Alpenverein Salzburg removes name from Venediger Group peak

The Alpenverein Salzburg has officially removed the summit sign from a peak in the Venediger Group, returning the elevation to a nameless status. Since 1988, the ridge had been known as ‘Pillewizer’ in honor of Wolfgang Pillewizer, a geographer, cartographer, and glacier researcher.

The decision follows revelations regarding Pillewizer’s National Socialist past, which had previously gone unaddressed. Gerd Frühwirth, chairman of the Salzburg section of the Alpine Club, stated that removing the sign is a way for the organization to distance itself from a personal honor that does not align with its values of an open and inclusive society.

In addition to removing the name, the stones that climbers had previously piled on the summit to artificially reach the 3,000-meter mark have also been removed to restore the peak to its natural height.