Schronisko Odrodzenie

Schronisko Odrodzenie (full Polish name: Schronisko PTTK Odrodzenie na Przełęczy Karkonoskiej, translated as 'PTTK Hostel Rebirth at the Karkonosze Pass') is a mountain hostel situated at 1,236 metres above sea level on the Spindlerpass (Przełęcz Karkonoska) in the Karkonosze range of the Sudetes, Poland. It is one of the best-known high-mountain lodges in the Polish Giant Mountains and has served hikers and tourists continuously for nearly a century, apart from periods of wartime and post-war disruption. The building was conceived in the mid-1920s by Hans Poeschel, then regional president (Regierungspräsident) of the Liegnitz district, as a year-round youth recreation home for working-class children affected by the aftermath of the First World War. The land was donated by Reichsgraf Friedrich von Schaffgotsch, the last Free Standesherr of the Schaffgotsch noble family, on the border between then-Prussia and Czechoslovakia. A design competition was announced on 10 May 1928 and won by the Breslau architect Herbert Eras, who had previously designed the Schlesierhaus at Koppenplan. Construction began on 16 August 1928 and the building was inaugurated on 7 September 1929 at a cost of 370,000 Reichsmark. A naming competition for German youth produced the name 'Jugendkammhaus Rübezahl', and the opening speech was delivered by Reich Interior Minister Carl Severing. The hostel quickly became popular, recording 27,334 overnight stays in 1932. After 1933, under the Gleichschaltung policy, the German Youth Hostel Association (DJH) was brought into line with the Nazi regime, and the house's administration was affected by these political changes. After the Second World War, the region became part of Poland and the hostel was taken over by the Polish tourist organisation PTTK, receiving its current Polish name 'Odrodzenie' (meaning 'Rebirth'). It continues to operate as a mountain hostel, offering accommodation and refreshments to hikers on the main ridge trail of the Karkonosze. The building is architecturally notable for its stepped, pyramid-like form, with timber-framed upper storeys that recede from the lower masonry floors. This design was intended both to harmonise with the mountain ridge and to reduce fire risk, a common hazard for mountain lodges. The lower two storeys are partly embedded in the slope, and the structure includes stone staircases and terraces. Today Schronisko Odrodzenie is a popular destination for tourists and is accessible via marked hiking trails from both the Polish and Czech sides of the border.

The Schronisko Odrodzenie was built as the Jugendkammhaus Rübezahl, a youth hostel on the Spindlerpass in the Giant Mountains. The initiative came from Hans Poeschel, Regierungspräsident of Liegnitz, who in the mid-1920s planned a year-round recreation home for working-class children suffering from the economic hardships after World War I. The project gained broad financial support from municipalities, associations, trade unions, companies, and private individuals. The land was donated by Reichsgraf Friedrich von Schaffgotsch, the last Free Standesherr of the Schaffgotsch family, near the border between Prussia and Czechoslovakia. The donation also allowed building materials to be quarried from local granite. On 10 May 1928, an architectural competition was announced, won by Herbert Eras of Breslau, who had previously designed the Schlesierhaus at Koppenplan. His design was a compact four-storey building with about 210 beds and additional mass quarters for 70–80 hikers. The form resembled a stepped pyramid, with timber-framed upper floors set back from the lower masonry floors. This design was intended to blend with the mountain ridge and to improve fire safety, as mountain lodges were frequently destroyed by fires. The building was 16 metres high, with the lower two floors partly embedded in the slope, covering an area of about 39 × 18 metres. A 17-metre-wide projection on the valley side supported a 3.2-metre-deep terrace on the first floor, and a similar 4.8-metre-deep terrace ran along the right side. The second floor was 34 metres wide and 13 metres deep, and the third floor about 30 metres wide and 8 metres deep. Construction contracts were awarded three months after the competition, and work began on 16 August 1928. Transporting materials such as bricks, lime, and cement was difficult because only hiking trails led up from the Silesian side. The only road access for trucks was the pass road from Spindlermühle on the south side, which required negotiations with Czechoslovak and German customs. The building was completed and inaugurated on 7 September 1929, having cost 370,000 Reichsmark. A naming competition for German youth chose the name 'Jugendkammhaus Rübezahl'. The opening speech was given by Reich Interior Minister Carl Severing, and the closing chorus sang the workers' song 'Wann wir schreiten Seit' an Seit'', indicating close ties to the labour movement. The first operator was the DJH-Gau Niederschlesien of the Reichsverband für deutsche Jugendherbergen, based in Görlitz. The hostel, often called the Rübezahlhaus, quickly became popular, recording 27,334 overnight stays in 1932. Visitors arrived at 'Im Himmelreich', a rock group near a mountain lodge of the same name at the terminus of the Hirschberger Talbahn in Ober-Giersdorf/Hain, from where they had to walk the remaining eight kilometres and climb 800 metres to the hostel, a journey of at least two hours even in good weather. After 1933, under the Gleichschaltung, the German Youth Hostel Association (DJH) signed the Kösener Abkommen, an agreement for cooperation with the Reichsjugendführung of the NSDAP. This led to the removal of social democratic and Jewish officials from their posts and the integration of the association into the Hitlerjugend (HJ). Hostel parents who opposed the new regime were replaced. The subsequent history of the hostel during the Nazi period and World War II is not detailed in the available source, but after 1945 the region became part of Poland and the hostel was taken over by the Polish tourist organisation PTTK. It was renamed 'Odrodzenie' (Rebirth), reflecting the post-war Polish character of the area. It continues to operate as a mountain hostel, serving hikers on the main ridge trail of the Karkonosze.

• 1945

  After World War II, the region becomes part of Poland; hostel taken over by PTTK and renamed Odrodzenie.

• 1933

  Under Gleichschaltung, the German Youth Hostel Association is integrated into the Hitlerjugend; hostel administration affected.

• 1932

  Hostel records 27,334 overnight stays.

• 1929

  Building inaugurated on 7 September as Jugendkammhaus Rübezahl, costing 370,000 Reichsmark.

• 1928

  Architectural competition announced on 10 May; won by Herbert Eras. Construction begins on 16 August.

Historic high-mountain hostel on the Polish-Czech border, catering to hikers and tourists in the Karkonosze range.

• Overnight accommodation

• Meals and refreshments

• Tourist information and facilities

1. 1Schronisko Odrodzenie - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Schronisko Odrodzenie - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org