Austrian Tourist Club
The Austrian Tourist Club ( ÖTK ) is the second oldest and third largest alpine club in Austria.
History
The founding of the club goes back to the initiative of Gustav Jäger (1815-1875), editor of The Tourist, the first tourist journal of Austria. Hunter aiming with his interests, unlike the existing since 1862 Austrian Alpine Club, first and foremost to the natural conditions in its immediate homeland, Vienna and Lower Austria.
With the project of a club foundation, Gustav Jäger hit from spring 1869 regularly with like-minded people, including the Southern Railway officials Lambert March Roth, Paul Grohmann, Adolf Blamauer, Josef Anton Specht. Took place on May 18, 1869 Guest house " to screw ", Vienna I., St. Peter's Square 6 -6A, the constitution of the ÖTK. [Note 1] In the meeting held on August 2nd of this year the first meeting of the Committee ( who one year earlier retired ministry ) Gustav Ritter von Höfken ( 1811-1889 ) as chairman and, as his deputy, Gustav were elected hunter who by the way of the editorial offices, the Tourist, Vienna I., salt Gries 14, club accessions who accepted. On November 2, 1869, the first monthly meeting of the club took place. The scheduled respectively for the first Tuesday of the month meetings included convivial gatherings, offered the space for free speech and discussion. Meeting was the inn " for golden duck ", Vienna I., Schuler Street 24, corner of Riemergasse 4
Already on September 12, 1869 located at 1,737 m tourist house Stuhleck was initiated by Gustav Jäger and built, (later Gustav Hunter shelter ) festively opened [note. 2] In October 1869, the club gave the ( a few years later in the novel The Vulture Wally immortalized ) Mountain guides Benedict Klotz from Rofenhöfe 20 guilders as a contribution to the expansion of the shelter house at Hochjochferner.
The Austrian Tourist Club has its headquarters in Vienna and consists of 35 sections in Austria and a section in Dresden, Germany. In addition, three alpine associations from the Czech Republic and Hungary have joined the Association of ÖTK. The ÖTK 1910 had included the sections in neighboring countries still about 30,000 members, shrank after the wars and in consequence to 1986 to around 15,000 in 2013 holds around 25,000 members.
Its aim is to expedite the recovery and operating in the high mountains. Also operates the ÖTK 53 refuges such as the Defreggerhaus on GROßVENEDIGER and manages an extensive network of trails. Moreover, since 1926, there is a climbing school, and the skills taught in courses in the varieties of alpinism. In addition, guided tours and cultural trips, as well as in other alpine clubs customary offered.
After lengthy planning 1995, the first rooms were in the clubhouse in Vienna developed as a climbing gym, after the first successes followed in 1998 to expand in the to covered patio, in 2001 the breakthrough of over two floors in the high vault of the 14th century and the rise to largest climbing hall in the center of Vienna.
A notable achievement of recent years (2004-2005) was the world's first installation of a new shelter ( Schiestlhaus ) as a passive house in extreme position on a high Schwab in 2158 m above sea level. This project was conducted by the architectural firm Treberspurg and partners.
The ÖTK is a member of the Association of Austrian Alpine Clubs ( VAVÖ ).