Südtiroler Bildungszentrum (SBZ)

The Südtiroler Bildungszentrum (SBZ) is a non-profit cooperative based in South Tyrol (Südtirol / Alto Adige), the German-speaking autonomous province of Bolzano/Bozen in northern Italy. It was founded on 9 October 1971 as a cooperative with limited liability operating on the mutual-benefit principle and without a commercial purpose. According to its statutes, the SBZ exists to promote educational undertakings in South Tyrol through ideal and material support, and to fill existing gaps in that field with its own events and programmes. For decades the SBZ has acted as a private sponsor of projects and as a point of contact for cultural affairs in the broadest sense. Its work was underpinned by support from the provincial government for tasks of eminent institutional interest for the cultural consolidation of the province in the post-war period and alongside the construction of autonomous competences and structures. Operating as a cooperative gave the SBZ the advantage of being able to handle such matters without the formal constraints that bind the provincial administration, and it also opened access to additional financing channels. The range of activities has been wide: support for cultural and artistic work and for the training of local academic talent; comparative-law glossaries and publications on Italian law and taxation in German; and acting as an incubation and development site for institutions such as the provincial college for health professions Claudiana, the Museion (museum of contemporary art) and the European Academy Eurac, among others. It has also served as a cross-border platform for encounters in the Tirol–Südtirol–Trentino area. In parallel with its working-student courses, the SBZ moved in the 1970s into the development and delivery of para-university training courses. Today the SBZ describes itself as characterised by diversity and flexibility, reflected both in the projects implemented over 50 years and in its current activities and the composition of its board. Its website lists a president, a vice-president and several board members, and it continues to run cultural and educational initiatives, including music and song events such as the Eppaner Liedsommer and services for South Tyrolean chroniclers (Chronikwesen).

The Südtiroler Bildungszentrum (SBZ) was founded on 9 October 1971 as a cooperative with limited liability (Genossenschaft mit beschränkter Haftung) based on the mutual-benefit principle and without a commercial purpose. Its statutes set out the goal of promoting educational undertakings in South Tyrol through ideal and material support and of closing existing gaps in this area through its own events. For decades the SBZ played an important role as a private sponsor of projects and as a point of contact for cultural affairs in the broadest sense. This role rested on support from the provincial government for tasks of eminent institutional interest for the cultural consolidation of the province in the post-war period and alongside the construction of autonomous competences and corresponding structures. The cooperative form gave the SBZ the advantage of being able to handle such matters without the formal requirements that bind the provincial administration, and it also made it possible to use additional financing channels. The spectrum of tasks ranged from support for cultural and artistic activity and the training of local academic talent, through comparative-law glossaries and publications on Italian law and taxation in German, to acting as an incubation and development site for the provincial college for health professions Claudiana, the Museion (museum of contemporary art) and the European Academy Eurac, among others. It also served as a cross-border platform for encounters in the Tirol–Südtirol–Trentino area. In parallel with its working-student courses, the SBZ in the 1970s turned to the development and delivery of para-university training courses. Over more than 50 years it has continued to implement projects and to adapt its activities, describing itself today as characterised by diversity and flexibility, reflected in its projects, current activities and board composition. Its website continues to present cultural and educational offerings, including the Eppaner Liedsommer and services for South Tyrolean chroniclers.

• 1971

  SBZ founded on 9 October 1971 as a non-profit cooperative with limited liability.

• 1970

  In the 1970s the SBZ developed and delivered para-university training courses alongside working-student courses.

A non-profit, publicly supported cooperative acting as a flexible private vehicle for cultural, educational and social projects in South Tyrol.

• Eppaner Liedsommer

  Music and song event programme listed on the SBZ website.

• Chronikwesen Südtirol

  Information and support for chroniclers in South Tyrol.

• Para-university continuing education

  Training courses developed by the SBZ since the 1970s.

1. 1Südtiroler Bildungszentrum: Homesbz.it
2. 2Südtiroler Bildungszentrum: Geschichtesbz.it
3. 3Südtiroler Bildungszentrum: Über unssbz.it
4. 4Südtiroler Bildungszentrum: Vorstandsbz.it
5. 5Südtiroler Bildungszentrum (SBZ)wikidata.org