Vienna nudists oppose plans for cable car over their beach

BERLIN -- Nudists in Austria are up in arms about plans for a cable car that would pass over a popular beach on the northern edge of Vienna where clothing is optional.

The country's Austria Press Agency on Friday quoted nudist Barbara Hausjell saying she feared for her privacy if cable car users with cellphone cameras are allowed to swoop across the area.

“I don't want to end up on the internet,” the 72-year-old told APA.

Project developer Hannes Dejaco sought to reassure nudists, saying the cable cars would only pass over the beach for a short stretch. In addition, the windows could be made to turn opaque automatically, he was quoted as saying.

A promotional video for the cable car project says it would go from the Heiligenstadt transit station across the Danube river and then back over to the Kahlenberg, a small mountain in the north of the capital. Some 115 gondolas with panoramic windows would offer a “breathtaking view across Vienna,” it says.