Wanderheim Dicke Eiche

Wanderheim Dicke Eiche (also known as Hauensteiner Hütte) is a hiking lodge (Schutzhütte) operated by the Hauenstein local branch of the Pfälzerwald-Verein in the Palatinate Forest (Pfälzerwald) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It sits at an elevation of 405 metres in the German part of the Wasgau region, above the source valley of the Queich river. The lodge is one of the houses of the Pfälzerwald-Verein and, since 2021, has been part of the intangible cultural heritage entry "Pfälzerwaldhütten-Kultur" recognised by the German UNESCO Commission. The original hiking house was built in 1973. The current extended building was inaugurated in 1994. The tree that gave the lodge its name was a 300-year-old oak; it was vandalised with a saw in 1994 and finally had to be felled in 2011 for safety reasons. The lodge is accessible from Hauenstein via the Queich valley or over the mountain past the Kreuzelfelsen, Weimersberg, Backelstein and Hühnerstein rock formations. It can also be reached easily from the surrounding villages of Schwanheim, Darstein, Schindhard and Erfweiler. Neighbouring huts of the Pfälzerwald-Verein are the Wasgauhütte and the Drachenfelshütte; other nearby hiking huts include the Paddelweiher-Hütte, the Cramerhaus and the Bärenbrunnerhof. Because it offers overnight accommodation, the lodge is suitable as a stop on long-distance hikes. It is also a refreshment stop on the "Hauensteiner Schusterpfad" circular trail, which was certified as a premium trail by the German Hiking Institute and inaugurated in 2013. The lodge is documented in Anne Kathrin Doerr's "Pfälzer Hüttenbuch" (4th edition, June 2018, p. 65) and appears on the topographic map of the Pfälzerwald nature park (sheet 8, Östlicher Wasgau mit Bergzabern, 2010).

The Wanderheim Dicke Eiche was built in 1973 as a hiking house for the Hauenstein local branch of the Pfälzerwald-Verein. It is located in the German part of the Wasgau, above the source valley of the Queich, at an elevation of 405 metres. The lodge takes its name from a 300-year-old oak tree ("Dicke Eiche" meaning "thick oak") that stood nearby. In 1994 the tree was vandalised with a saw, and the current extended building of the lodge was inaugurated the same year. The damaged oak finally had to be felled in 2011 for safety reasons. Since 2021, the lodge has been part of the intangible cultural heritage entry "Pfälzerwaldhütten-Kultur" (Palatinate Forest Hut Culture) recognised by the German UNESCO Commission, together with the other houses of the Pfälzerwald-Verein. The lodge serves hikers on numerous trails, including the premium-certified "Hauensteiner Schusterpfad" circular route inaugurated in 2013, and offers overnight accommodation, making it a suitable stop on long-distance hikes.

• 2021

  The lodge became part of the intangible cultural heritage entry "Pfälzerwaldhütten-Kultur" recognised by the German UNESCO Commission.

• 2013

  The premium-certified "Hauensteiner Schusterpfad" circular trail, on which the lodge is a refreshment stop, was inaugurated.

• 2011

  The damaged oak had to be felled for safety reasons.

• 1994

  The current extended building was inaugurated; the name-giving 300-year-old oak was vandalised with a saw.

• 1973

  The hiking house (Wanderheim) was built.

A traditional hiking lodge and rest stop in the Palatinate Forest, part of the Pfälzerwald-Verein network and recognised as intangible cultural heritage.

• Hiking lodge accommodation

• Overnight stays for hikers

• Refreshments for hikers

1. 1Wanderheim Dicke Eiche – official websitepw.pfaelzerwaldverein-hauenstein.de
2. 2Wanderheim Dicke Eiche – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Wanderheim Dicke Eiche – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org