75 years of the Association of Alpine Clubs in Austria

At this year’s general meeting on November 21st, 2024 of the Association of Alpine Clubs in Austria in the ballroom of the Alpine Club Austria, not only important decisions were made for the coming year, but also the 75th anniversary of the association was celebrated. In the festive setting, the chairmen and delegates of the 12 member associations elected the board and the president for the next term of office. Afterwards, representatives from politics, guests of honor and former officials from the club’s history looked back on 75 years of strong commitment to mountain sports and alpine infrastructure and discussed visions for the future.

In the last few months, the focus has been on the campaign currently underway together with the Alpine Club, Nature Friends and the Austrian Tourist Club. This “emergency call from the Alps” is aimed at the federal government, because in order to secure the Alpine infrastructure, the clubs urgently need a one-off special funding of 95 million euros. “The past year was marked by intensive efforts to raise awareness of the issue both in public and in politics in order to achieve this important goal. Our demand is more urgent than ever,” emphasizes VAVÖ President Gerald Dunkel-Schwarzenberger.

Since its founding in 1949, the Association of Alpine Clubs in Austria has fulfilled its function as an important link and coordination point as the umbrella organization of the 12 most important mountaineering clubs. He has been committed to preserving the Alpine infrastructure and protecting the Alpine mountains for 75 years. In addition to representing the association’s interests to public authorities and training alpine management staff, one of the association’s core tasks is the central processing of funding.

Close cooperation with politicians is essential for this task. Tourism State Secretary Ms Mag. Susanne Kraus-Winkler emphasizes: “The Alpine infrastructure has and has always had a special importance for tourism, as hiking, climbing and mountaineering are among the most popular sports activities for our summer guests. That’s why we’ve been supporting the Alpine infrastructure with federal tourism funding for over 40 years.”

In a festive atmosphere he led the way former managing director Rudolf Kaupe through the history of the last 75 years. A story that has its origins shortly after the Second World War. “With the founding of VAVÖ, a first step towards cooperation between Alpine clubs was taken. This developed slowly over the decades. Common interests such as overcoming the challenges posed by maintaining the Alpine infrastructure helped enormously in quickly overcoming initial differences,” explains Kaupe.

Today, the consequences of climate change pose major challenges for Alpine clubs. Increased damage caused by extreme weather events, among other factors, led to the “emergency call from the Alps”. But the emergency call did not go unnoticed; the Federal Ministry of Labor and Economic Affairs sent the first important signal in August this year with an immediate measure: “With an additional three million euros, we were able to enable the renovation of several shelters. But it is also clear that maintaining the Alpine infrastructure is a task for all of us and that national solidarity is needed between the federal government, states and regions. With this in mind, I wish you all the best for your 75th anniversary and a continued successful future,” said State Secretary Mag. Kraus-Winkler, congratulating her on the anniversary.

Only through the tireless efforts of the Alpine clubs can the Austrian mountain landscape be developed and remain accessible to everyone. The VAVÖ has been committed to these overarching goals since its founding, most recently with the ongoing campaign to save huts and paths in Austria.