Georg Schmiedl, a socialist, free thinker and teacher, placed a notice in the Vienna newspaper "Wiener Arbeiter-Zeitung" in March 1895, inviting nature enthusiasts to found a touristic group. Approximately 30 people responded to this notice, among them Josef Rohrauer, Alois Rohrauer and Karl Renner.  

On 14 April, Easter Sunday, 85 women and men met at Vienna Südbahnhof to go on their first excursion to the Anninger mountain, south of Vienna. For want of a logo, the Arbeiter-Zeitung was chosen as a means of identification. In light of the rapidly growing interest in those excursions, as of September they were announced in a monthly programme. 

On 16 September 1895, the inaugural assembly – required by association law – took place; 185 people attended the meeting and Alois Rohrauer was elected first chairman. Already at the time, the aim of the association was to enable a large part of the population – and among them, the working class – to exercise leisure-time activities outdoors. Karl Renner drafted an association badge reflecting this objective; it shows a handshake and three Alpine roses, together with the German slogan “Hand in Hand durch Berg und Land” (“hand in hand through mountains and the countryside”).