Who we are
The origins of Naturefriends go back to the 19th century labour movement. Because workers and craftsmen in the cities at the time had few opportunities to relax and unwind in the great outdoors, they founded the tourist organisation "Die Naturfreunde" in Vienna in 1895. This idea quickly found imitators and the first German local group was founded in Munich in 1905. Today, Naturefriends is an international organisation with 600,000 members in over 21 country organisations. In Germany, Naturefriends have around 100,000 members in 18 regional organisations, most of whom are involved in local chapters. In the state associations of Baden and Württemberg, there are around 200 local groups, many of which have their own children's and youth programme, as well as a specific range of specialist groups.