Speckbacher Hütte

The Speckbacher Hütte is a mountain hut and hospitality business located at 1,094 metres above sea level on the Kreuzberg in the municipality of Breitenstein, Lower Austria, near the border with Reichenau an der Rax. It sits between the Raxalpe and the Fischbacher Alps and is a well-known destination for hikers and day-trippers in the region. The hut operates as a traditional Austrian mountain restaurant (Almhütte), offering warm meals, drinks and a terrace with views, and is particularly famous for a giant Himalayan rhododendron planted in 1908 that stands immediately east of the building and covers roughly 130 square metres, making it one of the largest in Europe. The site began as a hunting lodge built in 1894 for Baron Rothschild. In 1927 it was purchased by the "Alpine Gesellschaft Speckbacher", a Vienna-based association named after the Tyrolean freedom fighter Josef Speckbacher. The association had previously built a Speckbacher-Hütte on the Rax in 1907, but had to dismantle it in 1927 due to official orders protecting the Vienna high-spring water protection area. The hunting lodge on the Kreuzberg was converted and extended, reopening as the Speckbacher-Hütte on 23 September 1928. The association was also a section of the Austrian Alpine Club (Österreichischer Alpenverein) until it left in 1966. For over a decade before the current ownership, the hut was run by the Pirchmoser family and their team, who shaped it into its present form. In recent years the hut was taken over by Christof Brunner and his family, who reopened it and continue to operate it with a young, dedicated team. The hut is typically open from 9:00 to 19:00 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, with warm food served from 11:00 to 18:00; Thursdays and Fridays are rest days. Table reservations are requested on weekends and are accepted only by telephone; the terrace is not reservable. The business is a private, family-run enterprise and does not belong to a larger corporate group.

The Speckbacher Hütte is a mountain hut between the Raxalpe and the Fischbacher Alps in Breitenstein, Lower Austria. It is located at 1,094 metres above sea level on the Kreuzberg (Speckbacherstraße 51) in the municipality of Breitenstein, directly on the municipal border with Reichenau an der Rax. The building was originally erected in 1894 on the 1,094-metre-high Kreuzberg as a hunting lodge for Baron Rothschild. On 4 August 1927, the lodge was purchased by the "Alpine Gesellschaft Speckbacher", a Vienna association based in Speckbachergasse and named after the Tyrolean freedom fighter Josef Speckbacher (1767–1820). The lodge was subsequently converted and extended with an additional storey, and it opened as the "Speckbacher-Hütte" on 23 September 1928. The association, founded in 1901, had originally built a Speckbacher-Hütte in 1907 on the Rax at the end of the Wachthüttelkamm. However, it had to dismantle that hut in 1927 by official order because of the spring protection area for the Vienna high-spring water supply. The association was also a section of the Austrian Alpine Club (Österreichischer Alpenverein), but it left the club in 1966. Immediately east of the hut stands a Himalayan rhododendron planted in 1908, which with around 130 square metres is one of the largest in Europe. In the years before the current ownership, the hut was run for over ten years by the Pirchmoser family and their team, who made it what it is today. After a new takeover by Christof Brunner and his family, the hut reopened and continues to operate as a traditional mountain restaurant. The current team describes itself as young and dedicated, aiming to continue the customary hospitality. The hut is typically open five days a week (closed Thursdays and Fridays), with warm food served from 11:00 to 18:00. Weekend table reservations are requested and accepted only by telephone; the terrace is not reservable.

• 1966

  Association leaves the Austrian Alpine Club.

• 1928

  Converted and extended lodge opens as Speckbacher-Hütte on 23 September.

• 1927

  Association purchases the hunting lodge on 4 August; earlier Rax hut dismantled by official order.

• 1908

  Himalayan rhododendron planted next to the site.

• 1907

  Association builds a Speckbacher-Hütte on the Rax at the end of the Wachthüttelkamm.

• 1901

  Alpine Gesellschaft Speckbacher founded in Vienna.

• 1894

  Hunting lodge built for Baron Rothschild on the Kreuzberg.

• Pirchmoser family runs the hut for over ten years.

• Christof Brunner and family take over and reopen the hut.

Traditional, family-run Austrian mountain hut offering hospitality and regional cuisine in a historic setting with a famous rhododendron attraction.

• Warm meals

  Served from 11:00 to 18:00.

• Drinks and refreshments

  Available during opening hours.

• Terrace dining

  Outdoor seating; not reservable.

1. 1Speckbacherhütte - Speckbacher Hütte - Genuss am Kreuzbergdie-speckbacher.jimdoweb.com
2. 2Impressum - Speckbacher Hütte - Genuss am Kreuzbergdie-speckbacher.jimdoweb.com
3. 3Speckbacher Hütte - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Speckbacher Hütte - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org