Hand in hand through mountain and country. 125 years Naturefriends movement

It all begins with an advertisement in the Arbeiter-Zeitung in March 1895: "Friends of nature are invited to form a tourist group and send their address to the expedition under "Nature 2080".

The advertisement was placed by the social democratic pedagogue Georg Schmiedl and his hiking colleague Simon Katz. Among the numerous replies, there was also that of the neighbour Alois Rohrauer, precision mechanic, and Karl Renner, law student.

In 1896 Karl Renner designed the emblem of the new association: it united the handshake as a social democratic symbol of solidarity with three Alpine roses. The motto is also quickly found: "Hand in hand through mountain and country" - an expression of the political struggle for leisure and recreation.

Today no less than 350,000 people in around 45 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and overseas are committed to the principles of the organisation.