Kalser Tauernhaus

The Kalser Tauernhaus is a Category I Schutzhaus (mountain hut) of the Sektion Mönchengladbach of the Deutscher Alpenverein (German Alpine Club, DAV). It sits at 1,755 m above sea level in the Dorfertal valley, in the Glocknergruppe of the Hohe Tauern range in East Tyrol, Austria. The valley marks the transition between the Glockner group and the Granatspitzgruppe, west of the Grossglockner, and the hut is an important base for tours between the two massifs. It is operated seasonally, typically from early June to mid-October depending on weather, and no winter room is available. The building was erected between 1928 and 1930 by Kals mountain guides as a base for Grossglockner tourists, and its inauguration was celebrated on 28 June 1931. In 1962 the Sektion Mönchengladbach of the DAV took over and renovated the hut. An annex with new washing and sanitary facilities was completed in 1986. During the 1970s and 1980s the hut's future was uncertain because Austrian energy utilities planned to dam the Dorfertal in the area of the gorge and use the reservoir water for electricity generation. More recently the hut has been equipped with a fully biological wastewater treatment plant and its own small hydroelectric power station for electricity supply. In 2006 the house was awarded an environmental seal of quality. The hut is comfortably furnished with three wood-panelled guest rooms, 20 beds in shared rooms and 30 places in a dormitory (Lager). It conveys the rustic atmosphere of an Alpine club hut while offering a certain level of comfort, far from hotel operations, making it suitable for multi-day stays and courses. The DAV recommends it in its brochure "Mit Kindern auf Hütten" (With Children in Huts), and it is listed among family-friendly huts. It participates in the campaign "So schmecken die Berge" (That's how the mountains taste), which favours regional food. Supplies are delivered conventionally by car, as a service road closed to public traffic leads up to the Kalser Tauernhaus. The approach to the hut is from the Kals hamlet of Taurer (1,521 m, with parking and a bus stop) through the Dorferbach gorge and the wide valley floor of the Dorfertal, about 1½ hours on a good path. An alternative approach starts at the Moar-Alm restaurant (1,793 m), reachable by car from Kals-Taurer via a mountain road; from there a descent via the "Stiege" (sure-footedness required) into the Dorfertal also takes about 1½ hours to the hut. Tour destinations include the Dorfersee, a lake formed by a rockslide, one hour from the hut; the Kalser Tauern (2,518 m), a historically significant crossing from East Tyrol into the Pinzgau, three hours away; and from there the Medelzkopf (2,760 m) through boulder terrain in 45 minutes. Transitions include the Gradetzsattel to the Sudetendeutsche Hütte (2,650 m) in 4½ hours, the Berghotel Rudolfshütte (2,252 m) via the Silesia-Höhenweg or the Dorfersee and Kalser Tauern in about four hours each way, and the Stüdlhütte (2,801 m) in 5½ hours after descending to Kals-Taurer and ascending through the Teischnitztal.

The Kalser Tauernhaus was built between 1928 and 1930 by the Kals mountain guides as a base for tourists climbing the Grossglockner. The inauguration celebrations took place on 28 June 1931. In 1962 the Sektion Mönchengladbach of the Deutscher Alpenverein took over the hut and renovated it. In 1986 an annex with new washing and sanitary facilities was completed. During the 1970s and 1980s the future of the hut was uncertain for a long time, because Austrian energy utilities had plans to dam the Dorfertal in the area of the gorge and use the water of the resulting reservoir for electricity generation. More recently the hut was equipped with a fully biological wastewater treatment plant and a hydroelectric power station for electricity supply. In 2006 the house was awarded an environmental seal of quality. It is listed among family-friendly huts and participates in the campaign "So schmecken die Berge", which favours regional food. The hut is operated from early June to mid-October depending on weather, and no winter room is available. Supplies are delivered conventionally by car, as a service road closed to public traffic leads up to the Kalser Tauernhaus.

• 2006

  The house is awarded an environmental seal of quality.

• 1986

  Annex with new washing and sanitary facilities completed.

• 1962

  Sektion Mönchengladbach of the Deutscher Alpenverein takes over and renovates the hut.

• 1931

  Inauguration celebrations on 28 June.

• 1930

  Construction of the hut is completed.

• 1928

  Construction of the hut begins, carried out by Kals mountain guides.

A rustic but comfortable Alpine club hut (DAV Sektion Mönchengladbach) in the Hohe Tauern National Park, positioned as a family-friendly, environmentally certified base for hikers and mountaineers between the Glockner and Granatspitz groups.

• Alpine hut accommodation (20 beds in shared rooms, 30 dormitory places)

• Three wood-panelled guest rooms

• Regional food and drink ("So schmecken die Berge")

• Multi-day stays and courses

1. 1Kalser Tauernhaus | DAV Sektion Mönchengladbachalpenverein-mg.de
2. 2Kalser Tauernhaus – Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
3. 3Kalser Tauernhaus – Wikidatawikidata.org