Bakuninhütte

The Bakuninhütte is a mountain hut and cultural monument of the anarcho-syndicalist movement located on the 498-metre-high Hohe Maas near Meiningen in Thuringia, Germany. It is named after the Russian revolutionary and anarchist Mikhail Bakunin, an opponent of Karl Marx. The hut was built from 1926 by syndicalists of the Meiningen local group of the Freie Arbeiter-Union Deutschlands (FAUD), the most important organisation of German anarcho-syndicalism between 1919 and 1933. The site includes the hut, a Bakunin memorial stone, and the historic plot of land, which has been recognised since September 2015 by the Thuringian State Office for Monument Preservation and Archaeology as a cultural monument for historical and scientific reasons. It is considered the first cultural monument of the anarcho-syndicalist movement in the German-speaking world. The hut's history reflects the turbulent 20th century. After the FAUD was banned by the National Socialists in 1933, the site was expropriated and used by the SS, later passing into SED ownership after 1945 and serving as a hostel and holiday camp for the FDJ. From 1964 it was used by a nature and heritage group of the German Cultural Association, and from 1967 by the 13th People's Police Ready Unit of Meiningen as a military training quarter. Until the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Hohe Maas was a restricted military area. After 1990, interested citizens came together to preserve the hut as a living monument, founding the Wanderverein Bakuninhütte e.V. Meiningen in 2006. The association maintains and uses the hut, and in 2015 achieved its recognition as a cultural monument. In the same year, a reproduction of the hut's motto plaque was unveiled on the Day of the Open Monument. Today the Bakuninhütte is a lively cultural monument and a popular hiking and excursion destination in a protected natural landscape between the Thuringian Forest and the Rhön. It serves as a practical example of lived solidarity and mutual aid. The association organises events, exhibitions, and research activities, and maintains an archive on the history of the site. In 2026 the hut will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a series of events, including the rediscovery of choral songs by composer Peter Heinrich Ortmann. The hut has received awards including the Erich Mühsam Förderpreis and the Hermann Brill Sonderpreis in 2019.

The Bakuninhütte is a mountain hut and cultural monument of the anarcho-syndicalist movement on the 498-metre-high Hohe Maas near Meiningen in Thuringia, Germany. It is named after Mikhail Bakunin, a Russian revolutionary and anarchist who was an opponent of Karl Marx. The hut was built from 1926 by syndicalists of the Meiningen local group of the Freie Arbeiter-Union Deutschlands (FAUD), which was the most important organisation of German anarcho-syndicalism from 1919 to 1933. In the early days of the Weimar Republic, unionised workers in Meiningen founded a local group of the FAUD in 1919. In the following year, the Meiningen syndicalists acquired a half-hectare plot on the Hohe Maas, about an hour's walk from the town centre, in the Ellingshausen district. From 1920 to 1925 they cultivated the land collectively to overcome the hard times until the supply situation improved. In 1925 they piled up the first "Bakunin shelter hut" from field stones. With the official registration date of 26 January 1927, the syndicalists founded the "Siedlungsverein gegenseitige Hilfe" (Settlement Association Mutual Aid). In further construction stages, a massive two-storey stone building was created. The free Bakuninhütte soon became a meeting point not only for workers' families from the surrounding area but also for anarcho-syndicalists and free thinkers from all over the republic. The first holiday camp of the Syndicalist-Anarchist Youth of Germany was held on the Hohe Maas, and the publicist Erich Mühsam was a guest in 1930. With Fritz Scherer, an anarchist vagabond, the hut even had a hut warden for a few months. The hut and the grounds were freely available to all people, including the self-built chain carousel for children. Finally, the building served as a training and recreation centre for the syndicalist movement and was to be expanded again for this purpose. The guestbook of the Bakuninhütte, with almost 200 entries, provides an insight into the diverse cultural life between Easter 1931 and Pentecost 1933. In 1932 the second expansion began, and the following year the National Socialists banned the FAUD and dissolved the settlement association. The plaque with the hut's motto was smashed. The SS Meiningen used the site as accommodation and training ground. In 1938 a NSDAP member bought the hut. He was expropriated in 1945 by the Soviet Military Administration. The building passed into the ownership of the SED against the will of the builder community and was used, among other things, by the FDJ as a hostel and for holiday camps. From 1964, the site and hut were used by a "Working Group 'Hohe Maas' of the Nature and Home Friends of the German Cultural Association" as a "Teaching and Research Station for Nature and Home Care". In 1967 the 13th People's Police Ready Unit Meiningen took over the site, and the leadership staff chose the hut as its quarters. Several hundred units completed the military part of their training here. Until the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Hohe Maas was a restricted area, and only when the Federal Property Office took over the area in 1990 was it accessible to civilians again. At the same time, people came together who were interested in the history of the hut and wanted to preserve it as a living monument. They founded the "Wanderverein Bakuninhütte e.V. Meiningen" in 2006, which uses and maintains the hut. In 2015 the association achieved the recognition of the Bakuninhütte as the first cultural monument of the anarcho-syndicalist movement in Germany. In the same year, on the Day of the Open Monument, a reproduction of the plaque with the hut's motto was unveiled. The hut's motto was written by Max Baewert of Meiningen. A plaque with the motto was once attached to the west side of the building. It was made by the stone sculptor Heinrich Walz, who chose a clear, unadorned script and added two symbols of the workers' movement: a five-pointed star and hammer and sickle. The script and symbols were kept in black, the colour of the anarchist movement. Walz also created the Bakunin memorial stone. Since 2015, a reproduction of the plaque has been located at the original spot on the building. Since October 2018, the Bakuninhütte has been a Naturfreunde annex house. The site has received awards including the Erich Mühsam Förderpreis in 2019 for the dissemination of the memory and work of Erich Mühsam, and the Hermann Brill Sonderpreis in 2019 for outstanding voluntary commitment. The association's history working group has been researching the building's history, its origins in cultural and intellectual history, and the people, events and institutions relevant to the site's past. The collected sources form a constantly evolving association archive, processed in publications and exhibitions. In 2025, the years of research led to the protection of the Bakuninhütte as the first cultural monument for anarcho-syndicalism in the German-speaking world. In 2026, the hut celebrates its 100th anniversary with events including the rediscovery of choral songs by composer Peter Heinrich Ortmann.

• 2026

  100th anniversary celebrated with events including rediscovery of choral songs by Peter Heinrich Ortmann.

• 2025

  Years of research lead to protection as the first cultural monument for anarcho-syndicalism in the German-speaking world.

• 2019

  Awarded Erich-Mühsam-Förderpreis and Hermann-Brill-Sonderpreis.

• 2018

  Bakuninhütte becomes a Naturfreunde annex house in October.

• 2015

  Bakuninhütte recognised as first cultural monument of the anarcho-syndicalist movement in Germany; reproduction of motto plaque unveiled.

• 2006

  Wanderverein Bakuninhütte e.V. Meiningen founded.

• 1990

  Federal Property Office takes over the area; it becomes accessible to civilians again.

• 1967

  13th People's Police Ready Unit Meiningen takes over the site.

• 1964

  Site used by a working group of the German Cultural Association as a teaching and research station.

• 1945

  Soviet Military Administration expropriates the owner; building passes to SED ownership.

• 1938

  A NSDAP member buys the hut.

• 1933

  National Socialists ban the FAUD and dissolve the settlement association; the motto plaque is smashed.

• 1932

  Second expansion of the hut begins.

• 1931

  Guestbook entries begin at Easter, documenting cultural life until 1933.

• 1930

  Erich Mühsam visits the Bakuninhütte.

• 1927

  Siedlungsverein gegenseitige Hilfe officially registered on 26 January.

• 1926

  Construction of the Bakuninhütte by FAUD members begins.

• 1925

  First "Bakunin shelter hut" built from field stones.

• 1920

  Meiningen syndicalists acquire a half-hectare plot on the Hohe Maas.

• 1919

  Meiningen workers found a local group of the Freie Arbeiter-Union Deutschlands (FAUD).

A living cultural monument and meeting place for hikers, historians, and those interested in the anarcho-syndicalist tradition, located in a protected natural landscape.

• Bakuninhütte hut and grounds

  A two-storey stone building and half-hectare plot on the Hohe Maas, used for events, hiking, and education.

• Bakunin memorial stone

  A memorial stone created by stone sculptor Heinrich Walz, located on the site.

• Historical guestbook (Hüttenbuch)

  A guestbook with almost 200 entries from April 1931 to July 1933, providing insight into the cultural life of the hut.

• Exhibitions on anarcho-syndicalist history

  Exhibitions held in Erfurt (2020), Tivoli Gotha (2018), and Meiningen (2015).

1. 1Wanderverein Bakuninhütte e.V. – official websitebakuninhuette.de
2. 2Geschichte – Wanderverein Bakuninhütte e.V.bakuninhuette.de
3. 3Kategorie: Geschichte – Wanderverein Bakuninhütte e.V.bakuninhuette.de
4. 4AG Geschichte – Wanderverein Bakuninhütte e.V.bakuninhuette.de
5. 5Bakuninhütte – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org
6. 6Bakuninhütte – Wikidatawikidata.org