Chata Jiřího na Šeráku

Chata Jiřího na Šeráku is a year-round mountain lodge and restaurant located on the main ridge of the Hrubý Jeseník mountains in the north-eastern Czech Republic, within the municipality of Bělá pod Pradědem. It sits at an elevation of 1,351 metres above sea level, about 150 metres north-east of the Šerák summit, in the Keprník Massif. The lodge is a well-known stop for hikers and tourists exploring the Jeseníky Protected Landscape Area and the Šerák-Keprník national nature reserve. The lodge was built by the Mährisch-Schlesischer Sudetengebirgsverein (MSSGV), a Moravian-Silesian Sudeten mountain association founded in 1881 in Jeseník. The association decided to build a tourist shelter on 9 February 1887, and the lodge was ceremonially opened on 28 July 1888. It was named Georgschutzhaus after Cardinal Georg Kopp, who donated the land; the Czech name Jiří is the equivalent of Georg. The original wooden building burned down in 1893 and was rebuilt in stone, reopening in 1894. Over the following decades it was expanded and modernised, and after World War II it was nationalised. Following the political changes after 1989, the lodge passed into private ownership and is now operated by the company BONERA, which also leases the nearby cable car. Today the lodge offers 67 beds in cosy 2- to 8-bed rooms, a restaurant serving traditional Czech dishes such as blueberry dumplings and beef goulash, and a sauna. It is family-friendly, pet-friendly, and provides storage for bicycles and skis. A signature feature is the tank beer Šerák, supplied by the Holba brewery, which required special terrain vehicles to transport the tanks up the mountain. The lodge also hosts weddings, corporate events and school trips, and is a starting point for hiking and skiing in the Jeseníky mountains.

The lodge was built by the Mährisch-Schlesischer Sudetengebirgsverein (MSSGV), a Moravian-Silesian Sudeten mountain association founded in 1881 in Jeseník. On 9 February 1887, the association's main board decided to build a tourist shelter. The site chosen was near Ramzová, among the highest peaks of the area, Šerák and Keprník. The land was donated by Cardinal Georg Kopp and consisted of two plots belonging to the Wrocław diocese. The lodge was named Georgschutzhaus in his honour, with the German name Georg translated into Czech as Jiří, giving the current Czech name Chata Jiřího. The building was modelled on the design of the Jeseník town hall. The first tenant was Franz Hauck. On 11 June 1892, Archduke Maximilian Eugen of Habsburg visited the lodge. Initially it was a wooden hut with a small tower in the middle. On 27 February 1893, at about 9 p.m., the lodge burned down, set on fire by a 26-year-old carpenter, Josef Bauer from Ramzová, who wanted to cover up a theft. Thanks to the efforts of the MSSGV, which raised the necessary funds, it was decided to rebuild it as a stone building on the foundations of the previous one, enlarged to 12 rooms with a restaurant. Work began on 25 June 1893, and the construction cost 15,100 florins. The lodge was ceremonially reopened on 27 June 1894. After the death of tenant Franz Hauck in 1904, his widow Karoline Hauck took over the management, and after her death her daughter Emilie Hauck took over, and from 10 August 1912 her daughter Anna Hauck. Subsequent tenants, after winning a tender announced by the MSSGV, were Eduard Berger from Moravian Ostrava (1912–1918), Johanna Trampusch (1919–1923), Josef Nitsche (1923–1941) and Robert Jung from Lipová-lázně (1941–1945). In 1926, a water supply network and a state meteorological station of the third class were established in the lodge, and in 1927 a telephone. In 1926, a major modernisation was carried out according to the design of Alois Schön from Jeseník, significantly expanding it to 26 rooms, adding a dormitory and a glazed veranda. After the expansion, it had 86 beds and 100 mattress places, and the cost of the reconstruction was 574,750 Czechoslovak korunas. After World War II, in May 1945, the lodge was taken over by Ludvík Sochora, a hotel school graduate and tenant, but in 1948, as a result of political changes, it was nationalised. During the Czechoslovak era, the lodge served mainly as a restaurant and was one of the most frequently visited places in the Hrubý Jeseník mountains. A turning point in the modern history of the lodge was the construction of a cable car in 1976 on the Ramzová–Černava section, and in 1981 on the Černava–Šerák section, which caused a significant increase in tourist traffic. After 1989, further political changes led to ownership changes. The lodge was managed by the married couple Eliška and Reinhard Neubauer. The cable car was leased by a newly formed company called BONERA (from the shareholders' names BOřuta – NEubauer – RAmzová), and from June 1992 the company also became the owner of the lodge. In that year, strong winds tore off part of the lodge's roof. In the 1990s, BONERA carried out reconstruction of the interiors, renovation of the water, sewage, electrical and heating systems, replaced windows and modernised the main hall, making the lodge one of the most modern facilities of its kind. In 1994, near the entrance to the lodge, thanks to the efforts of the MSSGV, a small metal plaque with an inscription in Czech and German was attached, reminding that the lodge was built by that association. Today, the lodge is a year-round facility offering accommodation, dining, and event hosting, and remains a popular destination for hikers and tourists in the Jeseníky mountains.

• 2004

  Meteorological station established near the lodge.

• 1994

  Memorial plaque installed near entrance.

• 1992

  BONERA becomes owner of the lodge in June.

• 1981

  Cable car section Černava–Šerák built.

• 1976

  Cable car section Ramzová–Černava built.

• 1948

  Lodge nationalised.

• 1927

  Telephone installed.

• 1926

  Water supply and meteorological station established; major expansion to 26 rooms.

• 1894

  Rebuilt stone lodge reopened on 27 June.

• 1893

  Lodge burns down on 27 February; reconstruction begins on 25 June.

• 1888

  Lodge ceremonially opened on 28 July as Georgschutzhaus.

• 1887

  MSSGV decides to build a tourist shelter on Šerák.

A traditional mountain lodge and restaurant offering a unique high-altitude dining and accommodation experience with local specialties and tank beer.

• Accommodation in 2-8 bed rooms

• Restaurant with Czech cuisine

• Tank beer Šerák

• Sauna

• Wedding and corporate event hosting

• School trips and courses

1. 1Chata na Šeráku — ubytování a restaurace na vrcholu Jeseníkůchatanaseraku.cz
2. 2Chata Jiřího na Šerákuwikidata.org
3. 3Chata Jiřího na Šerákupl.wikipedia.org