A guest on the mountain

People dared to do more in the summit book

Some alpinists entrusted the summit books with quite a lot of private and political information.

(Bild: Museumsverein Klostertal)

Old summit books are not only interesting from an alpine point of view. An exhibition in Klostertal provides exciting insights. 

The summit cross is the destination and focal point of many mountain tours. To stand up there means to have made it, to have almost forgotten the efforts of the ascent through the sense of achievement. In this country, summit crosses are a natural part of the landscape, they are a visible expression of the development of the mountain world. 

First summit poles, then crosses
However, this is a comparatively recent phenomenon, as Christof Thöny, historian and founding chairman of the Klostertal Museum Association, knows: "The forerunners of crosses were summit poles, which were mainly used for land surveying and the creation of the land register. The first crosses on Vorarlberg's mountain peaks were erected in the interwar period." According to Thöny, there was a real boom after 1945, when so-called returnee crosses were erected in many places. These logistically difficult undertakings were often carried out in memory of the fallen and in gratitude for the healthy returnees. "In the beginning, the material had to be laboriously carried up the mountain. The cross erected on the Roggelskopf in 1937 was the first of its kind in the Klostertal region," reports the historian. Closely interwoven with the history of summit crosses is the tradition of summit books. Today, these can often be found in a metal box attached to the cross. They act as guest books of the mountains, and the desire to document one's own achievements has existed since the beginning of alpinism. "Anton Neyer, the first ascent of the Zimba, recorded his summit victory in 1848 on a piece of paper and left it in a tin box as proof for later visitors to the mountain," says Thöny.

Today, summit books can often be found in a metal box attached to the cross.

(Bild: Peter Freiberger)

Summit climbers on days gone by.

(Bild: Museumsverein Klostertal)

Two alpinists sign the summit book on the Roggelskopf.

(Bild: Museumsverein Klostertal)

The historian has studied this special form of commemorative culture in detail. As part of the (hiking) exhibition "On the mountains of the Klostertal", the 43-year-old has set himself the task of searching for old summit books from the region in the archives of various sections of the Alpine Club, digitizing them and making them accessible to a wider public. The results can be viewed on the website of the Klostertal Museum Association. After the opening of the first Alpine Club huts, guest books were initially published in the accommodation facilities, in which, among other things, tour reports were entered. In the interwar period, the number of alpinists increased significantly and the oldest surviving summit books date from this period. Valve for people

Facts & Figures

Museum Association Klostertal, house no. 60 a, Wald a. Arlberg, opening hours: May 1 to October 31, Wednesdays and Sundays from 2 to 5 pm.
The exhibition "On the mountains of the Klostertal" will soon be on display in Ravensburg.
More information and insights into digitized summit books can be found at www.museumsverein-klostertal.at/archiv/gipfelbücher

An outlet for people during the Nazi era
This type of documentation is interesting on several levels: on the one hand, the books contain memories of people, mountain tours and sporting achievements from earlier times. On the other hand, they provide insights into contemporary historical events. "The remoteness of the mountains has led some people to express themselves more openly - especially during the National Socialist era," says Thöny. Some people used the summit book to express their displeasure with the regime.

In the summit book of the Gamsfreiheit, someone wrote about his time as a prisoner of war.

(Bild: Alpenregion Bludenz Tourismus GmbH – Melanie Fleisch)

The guest book of the Freiburger Hütte from 1913 has now been digitized

(Bild: Bergauer Rubina)

In general, the pages usually contain more than just interesting alpine information, says the historian. Thöny particularly remembers a record from the summit book of the Gamsfreiheit from the 1970s. "The author reports on several pages about his time as a prisoner of war. He really wrote his experiences from his soul," says Thöny. Thanks to the support of the Alpine Club sections, it was also possible to digitize very old books, such as the guest book of the Freiburger Hütte from 1913. Those responsible at the Klostertal Museum Association are also grateful for information on previously unknown summit books in private ownership.