flask.

Think of an American one and a sunny boardwalk with hotdog stands, inline skaters and David Hasselhoff rescuing someone in slow motion may come to mind. You may associate the Australian seaside with surfers, sharks, beached whales and barbecues.

And German beaches? There, you're likely to draw a blank, unless you still associate everything German with World War II, in which case you may imagine concrete bunkers, barbed wire and rusting U-boats.

But the German seaside, though confined to relatively short stretches of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, is arguably one of the world's most distinctive -- and not just because of the chalk cliffs immortalized in the Caspar David Friedrich painting (and which, sadly, collapsed last year). Rather, German beaches are likely to be dotted with tens of thousands of covered wicker beach baskets called Strandkorb -- a feat of German ingenuity and furniture engineering.

The Germans attach a lot of importance to reliability and security, and the beach basket offers both. It protects the sitter from wind, rain and sun and is vastly superior to the common deck chair, not least because it isn't prone to sudden collapse.

A typical Strandkorb seats two people. Its roof can be tilted backwards and its back reclines into a comfortable sun-bathing position. The arm rests have foldable wooden airport-style trays for mealtimes and drawers at the base make for a great place to store books, unneeded garments and snacks. When pulled out, they transform into leg rests, making the Strandkorb a remarkably comfortable experience. And best of all, they are easy on the eye, often having brightly colored striped cotton linings. They are heavy but you can shift them around to catch or avoid the sun.

Rent one for the day or a few hours, and you'll have a pleasant base from which to enjoy the beach -- it's so ideal for the northern climate that it's surprising the Strandkorb isn't more widespread.

And they've had plenty of time to spread. The Strandkorb was invented in 1882 under Emperor Wilhelm I by Wilhelm Bartelmann, chief basketmaker to the imperial court who came up with the design after an elderly aristocratic lady suffering from rheumatism asked him to build a seat that would protect her from for the wind and sun on the beach. The design hasn't changed much since.

And the submarines you were expecting to see? For those, you'll have to head up to the Baltic port of Kiel. But we're betting you may decide to skip it. After all, beach baskets on a sunny day are difficult to leave behind.