The South Tyrol Alpine Club (german: Alpenverein Südtirol), abbreviated AVS, is an association of German and

Ladin Ladin may refer to: * Ladin language, a language in northern Italy, often classified as a Rhaeto-Romance language *Ladin people, the inhabitants of the Dolomite Alps region of northern Italy See also *Laden (disambiguation) * Ladino (disambigua ...

-speaking mountain climbers in

South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous area, Autonomous Provinces of Italy, province , image_skyline = ...

, northern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. Founded in 1946, it is sub-divided into 32 sections and 58 local divisions. The AVS is based in

Bolzano Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third la ...

and has more than 60,000 members.

History

Originally, the

ean alpine club sections were members of the German and Austrian Alpine Club (''Deutscher und Österreichischer Alpenverein''). In 1869 the first sections were founded in Bozen and Niederdorf,

Puster Valley The Puster Valley ( it, Val Pusteria ; german: Pustertal, ) is one of the largest longitudinal valleys in the Alps that runs in an east-west direction between Lienz in East Tyrol, Austria, and Mühlbach near Brixen in South Tyrol, Italy. The S ...

. By 1910, 15 more sections had been established in South Tyrol. They initiated the construction of 19 mountain huts, an extensive network of paths through the mountains and training for mountain guides. After the end of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the annexation of South Tyrol by Italy and the coming into power of the fascists, the South Tyrolean sections were disappropriated and banned in 1923 (see

Italianization of South Tyrol In 1919, at the time of its annexation, the middle part of the County of Tyrol which is today called South Tyrol (in Italian ''Alto Adige'') was inhabited by almost 90% German speakers.Oscar Benvenuto (ed.):South Tyrol in Figures 2008", Provincia ...

). After the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, on December 31, 1945, the military administration of the Allies permitted the foundation of the South Tyrol Alpine Club. Its inaugural meeting took place in Bolzano on 14 June 1946. Nowadays, the AVS takes care of more than 9,500 km of hiking trails and is involved in nature conservancy and South Tyrolean cultural issues as well. The club is a member of the

Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme The International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation, commonly known by its French name Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme (UIAA, lit. ''International Union of Alpine Clubs''), was founded in August 1932 in Chamonix, France ...

and the Club Arc Alpin. In 2007, the AVS finished its project to digitalise all hiking trails in South Tyrol.Website with the digitalised data

Notes

External links

Homepage of the Alpenverein Südtirol
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alpenverein Sudtirol Clubs and societies in Italy Climbing organizations Sport in South Tyrol Alpine clubs