History of the Austrian Alpine Club

In the last 140 years the Austrian Alpine Club has reached a remarkable size and thus an importance which has influenced the development of the Alpine regions to a great extent. The Austrian Alpine Club, which had more than 271.000 members in the year 2000, has not only affected its members and their leisure activities but also the economic, social and cultural changes of the Alpine regions which occurred in the last one and a half centuries. Today`s tourism, the large number of mountain refuges amd pathes, the scientific exploration of the Alps and the training of mountain guides, to name but a few, wouldn`t exist without the foundations laid by the Austrian Alpine Club. This project aims at a comprehensive and well-grounded scientific analysis of the Austrian Alpine Club from its beginning in 1862 up to the present considering the background of Austrian social and economic history. Research will be done on the Austrian Alpine Club itself (its members, structure and organisation, goals and variety of sections and activities) as well as on the effects the Austrian Alpine Club has had on its surroundings. This includes the scientific exploration of the Alps, the construction of mountain refuges and pathes, the establishing of mountain rescue teams and the training of mountain guides, the fostering of cultural activities, the support of expeditions, the development of mountaineering as a sport, comprehensive acitivities for the preservation of nature amd international contacts. Furthermore, changes in society initiated by the Austrian Alpine Club, for instance the inhabitants of the Alps being confronted with wealthy people from large cities, will be discussed. The set of values and the ideological stimulation of its members as well as the consequences resulting from that shall be evaluated.

From its formation in 1862 to the end of World War I the Austrian Alpine Club has reached a remarkable size and an importance which have influenced the development of the Alpine regions to a great extent. The Austrian Alpine Club, presently the second largest club in Austria with more than 300.000 members, did not only affect its members and their leisure activities but also contributed profoundly to the economic, social and cultural changes of the Alpine regions which took place in the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. Today`s alpine tourism with all its direct and indirect effects, the development of our modern alpine infrastructure by building a large number of mountain refuges amd pathes, the scientific exploration of the Alps and the training of mountain guides, to name but a few, wouldn`t exist without the foundations laid by the Austrian Alpine Club. Additionally, the Alpine Club realised the importance of the protection of natural resources at an early time and committed itself to the preservation of nature, took on charity tasks in the Alpine regions, established mountain rescue teams, published detailled maps, fostered cultural activities, Alpine literature and art, supported expeditions, started activities for young people and had a deep impact on the development of the sport mountaineering. The Alpine Club combined ideal with practical goals. On the one hand, the club tried to give its members, who mainly lived in cities, spiritual and physical stimulations. The pleasures of mountain nature should relax city dwellers, restore their energy and act as a counterpart to the damaging effects of `too much culture`. Mountaineering should further give people the chance to prove character qualities such as determination, bravery and presence of mind. Alpinism as seen by the club members constisted of active mountain ventures and trips on which the members went together, as well as passive mountaineering such as sociable meetings, lectures, dances, discussions and publications. On the other hand, the practical work of the Alpine Club enabled tourists to travel around the Alps more comfortably. Furthermore, the Alpine Club aimed at bringing new sources of income to the local inhabitants, for instance in tourism, and therefore giving people in the Alps a higher standard of living. In addition to that the middle-class club members wanted to educate the `backward` people in the valleys and bring `culture` upon them. Whereas doing sports was considered selfish and was therefore rejected, the Alpine Club stressed its charitable mission, which was appreciated by the public as well as political and administrative boards. Because of its huge expansion the club could claim in 1913 that there was no larger town or city without a branch of the Alpine Club from the North Sea to Lake Constance, from the Baltic to the Adriatic Sea. A deep caesura took place in World War I causing a radicalisation which had serious consequences for the following years.