Wasgauhütte

Wasgauhütte, also known as Schwanheimer Hütte, is a managed hiking shelter (Schutzhütte) in the German part of the Wasgau region within the Palatinate Forest (Pfälzerwald). It is leased and operated by the Schwanheim local branch of the Pfälzerwald-Verein, a hiking and heritage association. The hut sits at an elevation of 324 metres, southwest above the village of Schwanheim and below the Kühhungerfelsen rock (422 m). It opened in 1969 and does not offer overnight accommodation. Together with other houses of the Pfälzerwald-Verein, it has been part of the German UNESCO Commission's Intangible Cultural Heritage listing 'Pfälzerwaldhütten-Kultur' since 2021. The hut was closed on 29 August 2025 due to the economic situation of the tenants, and reopened on 10 January 2026 with a new tenant. Access is primarily on foot: the shortest route is from Schwanheim via the Im-Schlund valley; from Hauenstein the hut can be reached through the Queich valley or over the mountains via Kreuzelfelsen, Weimersberg, Backelstein and Hühnerstein. It is also easily reached from the nearby villages of Darstein and Oberschlettenbach. Neighbouring Pfälzerwald-Verein huts include Wanderheim Dicke Eiche and Drachenfelshütte, while other nearby hiking huts are Paddelweiher-Hütte, Cramerhaus and Bärenbrunnerhof. The hut is listed in Anne Kathrin Doerr's 'Pfälzer Hüttenbuch' (4th edition, 2018, p. 162) and appears on topographic maps of the region.

Wasgauhütte, also called Schwanheimer Hütte, is a managed hiking shelter in the German part of the Wasgau, in the Palatinate Forest. It is leased by the Schwanheim local branch of the Pfälzerwald-Verein. The hut was opened in 1969 and stands at an elevation of 324 metres, southwest above the village of Schwanheim and below the Kühhungerfelsen rock (422 m). It does not offer overnight accommodation. Since 2021, together with the other houses of the Pfälzerwald-Verein, it has been part of the German UNESCO Commission's Intangible Cultural Heritage entry 'Pfälzerwaldhütten-Kultur'. The hut was closed on 29 August 2025 due to the economic situation of the tenants, and on 10 January 2026 it was able to reopen with a new tenant. Access is on foot: the shortest route is from Schwanheim via the Im-Schlund valley; from Hauenstein the hut can be reached through the Queich valley or over the mountain via Kreuzelfelsen, Weimersberg, Backelstein and Hühnerstein. It can also be easily reached from the nearby villages of Darstein and Oberschlettenbach. Neighbouring Pfälzerwald-Verein huts are Wanderheim Dicke Eiche and Drachenfelshütte; other nearby hiking huts are Paddelweiher-Hütte, Cramerhaus and Bärenbrunnerhof. The hut is documented in Anne Kathrin Doerr's 'Pfälzer Hüttenbuch' (4th edition, June 2018, p. 162) and on topographic maps of the region.

• 2021

  Included in the German UNESCO Commission's Intangible Cultural Heritage list 'Pfälzerwaldhütten-Kultur' together with other Pfälzerwald-Verein houses.

• 1969

  Wasgauhütte opened.

• Closed due to the economic situation of the tenants.

• Reopened with a new tenant.

A traditional managed hiking hut of the Pfälzerwald-Verein, part of the region's intangible cultural heritage.

• Managed hiking shelter with food and drink service

1. 1Wasgauhütte – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org
2. 2Wasgauhütte – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Pfälzerwald-Verein – Unsere Hüttenpwv.de