Chata pri Zelenom plese

Chata pri Zelenom plese (German: Grünseehütte; Hungarian: Zöld-tavi menedékház; Polish: Schronisko nad Zielonym Stawem) is a mountain hut and tourist accommodation brand located on the northern shore of the alpine lake Zelené pleso in the High Tatras of Slovakia. Situated at an elevation of 1,551 metres in the Dolina Zeleného plesa valley, a branch of the Dolina Kežmarskej Bielej vody, the hut sits between the northern wall of Malý Kežmarský štít, the Jastrabia veža to the west, and Kozí štít to the north. It is a well-known stop on the red-marked Tatranská magistrála hiking trail. The hut operates as a tourist-class lodging (turistická ubytovňa), meaning it sells individual bed places rather than hotel rooms. It offers 56 beds in multi-bed rooms with complete bedding, a buffet with a rich selection of food and drinks, a dining room, a small souvenir shop, and a training room with 16 seats in the lower floor. The building is heated by central heating with two wood-gas boilers and has a small turbine on the Zelený potok stream providing electricity, with a diesel generator used in winter. The hut is open year-round and hosts a station of the Slovak Mountain Rescue Service. Goods are supplied by off-road vehicle in summer and snowmobile in winter via an unpaved road from the Biela voda junction. There is weak phone and data signal, no Wi-Fi, and payment is cash only. The brand's history dates back to 1876, when the predecessor Egidihütte was built in the Predné Meďodoly valley. After fires and relocations, the third, masonry hut with five rooms was built on the northern shore and ceremonially opened on 27 August 1897 as the Friedrich-Schutzhaus, named after Archduke Friedrich of Austria-Teschen. After World War II the hut was nationalized and in 1950 renamed Brnčalova chata after Albert Brnčal, a member of the JAMES mountaineering association and participant in the Slovak National Uprising. In 1992 it received its current name, though it is colloquially known as Brnčalka. Under restitution legislation it was transferred to the KST and JAMES tourist associations. Today the hut remains a beloved destination for hikers and climbers, offering accommodation, meals, and a base for ascents with mountain guides. It is accessible via the Tatranská magistrála from Skalnaté pleso and Sedlo pod Svišťovkou, and via a yellow-marked trail from Biela voda to Jahňací štít. The official website provides information in Slovak, English, and German, and includes a price list, gallery, and details on guided ascents.

The history of Chata pri Zelenom plese begins in 1876, when the predecessor Egidihütte was built in the Predné Meďodoly valley by the Hungarian Carpathian Association (UKV). It was named after Egyed Berzeviczy, a large landowner and then chairman of the UKV. The original plan to build a hut at Grünsee in 1873 was abandoned because the available 200 gulden were insufficient. The spartan, single-room building was free for association members. However, shepherds from Spišská Belá disliked the hut and often damaged it to force tourists to pay for overnight stays on their alps. After the situation became untenable, the UKV decided to relocate the Egidihütte to the northern shore of Grünsee in 1880, but could not find a tenant, and the hut burned down in 1883 after being damaged in an autumn storm in 1882. In 1884 a new, two-room hut with the same name was built, but due to poor microclimate experiences on the northern shore, it was rebuilt on the southern shore in 1887. Two fires in 1890 damaged and devastated this second Egidihütte. The third, masonry hut with five rooms was erected again on the northern shore and ceremonially opened on 27 August 1897. It was named Friedrich-Schutzhaus after Archduke Friedrich of Austria-Teschen. A wooden shelter built for construction workers in 1895 later became a stable for the hut keeper's cattle. Until World War I the hut was open only in summer months; since then it has operated year-round, although the first winter visitors came as early as March 1906. During World War I, mountain units of the Hungarian Honvéds trained here. In 1922 the hut received a telephone connection, and in 1926 and 1934 it was significantly expanded after being damaged by two fires in 1925 and 1926. In Czechoslovakia, the pre-war name Bedrichova chata was occasionally used in the 1920s, but gradually the geographical names Chata pri Zelenom plese, alternatively Chata pod Jastrabou vežou, prevailed. In the interwar period the hut remained the property of the Zipser German-influenced Karpathenverein. During World War II, members of the Hitlerjugend were housed here. After World War II the hut was nationalized, and in 1950 it was renamed Brnčalova chata in honor of Albert Brnčal, a member of the JAMES mountaineering association and participant in the Slovak National Uprising. In 1955 the hut was expanded again, and in 1958 it was connected to a small turbine on the bank of the Zelený potok stream, which has since supplied electricity to the hut. In winter months a diesel generator is used instead. Under restitution legislation, the hut was transferred to the KST and JAMES tourist associations. In 1992 it received its current name, though colloquially it bears the nickname Brnčalka, derived from the old name. The hut is located on the red-marked Tatranská magistrála hiking trail on the section from Skalnaté pleso and the Sedlo pod Svišťovkou saddle below Veľká Svišťovka to the endpoint at Veľké Biele pleso. Here the magistrála meets a yellow-marked trail from the Biela voda junction near Kežmarské Žľaby to the summit of Jahňací štít. Via downhill junctions on the yellow-marked trail, there is a connection to a blue-marked trail from Tatranské Matliare and Tatranská Lomnica. The hut is open year-round and houses a station of the Slovak Mountain Rescue Service. It was formerly supplied by porters; today goods are delivered by off-road vehicle (in summer) and snowmobile (in winter) via an unpaved road from the Biela voda junction. It offers accommodation (56 beds) with prior reservation, emergency shelter in the economic building, and breakfast and dinner for guests. All visitors have access to a buffet with warm and cold dishes and a small souvenir shop, a dining room, and a tavern in the lower part of the hut. In the basement there is a small training room with 16 seats. The hut has central heating with two wood-gas boilers.

• 1992

  The hut receives its current name Chata pri Zelenom plese.

• 1958

  The hut is connected to a small turbine on the Zelený potok stream for electricity.

• 1955

  The hut is expanded again.

• 1950

  After nationalization, the hut is renamed Brnčalova chata in honor of Albert Brnčal.

• 1934

  The hut is significantly expanded again.

• 1926

  Fire damages the hut; significant expansion follows.

• 1925

  Fire damages the hut.

• 1922

  The hut receives a telephone connection.

• 1906

  First winter visitors arrive in March.

• 1897

  The third masonry hut with five rooms is ceremonially opened on 27 August as Friedrich-Schutzhaus.

• 1890

  Two fires damage and devastate the second Egidihütte.

• 1887

  The hut is rebuilt on the southern shore due to poor microclimate on the northern shore.

• 1884

  A new two-room hut with the same name is built.

• 1883

  The Egidihütte burns down after being damaged in a storm.

• 1880

  UKV decides to relocate the Egidihütte to the northern shore of Grünsee.

• 1876

  Predecessor Egidihütte built in Predné Meďodoly valley by the Hungarian Carpathian Association (UKV).

A historic, year-round alpine hut offering tourist-class accommodation and dining in the High Tatras, known for its traditional mountain hospitality and strategic location on the Tatranská magistrála.

• Tourist-class accommodation (56 beds)

  Multi-bed rooms with complete bedding; bed places sold individually, not by room.

• Buffet and dining

  Rich selection of food and drinks, warm and cold dishes, breakfast and dinner for guests.

• Souvenir shop

  Small shop offering souvenirs.

• Training room

  Small training room with 16 seats in the basement.

• Guided mountain ascents

  Ascents with mountain guides offered from the hut.

1. 1Domov - Chata pri zelenom plesechataprizelenomplese.sk
2. 2Chata pri Zelenom plese - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Chata pri Zelenom plese - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org