# Austrian Alpine Club renames Venediger Group peak

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/austrian-alpine-club-renames-venediger-group-peak
> Updated: 2026-09-01T12:57:00.000Z. Sources: 6. Developments: 2.

The Alpenverein Salzburg (Austrian Alpine Club) has removed the name and summit markers from a peak in the Venediger Group, located in the Hohe Tauern region. The peak was previously known as ‘Pillewizer’ in honor of Wolfgang Pillewizer, a geographer and glacier researcher.

The decision follows investigations revealing that Pillewizer was a member of the Nazi Party as early as 1932 and served as a leader in the SA paramilitary organization. The club stated that Pillewizer was involved in the implementation of the Nazi regime’s “inhumane, racist ideology.”

To distance the organization from a personal honor that does not align with its values of an “open and inclusive society,” the club also removed stones that had been piled on the summit to artificially raise its elevation from approximately 2,999 meters to over 3,000 meters. The peak has been returned to a nameless status and its natural height.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-01: Austrian Alpine Club renames peak linked to Nazi official

The Austrian Alpine Club has stripped a mountain peak in the Hohe Tauern region of its name and 3,000-meter status due to the Nazi affiliations of its namesake, Wolfgang Pillewizer.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/austrian-alpine-club-renames-peak-linked-to-nazi-official

### 2026-08-29: Alpenverein Salzburg removes name from Venediger Group peak

The Alpenverein Salzburg has removed the name ‘Pillewizer’ from a peak in the Venediger Group due to the namesake’s National Socialist past, returning the summit to a nameless status.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/alpenverein-salzburg-removes-name-from-venediger-group-peak

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Cite as: Austrian Alpine Club renames Venediger Group peak. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/austrian-alpine-club-renames-venediger-group-peak