TheSouth Tyrol Alpine Club (German:Alpenverein Südtirol,Italian:Club Alpino Altoatesino), abbreviatedAVS, is an association of German andLadin-speaking mountain climbers inSouth Tyrol, northernItaly. Founded in 1946, it is subdivided into 36sections and 58 local divisions. The AVS is based inBolzano and has more than 76,000 members.[1]
Originally, theSouth Tyrolean alpine club sections were members of theGerman and Austrian Alpine Club (Deutscher und Österreichischer Alpenverein). In 1869 the first sections were founded in Bozen andNiederdorf,Puster Valley. 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 theFirst World War,the annexation of South Tyrol by Italy and the coming into power of thefascists, the South Tyrolean sections were disappropriated and banned in 1923 (seeItalianization of South Tyrol). After the end of theSecond World War, on December 31, 1945, the military administration of theAllies 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 theUnion Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme and theClub Arc Alpin. In 2007, the AVS finished its project to digitalise all hiking trails in South Tyrol.[2]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
