Sudetendeutsche Hütte

The Sudetendeutsche Hütte is a mountain hut of the German Alpine Club (Deutscher Alpenverein, DAV), owned and operated by its Schwaben Section. It sits at 2,656 metres above sea level in the Granatspitz Group of the High Tauern in the Lienz District of East Tyrol, Austria. The hut is classified as Category I by the Alpine Club and is known for its panoramic location, attracting both overnight guests and day visitors. It is part of the 'Mit Kindern auf Hütten' (With Children in Huts) campaign, an Alpine Club initiative promoting family-friendly huts, and has been awarded the Environmental Seal for Alpine Club Huts. The hut was built between 1927 and 1929 on the initiative of the Saaz Section as a joint project of all Sudeten German sections of the German and Austrian Alpine Club, and it opened on 21 July 1929. It was closed from 1944 to 1951 due to post-war turmoil. In 1977, the Saaz Section merged with three other Sudeten sections to form the Sudeten Section. In 1999, for the hut's 70th anniversary, an extension with a new dining room and sanitary facilities was inaugurated. In 2014, the hut passed into the ownership of the Schwaben Section through the merger of the Sudeten and Schwaben sections. Since 2018, the hut has been supplied by helicopter after the material cable car from the Schmelzhütte suffered total damage; the defective cable car was dismantled in 2020. In 2019, the kitchen was completely renovated and equipped with modern technology. In spring 2022, the roof was re-covered and a new photovoltaic system with powerful batteries was installed, allowing most of the electricity demand during the season to be met by solar energy. The hut offers accommodation in 23 beds and 20 dormitory places on the upper and attic floors. The winter room, located on the lower floor with its own entrance and open outside the operating season, provides 12 mattress dormitory places. The building has two dining rooms heated by tiled stoves, two terraces, several sanitary and WC rooms, showers and hot water, and a boot/drying room. The kitchen is modern and there are storage rooms. Energy is supplied by solar cells and a rapeseed oil-powered combined heat and power unit; water comes from two springs. Wastewater is treated by an on-site biological sewage treatment plant, with solids transported to the valley. A helipad is located directly north of the hut. In summer, the hut is staffed from mid-June to mid-September. The hut is situated in the outer zone of the Hohe Tauern National Park in the municipality of Matrei in Osttirol, in high alpine terrain with panoramic views by a small lake on the Obere Steiner Alm, a vast grassy and rocky landscape crossed by several streams and used for sheep grazing in summer. Several three-thousand-metre peaks are nearby, including the Nussingkogel to the northwest, the Wellachköpfe to the north, the Gradötzkees to the east (a glacier that once reached almost to the hut but has retreated far due to glacial retreat), the Gradötz (Gradötzkogel) to the southeast, and the Bretterwandspitze to the southwest. To the west, the terrain drops into the valley of the Äußere Steiner Alm. Several small lakes lie in the moraine landscape east of the hut. To the east, a trail leads over the Gradötzscharte down into the Kalser Dorferer Tal; to the south, a difficult hiking trail leads over the Dürrenfeldscharte toward the Großglockner-Resort Kals/Matrei ski area; to the west, a medium-difficulty trail descends toward the Iseltal; and to the north, a trail leads over the Nussingscharte to the Kessler-Alm and further down to the Felbertauernstraße. East of the hut, a hiking trail opens up the Glocknerblick viewpoint. The hut is on the Adlerweg and is also a stage point on the Glocknerrunde, a multi-day hut tour around the Glockner Group from Kaprun via the Rudolfshütte, the Sudetendeutsche Hütte, Kals am Großglockner, the Glorer Hütte/Salmhütte, the Glocknerhaus and the Gleiwitzer Hütte back to Kaprun.

The Sudetendeutsche Hütte was built between 1927 and 1929 on the initiative of the Saaz Section of the German and Austrian Alpine Club (DuÖAV), as a joint project of all Sudeten German sections. It opened on 21 July 1929. The hut was closed from 1944 to 1951 due to the turmoil of the post-war period. In 1977, the Saaz Section merged with three other Sudeten sections to form the Sudeten Section. In 1999, for the hut's 70th anniversary, an extension with a new dining room and sanitary facilities was inaugurated. In 2014, the hut passed into the ownership of the Schwaben Section through the merger of the Sudeten and Schwaben sections. Since 2018, the hut has been supplied by helicopter after the material cable car from the Schmelzhütte suffered total damage; the defective cable car was dismantled in 2020. In 2019, the kitchen was completely renovated and equipped with modern technology. In spring 2022, the roof was re-covered and a new photovoltaic system with powerful batteries was installed, allowing most of the electricity demand during the season to be met by solar energy.

• 2022

  The roof is re-covered and a new photovoltaic system with powerful batteries is installed.

• 2020

  The defective material cable car is dismantled.

• 2019

  The kitchen is completely renovated and equipped with modern technology.

• 2018

  Helicopter supply begins after the material cable car suffers total damage.

• 2014

  The hut passes into the ownership of the Schwaben Section through the merger of the Sudeten and Schwaben sections.

• 1999

  An extension with a new dining room and sanitary facilities is inaugurated for the hut's 70th anniversary.

• 1977

  The Saaz Section merges with three other Sudeten sections to form the Sudeten Section.

• 1951

  The hut reopens after being closed since 1944.

• 1944

  The hut is closed due to post-war turmoil.

• 1929

  The hut opens on 21 July as a joint project of all Sudeten German sections.

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A high-alpine, family-friendly and environmentally certified mountain hut of the German Alpine Club, offering panoramic views and access to numerous three-thousand-metre peaks in the Hohe Tauern National Park.

• Overnight accommodation

  23 beds and 20 dormitory places on the upper and attic floors.

• Winter room

  Located on the lower floor with its own entrance, open outside the operating season, with 12 mattress dormitory places.

• Dining rooms

  Two dining rooms heated by tiled stoves.

• Terraces

  Two terraces for guests.

• Sanitary facilities

  Several sanitary and WC rooms, showers and hot water.

• Boot/drying room

  A room for drying boots and equipment.

• Kitchen

  Modern kitchen with storage rooms, renovated in 2019.

1. 1Sudetendeutsche Hütte - Wikipediade.wikipedia.org
2. 2Sudetendeutsche Hütte - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Sudeten Gruppe - DAV Schwabenalpenverein-schwaben.de
4. 4Über uns - DAV Schwabenalpenverein-schwaben.de
5. 5jdav Schwabenalpenverein-schwaben.de
6. 6Jurefteamalpenverein-schwaben.de