Wankhaus

Wankhaus, also known as Alois-Huber-Haus, is a mountain hut (Schutzhütte) owned and operated by the Sektion Garmisch-Partenkirchen of the Deutscher Alpenverein (DAV). It sits at 1,780 metres above sea level on the summit of the Wank in the Estergebirge range of the Bavarian Prealps, near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. The hut is open almost all year round and serves hikers, climbers and day visitors, offering food, drink and overnight accommodation. Its location directly beside the top station of the Wank cable car makes it easily accessible, while walkers can also reach it on foot from Garmisch-Partenkirchen or Farchant in roughly two and a half to three hours. The idea of building a shelter on the Wank was first discussed by the section's general assembly in 1894. Growing tourist interest, boosted by the erection of a summit cross in 1904, pushed the project forward despite repeated setbacks over land, water supply and financing. Construction was finally approved in 1909, work began in summer 1910, and the hut was ceremonially opened in May 1911. It was financed largely from income generated by the section's managed path through the Höllentalklamm. Alois Huber, the section's treasurer and hut officer, was a driving force behind the project and, as a woodcarver, designed and produced the interior furnishings at low cost. After his death in 1922 the hut received the byname Alois-Huber-Haus in his honour, though the DAV continues to list it officially as Wankhaus; today signs bearing both names are mounted on the building. Extensions became necessary in 1929/30, partly because of the new Wank cable car, and a further annex followed in 1939. In 1960 the section bought the land on the Wank summit from the Bavarian forest administration for 52,000 DM and has owned the site since. A Fraunhofer Institute measuring station has stood near the hut since 1958, collecting data on radioactivity in the air and precipitation. The hut remains a well-known refreshment and overnight stop in the Werdenfelser Land, and its opening times are published on the section's website alongside those of other DAV huts such as the Meilerhütte, Kreuzeckhaus, Oberreintalhütte, Stuibenhütte and Höllentaleingangshütte.

The Wankhaus (also Alois-Huber-Haus) is a Schutzhütte of the Sektion Garmisch-Partenkirchen of the Deutscher Alpenverein. It stands at 1,780 m above sea level in the Estergebirge range of the Bavarian Prealps, on the summit of the Wank, and is managed almost all year round. The history of the hut begins in 1894, when the general assembly of the Sektion Garmisch-Partenkirchen of the DuOeAV discussed building a shelter on the Wank summit. In the following years the tourist value of the Wank continued to grow, and after the Volkstrachtenverein 'Werdenfelser Heimat' erected a summit cross on the Wank in 1904, visitor numbers rose so much that the section pushed the hut-building project further. Negotiations with the landowner, the development of a suitable drinking-water supply and the financing of the building repeatedly suffered setbacks: the Darlehenskassaverein Garmisch refused a loan and the main committee of the DuÖAV refused a subsidy that had been firmly planned. Timetable, project scope and building plans had to be changed repeatedly until 1909, when the section board finally firmly decided to build. The water pipeline was initially omitted. Alois Huber, then treasurer and hut officer of the section and already a driving force during the planning phase, was a woodcarver by profession; he designed the interior furnishings and had them made cheaply in his workshop. The construction sum of just under 25,000 Marks was financed from the income of the path through the Höllentalklamm managed by the section. Construction work began in summer 1910, and in May of the following year the Wankhaus was ceremonially opened. After the war the hut enjoyed great popularity, and not least because of the construction of the Wank cable car, first extensions became necessary in 1929/30, including the previously neglected water supply. In 1939 a further annex followed. Since 1958 a measuring station of the Fraunhofer Institute has stood in the immediate vicinity of the hut, collecting data for the investigation of radioactivity in the air and for precipitation measurement. In 1960 the Sektion Garmisch-Partenkirchen acquired the plot on which the Wankhaus stands for 52,000 DM from the Bavarian forest administration and has been the owner of the area on the Wank summit since then. The shelter was built under the name Wankhaus. After Alois Huber, who was decisively involved in the construction of the hut, died in 1922, the section gave it the byname Alois-Huber-Haus to honour Huber's services. Officially, however, the accommodation is listed in the DAV's publications under the name Wankhaus. Today hut signs bearing both names are mounted on the building. The hut can be reached, among other ways, from the summit station of the Wank cable car (1,780 m), which lies only about fifty metres next to the hut; from Garmisch-Partenkirchen (700 m) via the Eckenhütte in about 2½ hours or via the Daxkapelle and the Esterbergalm in about 3 hours; and from Farchant (671 m) in a walking time of about 3 hours. Tours from the hut include the transition to the Weilheimer Hütte (1,955 m), walking time 3–3½ hours, from there 30 minutes to the Krottenkopf (2,086 m); the summit ascent of the Hoher Fricken (1,940 m), walking time 1½–2 hours; and the summit ascent of the Bischof (2,033 m), walking time 2–2½ hours.

• 1960

  Section buys the Wank summit plot from the Bavarian forest administration for 52,000 DM.

• 1958

  Fraunhofer Institute measuring station established near the hut.

• 1939

  Further annex added.

• 1930

  Extensions completed.

• 1929

  First extensions become necessary, partly due to the Wank cable car; water supply improved.

• 1922

  Alois Huber dies; the hut receives the byname Alois-Huber-Haus in his honour.

• 1911

  Wankhaus ceremonially opened in May.

• 1910

  Construction work begins in summer.

• 1909

  Section board firmly decides to build the hut after years of setbacks.

• 1904

  Volkstrachtenverein 'Werdenfelser Heimat' erects a summit cross on the Wank, boosting visitor numbers.

• 1894

  General assembly of the Sektion Garmisch-Partenkirchen discusses building a shelter on the Wank summit.

Traditional DAV mountain hut offering almost year-round food, drink and accommodation at the summit of the Wank, easily reached by cable car or on foot.

• Wankhaus (Alois-Huber-Haus) mountain hut

  Schutzhütte at 1,780 m on the Wank summit, open almost year-round, offering food, drink and overnight accommodation.

1. 1DAV Sektion Garmisch-Partenkirchen | Berghütten, Kurse & Tourenalpenverein-gapa.de
2. 2Wankhaus - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org
3. 3Wankhaus - Wikidatawikidata.org