Voisthaler Hut

The Voisthaler Hütte (also Voisthalerhütte) is a mountain hut of the Austrian Alpine Club (ÖAV) located in the Hochschwab region of Styria, Austria. It was opened on 10 July 1898 and lies in the high valley of the Obere Dullwitz. The hut is situated on the Nordalpenweg and Nord-Süd-Weitwanderweg long-distance trails. It was built by the 'Alpine Gesellschaft d'Voisthaler', which later became a section of the Austrian Alpine Club. In 2018, this section was merged into the Sektion Austria of the ÖAV as the Ortsgruppe Voisthaler, together with the huts it managed: Voisthaler Hütte, Sonnschienhütte, and Fleischer-Biwak near the Hochschwab summit. Over the years, the hut, which still contained its original block construction, underwent numerous additions and alterations. Due to official requirements, a renovation was estimated at 1.4 million euros, but in 2017 a new building was decided upon, estimated at 1.6 million euros. After an architectural competition won by Dietger Wissounig Architekten ZT GmbH from Graz, the new hut was built and has been in operation since September 2021; the old hut was subsequently demolished. The new building features a simple, cuboid structure with a slightly inclined, south-facing shed roof, larch wood facades, and modern energy-saving technology including photovoltaic panels, a rapeseed-oil combined heat and power unit, and a trivalent heat generation system. It offers 70 seats in the dining area, rooms for two to six beds, and a bouldering wall. The hut has received several awards: the Environmental Quality Seal for Alpine Club Huts in 2022, the Styrian Timber Construction Prize in 2023, and a Falstaff award for its kitchen in 2024. In summer 2024, severe weather disrupted food supplies, prompting a campaign by the hut keepers that ensured fresh food delivery, with guests bringing fruits and vegetables from their gardens. The hut is a popular base for hikes to peaks such as Hochschwab (2277 m), Hutkogel (2035 m), and Ringkamp (2153 m), and for transitions to other huts like Fölzalm and Sonnschienhütte.

The Voisthaler Hütte was opened on 10 July 1898 by the 'Alpine Gesellschaft d'Voisthaler', a group that later became a section of the Austrian Alpine Club (ÖAV). It is located in the high valley of the Obere Dullwitz in the Hochschwab group in Styria, Austria. Over the decades, the hut, which still contained its original block construction, underwent numerous additions and alterations. In 2018, the Voisthaler section was merged into the Sektion Austria of the ÖAV as the Ortsgruppe Voisthaler, together with the huts it managed: Voisthaler Hütte, Sonnschienhütte, and Fleischer-Biwak near the Hochschwab summit. Due to official requirements for kitchen and food storage renovations, a renovation was estimated at 1.4 million euros. In May 2017, after a review, the Voisthaler group and Sektion Austria decided to build a new hut instead, estimated at 1.6 million euros. An architectural competition was held, with nine architectural firms participating and Doris Hallama as jury chair. The first prize was awarded to Dietger Wissounig Architekten ZT GmbH from Graz. The winning design features a simple, cuboid structure with a slightly inclined, south-facing shed roof, positioned so that the material cable car for supplies ends directly in the basement. The building uses two basement floors for technical and storage rooms and three upper floors (kitchen and dining rooms for 70 people, rooms for tenants and staff, and sleeping rooms with two to six beds, no large mattress dormitory). The facades are made of rough-sawn larch wood boards. No winter room is planned; the entrance windbreak serves as an emergency room when the hut is closed. The hut is designed with energy- and resource-saving technology: photovoltaic panels on the shed roof are part of a bivalent power supply from solar power, buffer batteries, and a rapeseed-oil-fired combined heat and power unit for longer bad weather periods. A trivalent heat generation system feeds a pump hot water heating system, utilizes waste heat from power generation and heat exchangers on the kitchen stove and smoke pipe with a buffer storage tank; hot water pipes are designed as a circulation system; a biological sewage treatment plant for kitchen and sanitary wastewater is standard. Sun terraces and a covered bouldering wall are intended to offer an attractive outdoor environment for hikers and climbers. The project costs of 1.6 million euros are only relatively slightly higher than the renovation of the old hut would have cost (1.4 million). A donation campaign was started to finance the project. The new building has been in operation since September 2021, and the old hut was subsequently demolished. In 2022, the hut was awarded the Environmental Quality Seal for Alpine Club Huts. In 2023, it received the Styrian Timber Construction Prize. In 2024, the kitchen team around Lisi Schleicher and Maja Ludwig was awarded 92 points by Falstaff. In summer 2024, severe weather caused the hut to be unable to receive food supplies for an extended period. A campaign by the hut keepers ensured the supply of fresh food; guests brought fruits and vegetables from their own gardens. Maja Ludwig and Lisi Schleicher were very grateful for the subsequent helpfulness.

• Voisthaler Hütte opened by the Alpine Gesellschaft d'Voisthaler.

• Decision to build a new hut instead of renovating, estimated at 1.6 million euros.

• Voisthaler section merged into Sektion Austria of the ÖAV as Ortsgruppe Voisthaler.

• New hut keepers Lieselotte Schleicher and Maja Ludwig take over for the summer season.

• New hut building enters operation; old hut demolished.

• Awarded the Environmental Quality Seal for Alpine Club Huts.

• Received the Styrian Timber Construction Prize (Holzbaupreis Steiermark).

• Kitchen team awarded 92 points by Falstaff.

• Severe weather disrupted food supply; campaign ensured fresh food delivery.

A modern, eco-friendly mountain hut offering accommodation and dining for hikers and climbers in the Hochschwab region.

• Overnight accommodation

• Dining

• Bouldering wall

• Donation campaign for new hut

  A donation campaign was started to finance the new hut project.
• Fresh food supply campaign 2024

  Hut keepers launched a campaign to ensure fresh food supply after severe weather disrupted deliveries; guests brought fruits and vegetables.

1. 1Official websitevoisthalerhuette.at
2. 2Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3German Wikipediade.wikipedia.org