Tappenkarseehütte

Tappenkarseehütte is a mountain refuge hut (Schutzhütte) operated by the Edelweiss Section of the Österreichischer Alpenverein (Austrian Alpine Club). It stands at 1,820 metres above sea level in the Radstädter Tauern range in the Austrian state of Salzburg, within the valley basin of the Tappenkarsee lake. The hut lies on the Austrian long-distance hiking trail 02, known as the Zentralalpenweg, and is maintained by the Vienna-based Edelweiss Section. As a Category I hut, Tappenkarseehütte offers 71 overnight places during the summer season, comprising 32 room beds and 39 mattress camp spaces. Its winter room provides 16 additional overnight places and is accessible only with an Alpine Club key. The hut serves as a base for hikers approaching from the Kleinarl valley to the north and the Grossarl valley to the west, and for summit tours to peaks such as the Weissgrubenkopf, Gurenstein, Glingspitze, Nebelkareck, Draugstein and Kreuzeck. The original refuge was built in 1932/1933 near the southern shore of the Tappenkarsee by the Dresden Section of the DuOeAV. After the Second World War, the occupying Allied powers forced a change of ownership, transferring the hut from the Dresden Section to the Pongau Section of the ÖAV. A Christmas 1947 avalanche so severely damaged the hut that it could no longer be operated. After years of negotiation, the Edelweiss Section of the ÖAV took over the hut in January 1952, purchased a 1,180 m² replacement plot from the Alpine cooperative, and built the present hut complex there in 1953/1954. The hut was enlarged by an annex in 1983. Another avalanche in the winter of 1999/2000 destroyed the mountain station of the material lift and caused considerable damage to the hut itself; repairs were completed in spring 2000. In 2008 further expansion work included the construction of a new terrace. Tappenkarseehütte remains an active alpine refuge, welcoming hikers in summer and providing a winter room for mountaineers in the colder months. It is a classic example of the network of mountain huts maintained by the Austrian Alpine Club's regional sections, combining hospitality, shelter and access to some of Austria's most scenic high-alpine terrain.

The first Tappenkarseehütte was built in 1932/1933 near the southern shore of the Tappenkarsee by the Dresden Section of the DuOeAV (Deutscher und Österreichischer Alpenverein). After the end of the Second World War, the Allied victorious powers forced a change of ownership: the hut was taken from the Dresden Section, as were all other Alpine Club huts in Austria that had been owned by sections of the DAV at that time. The hut then passed into the ownership of the Pongau Section of the ÖAV. An avalanche at Christmas 1947 damaged the hut so severely that it could no longer be operated. In the following years no new hut was built, and the Pongau Section of the ÖAV sought a change of ownership that would lead to the hut being taken over by a larger and economically more capable section. The negotiations begun in 1950 with the Edelweiss Section of the ÖAV dragged on for a long period and were further complicated by the fact that rebuilding the hut at its old location was no longer permitted. Only in January 1952 were these negotiations successfully concluded, and as part of the agreement a 1,180 m² replacement plot was purchased from the Alpine cooperative. On this plot, situated clearly above the shoreline of the Tappenkarsee, the present hut complex was finally built in 1953/1954. To enlarge the existing overnight and guest-room capacity, it was expanded in 1983 by a hut annex. During the winter of 1999/2000, another avalanche caused further damage: the mountain station of the material lift leading from the shore of the Tappenkarsee up to the hut was destroyed, and the hut itself was also considerably affected. As early as spring 2000 these damages were repaired, and the mountain station of the material lift, indispensable for supplying the hut, was also restored. In 2008 expansion measures were carried out in and around the hut, including the construction of a new terrace. The hut is a Category I refuge of the Austrian Alpine Club and offers 71 overnight places during the summer season, of which 32 are room beds and 39 are mattress camp spaces. Its winter room comprises 16 overnight places and is accessible only by means of an Alpine Club key. It lies in the valley basin of the Tappenkarsee on the Austrian long-distance hiking trail 02, known as the Zentralalpenweg, and is looked after by the Vienna-based Edelweiss Section of the ÖAV.

• 2008

  Expansion measures carried out, including construction of a new terrace.

• 2000

  Damages repaired in spring, including restoration of the material lift's mountain station.

• 1999

  Winter avalanche destroys the mountain station of the material lift and damages the hut.

• 1983

  Hut expanded with an annex to increase overnight and guest-room capacity.

• 1954

  Present hut complex completed.

• 1953

  Construction of the present hut complex begins on the replacement plot.

• 1952

  Negotiations conclude in January; a 1,180 m² replacement plot is purchased from the Alpine cooperative.

• 1950

  Negotiations begin with the Edelweiss Section of the ÖAV for transfer of the hut.

• 1947

  Christmas avalanche severely damages the hut, making further operation impossible.

• 1933

  Completion of the first hut.

• 1932

  First Tappenkarseehütte built near the southern shore of the Tappenkarsee by the Dresden Section of the DuOeAV.

Category I alpine refuge hut of the Austrian Alpine Club, serving hikers and mountaineers in the Radstädter Tauern with summer accommodation and a winter room.

• Summer overnight stays

  71 overnight places during the summer season: 32 room beds and 39 mattress camp spaces.

• Winter room

  16 overnight places, accessible only with an Alpine Club key.

• Category I alpine refuge

  A Category I Schutzhütte of the Austrian Alpine Club.

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