Austrian Speleological Association
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"Verband Österreichischer Höhlenforschung" | |
 | |
| Abbreviation | (VÖH) |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1949 |
| Type | INGO |
| Purpose | Coordination of Austrian caving clubs |
| Headquarters | Obere Donaustr. 97/1/61 A-1020 Vienna |
Region served | Austria |
| Membership | 2,000 (2022) |
Official language | German |
President | Christoph Spötl |
Vice-President | Ernest Geyer |
Vice-President | Barbara Wielander |
Publication | DIE HÖHLE (THE CAVE) |
| Affiliations | International Union of Speleology; European Speleological Federation (FSE) |
| Website | hoehle |
The Austrian Speleological Association (Verband Österreichischer Höhlenforschung, VÖH) is a national caving organization was founded as an umbrella organization of Austrian caving clubs and show caves in 1949.[1]
The Association coordinates the activities of 25 speleological associations; 24 in Austria and one in Germany.[2] Membership in these associations automatically grants membership in the umbrella organization. Individual memberships are not accepted. The Association maintains:
- a website featuring the 32 show caves found throughout the country.
- a list of Austria's longest and deepest caves.
- a library of 2,800 books and other materials (in the Karst and Speleology Working Group Library, Natural History Museum in Vienna).
Awards
- The Golden Cave Bear is "a badge of honor for special services to Austrian caving." It was first awarded in 2014.
- The Poldi Fuhrich Award, named in honor of the Austrian woman who was a caving and karst pioneer[3] Leopoldine Fuhrich (1898-1926), is presented to young speleologists for "outstanding work in the field of caving, cave documentation and public relations." It was first awarded in 2010.
Publications
- Caves and Karst in Austria (Book)
- Die Höhle - Journal of Karst and Speleology (magazine produced jointly with the Association of German Cave and Karst Researchers)
- Association newsletters
- SPELDOK series
- Karst range and Karst vulnerability maps
Collaborations
The Association works with
- the Karst and Speleology Working Group of the National History Museum to manage SPELDOK, a database containing data on over 15,500 caves.[4]
- international karst and speleological organizations on research projects.