Bockhartseehütte

The Bockhartseehütte is a seasonal alpine guesthouse and restaurant (Gastwirtschaft) in the municipality of Bad Gastein in the Austrian federal state of Salzburg. It stands at an elevation of 1,933 metres above sea level on the southern shore of the Lower Bockhartsee (Unterer Bockhartsee), on the eastern slopes of the Kolmkarspitze in the Goldberggruppe range. Administratively it forms its own locality (Ortslage) within the village of Bad Gastein, belongs to the cadastral community of Böckstein, and lies within the Gasteiner Tal landscape protection area. The hut is operated during the summer months, offering warm and cold dishes, including products of its own making. It sits directly on two long-distance hiking trails, the Rupertiweg and the Salzburger Almenweg, and provides a stamping point for the hiking pin (Wandernadel) of the Austrian Alpine Club (Österreichischer Alpenverein). The surrounding landscape is varied: moorland and green alder scrub extend toward the Lower Bockhartsee, a blueberry heath lies to the south and east, and a chamois wildlife resting zone immediately west of the hut is closed to entry from 1 December to 31 May. A building named Bockhartseehütte already existed at the Lower Bockhartsee in the early 20th century. The house was newly built as a restaurant in 1928 by Josef Jakober and was also known at the time as the Alpenkaffee Bockhartsee. That building was demolished in 1981 when a power plant was constructed at the lake, and the Bockhartseehütte was rebuilt several hundred metres further south on a small rise. After a change of ownership in 2011, the house was renovated and converted. The Bockhartseehütte is a small, privately run hospitality business rather than a large corporate brand. Its identity is tied to its location, its long association with alpine hiking in the Gastein valley, and its role as a refreshment and rest stop on popular high-altitude routes. It is listed in Wikidata as an alpine hut in Bad Gastein, Austria, and maintains its own official website.

A building called the Bockhartseehütte already stood at the Lower Bockhartsee in the early 20th century. The house was newly built as a restaurant in 1928 by Josef Jakober and was also known at that time as the Alpenkaffee Bockhartsee. It served as a mountain hospitality venue at the lake for several decades. In 1981, the building was demolished to make way for the construction of a power plant at the lake. The Bockhartseehütte was then rebuilt several hundred metres further south on a small rise, where it continues to operate. After a change of ownership in 2011, the house was renovated and converted. The hut remains a summer-only operation, serving warm and cold dishes, some of them house-made, to hikers on the Rupertiweg and Salzburger Almenweg long-distance trails. It also hosts a stamping point for the Austrian Alpine Club's hiking pin. Its setting includes moorland and green alder scrub toward the Lower Bockhartsee, a blueberry heath to the south and east, and a chamois resting zone immediately to the west that is closed to entry from 1 December to 31 May.

• 2011

  After a change of ownership, the house is renovated and converted.

• 1981

  The building is demolished for the construction of a power plant at the lake; the Bockhartseehütte is rebuilt several hundred metres further south on a small rise.

• 1928

  Josef Jakober newly builds the Bockhartseehütte as a restaurant at the Lower Bockhartsee; it is also known as the Alpenkaffee Bockhartsee.

A traditional, family-run seasonal alpine hut and restaurant serving hikers on high-altitude trails in the Gastein valley.

• Warm dishes

• Cold dishes

• House-made food products

1. 1Bockhartseehütte – Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Bockhartseehütte – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org
3. 3Official websitebockhartseehuette.at