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Austrian Red Cross

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Austrian Red Cross
Österreichisches Rotes Kreuz
FormationMarch 14, 1880; 144 years ago (1880-03-14)
PurposeHumanitarian Aid
HeadquartersVienna, Austria
Region
 Austria
President
Gerald Schöpfer
Main organ
General Assembly
Parent organization
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Websitewww.roteskreuz.at

The Austrian Red Cross (German: Österreichisches Rotes Kreuz, ÖRK) is the national Red Cross Organization in Austria and is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It was established on March 14, 1880, by Doctor Adam Lichtenheld of the Vienna General Hospital and is the biggest aid agency in the country.

Duties

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Its duties contain:

By far, most staff members are volunteers (about 74.000 in 2018), but there are professional employees as well as drafted Zivildiener, which are conscientious objectors forced to serve up to nine months time in medical service, instead of military service.[1]

Presidents of the ÖRK

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Emblem of the Austrian Red Cross in Innsbruck
  • Karl Baron of Tinti (1880–1884)
  • Franz Earl Falkenhayn (1885–1898)
  • Prince Alois von Schönburg-Hartenstein (1899–1913)
  • Rudolf Earl of Abensperg-Traun (1913–1919)
  • Max Vladimir Eck (1919–1938)
  • Adolf Pilz (1945)
  • Karl Seitz (1946–1950)
  • Burghard Breitner (1950–1956)
  • Hans Lauda (1956–1974)
  • Heinrich Treichl (1974–1999)
  • Fredy Mayer (1999-2013)
  • Gerald Schöpfer (since 2013)

National organisation

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Ambulance of Lower Austria Red Cross in Linz

The organisation persists of nine subordinate national organisations, all are their own entities but are bound to the basic principles of the Austrian Red Cross. This has historical reasons, the national organisation originated out of many small, local aid organisations.

These consist of totally 142 district offices and 956 local offices.

References

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  1. ^ Österreichisches Rotes Kreuz. "Rotes Kreuz: Freiwillige Mitarbeit". www.roteskreuz.at (in German). Archived from the original on 2020-10-31. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
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