NATURFREUNDE BUNDESORGANISATION

Naturfreunde Österreich is an Austrian association brand active in leisure, nature and environmental protection, with a stated history of over 130 years. Its official site presents membership benefits, a calendar, 140 Naturfreunde huts, a tour portal with around 600,000 tour suggestions, holiday travel booking, and a leisure partner exchange. The organization reports roughly 50 employees across Austria and over 9,500 volunteers, and its youth organization, Naturfreundejugend Österreich, has 50,000 members aged 0 to 30. Its federal chair is Andreas Schieder.

According to the official history page, Alois Rohrauer was elected as the first Obmann (chair). The association's motto "Hand in Hand durch Berg und Land" was found early on, and Karl Renner designed the club badge with the handshake symbol standing for solidarity and three alpine roses. On 15 July 1897 the first issue of the club magazine "Der Naturfreund" appeared in a print run of 400 copies. In 1905 the first groups formed in Germany and Switzerland, and Naturfreunde Internationale was founded. The first Naturfreunde ski school opened, and thousands of members learned the Zdarsky skiing technique on the meadows of the Vienna Woods. In 1906 the Naturfreunde began an eight-year struggle for free right of way in mountain areas; after World War I free right of way in mountain areas was anchored in law in some federal states, and in 1975 free walkability of forests. The Naturfreunde greeting "Berg Frei!" reflects this success. In 1907 the first Naturfreunde house opened on the Padasterjoch in the Stubai Alps (Tyrol) at an altitude of 2,232 m. In 1910 "Naturschutz" (nature conservation) was added to the statutes as a club goal. In 1918 a lecture series on tourism began at the Ottakringer Arbeiterheim, marking the start of the successful Vienna mountaineering school. The official site states the organization has been active for over 130 years.

Association brand focused on affordable leisure, free access to mountains and lived environmental protection.

• Membership

• Naturfreunde huts

• Tour portal

• Holiday travel booking

• Calendar "Zauber der Berge" 2027

• Leisure partner exchange

1. 1Naturfreunde Österreichnaturfreunde.at
2. 2Geschichte der Naturfreundenaturfreunde.at
3. 3Die Naturfreunde Österreichnaturfreunde.at
4. 4Das große Team der Naturfreunde Österreichnaturfreunde.at