Passauer Hütte

The Passauer Hütte is a mountain hut of the German Alpine Club (Deutscher Alpenverein, DAV), owned and operated by its Passau Section. It stands at 2051 m above sea level just west of the Mittagsscharte in the Leoganger Steinberge, in the municipality of Weißbach bei Lofer in the Austrian federal state of Salzburg. The area belongs to the Grub forest district in the Falleck revier of the Saalforste. It is the only serviced hut in the Leoganger Steinberge and serves as a base for hikers, mountaineers and climbers exploring the surrounding peaks. The hut was built in 1891–1892 by the Passau Section of the then German and Austrian Alpine Club and was inaugurated on 23 July 1892 with a ceremony and a mountain mass. Initially a simple shelter, it was only accessible to trusted mountaineers who received a key; regular catering and operation began in 1906 as visitor numbers grew. The hut was destroyed by arson in 1946 and rebuilt in its present form between 1954 and 1956, reopening in 1956. It has since been renovated and expanded several times, including in 1978, 2002 (new sun terrace), 2012 (extension and modernisation including a small power plant), 2014 (refurbishment) and 2015 (further extension). It has been awarded the environmental seal of approval for Alpine Club huts. The hut is reachable only on foot. The main approach starts from Ullach near Leogang and takes about 3.5 hours with 1270 m of ascent; an alternative from Diesbach in the Saalachtal takes about 4.5 hours with 1370 m of ascent, and a hiking taxi from Weißbach to Niedergrub can shorten this by half. From the Leogang valley there are also approaches from the Leogang-Steinberge and Leogang railway stations. The hut is a starting point for numerous tours, including the Birnhorn (2634 m), Hochzint (2251 m), Kuchelhorn (2507 m), Dürrkarhorn (2287 m), Großes Rothorn (2442 m), Schaleithörner (2461 m) and Dreizinthörner (2484 m), as well as the Leoganger Nord and Leoganger Süd via ferrata on the Fahnenköpfl (2148 m). As a serviced Alpine Club hut, the Passauer Hütte offers overnight accommodation, food and drink, and information on current conditions and tours. It is a membership-oriented, non-commercial alpine facility rather than a conventional hotel, and its operation is tied to the voluntary and community work of the DAV Passau Section.

The Passauer Hütte's history begins with the Passau Section of the German and Austrian Alpine Club taking over the Loferer and Leoganger Steinberge as its working area in 1888. At that time the region was little developed, and suitable accommodation for mountaineers was lacking. The section therefore decided to build a mountain shelter east of the Birnhorn. After a short construction period, the Passauer Hütte was inaugurated on 23 July 1892 with a ceremony and a mountain mass. It was initially a simple shelter: only trusted mountaineers received a key, and section members regularly climbed up to check on it. As the number of visitors grew, regular catering and operation began in 1906. The two World Wars and the political upheavals of the first half of the 20th century repeatedly interrupted hut operations. The most severe blow came in 1946, when the hut was destroyed to its foundations by arson. A rapid rebuild was initially impossible: ownership was unclear, and building materials and money were lacking. Nevertheless, the section held on to its hut, and in the first half of the 1950s reconstruction could begin. In 1956, ten years after the fire, the Passauer Hütte was inaugurated and reopened. With rising visitor numbers, demands on the kitchen, sleeping places and infrastructure grew. The hut was renovated in 1978 and received a new sun terrace in 2002. In 2012 it was extended with an annex and modernised, including with a small power plant. In 2014 the hut was refurbished, and in 2015 another annex was built. The hut has been awarded the environmental seal of approval for Alpine Club huts. Today the Passauer Hütte is the only serviced hut in the Leoganger Steinberge. It remains owned and operated by the DAV Passau Section and serves as a base for hikers, mountaineers and climbers, with approaches from the Leogang valley and the Saalachtal and a wide range of summit and via ferrata routes in the surrounding mountains.

• 2015

  Further annex built.

• 2014

  Hut refurbished.

• 2012

  Annex extension and modernisation, including a small power plant.

• 2002

  New sun terrace added.

• 1978

  Hut renovated.

• 1956

  Hut rebuilt and reopened, ten years after the fire.

• 1946

  Hut destroyed to its foundations by arson.

• 1906

  Regular catering and operation of the hut begins.

• 1892

  Passauer Hütte inaugurated on 23 July with a ceremony and mountain mass.

• 1888

  Sektion Passau takes over the Loferer and Leoganger Steinberge as its working area.

The only serviced Alpine Club hut in the Leoganger Steinberge, positioned as a community-oriented base for alpine hiking, mountaineering and climbing.

• Serviced mountain hut accommodation

• Food and beverage service

• Tour and route information

1. 1Passauer Hütte – Deutscher Alpenverein – Sektion Passaupassauer-huette.de
2. 2Geschichte der Hütte – Passauer Hüttepassauer-huette.de
3. 3Passauer Hütte – Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Passauer Hütte – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org