Brunnenkogelhaus

Brunnenkogelhaus is a mountain hut (Schutzhütte) operated by the Österreichischer Touristenklub (ÖTK), the Austrian Tourist Club, in the Stubai Alps of Tyrol, Austria. It stands at 2,738 m above sea level on the last summit at the end of the Brunnenkogel ridge — also called the Windachkamm — which forms the south-west ridge of the Wannenkogel (3,089 m). The ridge runs between the Windach valley to the north, the Timmel valley to the south and the transition from the Gurgler valley to the Ötztal to the south-west. The hut lies within the municipality of Sölden and, thanks to its exposed position, is visible from far away from the surrounding peaks and from the Ötztal. Its location gives a wide panorama over the peaks of the Ötztal and Stubai Alps as well as into the Ötztal, the Venter valley and the Gurgler valley. The first hut was built in 1888 as a stone structure. It had to be closed in 2006 because it had become structurally unsound, and already in 2007 a modern wooden hut was rebuilt in only about six weeks. The hut is a classic alpine refuge: it serves hikers and mountaineers on the high routes of the central Alps, offering shelter, simple accommodation and food in a remote high-mountain setting, and it functions as a node in the network of marked trails and hut-to-hut routes of the region. Access to the hut is on foot. The direct ascent from Sölden/Moos takes about 3.5 hours. An indirect route first goes through the Windach valley past the Gasthaus Fiegl (1,956 m), after which the path branches off to the Brunnenkogelhaus; this variant requires about 4 hours. The hut can also be reached from Zwieselstein (1,472 m) in about 4 hours. An interesting access variant is the Hochstubai-Panoramaweg (Erzherzog Eugen-Steig) along the ridge starting from the Timmelsjoch in about 5 hours. Transitions to neighbouring huts are possible to the Hildesheimer Hütte (2,900 m) in about 4 hours, to the Hochstubaihütte (3,174 m) in about 4.5 hours and to the Siegerlandhütte (2,710 m) in about 4.25 hours. From the hut, summits of the Brunnenkogel ridge toward the Wannenkogel can be climbed via the Hochstubai-Panoramaweg: the Vorderer Brunnenkogel (2,761 m) in about 0.25 hours, the Hinterer Brunnenkogel (2,775 m) in about 1 hour, the Rotkogel (2,894 m) in about 1.25 hours and the Wilde Rötespitze (2,966 m) in about 2.5 hours. From the Wannenkarsattel (2,916 m) the Wannenkogel (3,089 m) can be reached on an unmarked path continuing along the ridge. The hut is documented in standard alpine guidebook and map literature, including the Rother Wanderführer "Ötztal – Ötztaler Alpen – Stubaier Alpen" by Henriette and Walter Klier (4th edition, Bergverlag Rother, Munich 2007) and Kompass hiking maps of the inner Ötztal and Ötztal Alps. Information about the hut is published by the Österreichischer Touristenklub (ÖTK).

The Brunnenkogelhaus was first built in 1888 as a stone structure by the Österreichischer Touristenklub (ÖTK), the Austrian Tourist Club, which owns and operates it. It stands at 2,738 m above sea level on the last summit at the end of the Brunnenkogel ridge (also known as the Windachkamm), the south-west ridge of the Wannenkogel (3,089 m), within the municipality of Sölden in the Stubai Alps of Tyrol. The ridge lies between the Windach valley to the north, the Timmel valley to the south and the transition from the Gurgler valley to the Ötztal to the south-west. Over more than a century of service the stone hut became a well-known landmark of the high route network in the central Alps, visible from far away because of its exposed position. By the early 2000s, however, the historic building had deteriorated: it had to be closed in 2006 because it had become structurally unsound (baufällig). Rather than abandon the site, the ÖTK rebuilt the hut, and already in 2007 a modern wooden hut was erected in only about six weeks. The new building continues the hut's function as a refuge and base for hikers and mountaineers on the high trails between the Ötztal, Venter valley and Gurgler valley. The hut is integrated into a dense network of marked trails and hut-to-hut routes. Direct access from Sölden/Moos takes about 3.5 hours; an indirect route through the Windach valley past the Gasthaus Fiegl (1,956 m) takes about 4 hours; access from Zwieselstein (1,472 m) also takes about 4 hours; and the Hochstubai-Panoramaweg (Erzherzog Eugen-Steig) along the ridge from the Timmelsjoch takes about 5 hours. Transitions to neighbouring huts include the Hildesheimer Hütte (2,900 m) in about 4 hours, the Hochstubaihütte (3,174 m) in about 4.5 hours and the Siegerlandhütte (2,710 m) in about 4.25 hours. From the hut, summits along the Brunnenkogel ridge can be climbed via the Hochstubai-Panoramaweg — Vorderer Brunnenkogel (2,761 m), Hinterer Brunnenkogel (2,775 m), Rotkogel (2,894 m) and Wilde Rötespitze (2,966 m) — and from the Wannenkarsattel (2,916 m) the Wannenkogel (3,089 m) can be reached on an unmarked path along the ridge. The hut is described in standard alpine literature and maps, including the Rother Wanderführer "Ötztal – Ötztaler Alpen – Stubaier Alpen" by Henriette and Walter Klier (4th edition, Bergverlag Rother, Munich 2007) and Kompass hiking maps of the inner Ötztal and the Ötztal Alps. Information about the hut is published by the Österreichischer Touristenklub (ÖTK).

• 2007

  A modern wooden hut rebuilt in only about six weeks.

• 2006

  The historic stone hut closed because it had become structurally unsound.

• 1888

  First Brunnenkogelhaus built as a stone structure by the Österreichischer Touristenklub (ÖTK).

A traditional ÖTK mountain hut in an exposed high-alpine location, rebuilt in 2007 as a modern wooden hut, serving hikers and mountaineers in the Stubai Alps above Sölden.

• Mountain hut accommodation and shelter

• Hiking and mountaineering base at 2,738 m

• Hut-to-hut alpine routes (Hildesheimer Hütte, Hochstubaihütte, Siegerlandhütte)

1. 1Brunnenkogelhaus – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org
2. 2Brunnenkogelhaus – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Bergführer im Haus – Appartements Sölden (haus-europa.at)haus-europa.at
4. 4Brunnenkogelhaus – haus-europa.athaus-europa.at