Watzmannhaus

The Watzmannhaus is a catered Alpine Club mountain hut (Category I) of the Munich & Oberland section of the German Alpine Club (Deutscher Alpenverein, DAV), situated at 1,930 m above sea level on the Falzköpfl, just north below the Watzmann-Hocheck in the Berchtesgaden Alps. It lies within the Berchtesgaden National Park — Germany's only Alpine national park — in the municipality of Ramsau bei Berchtesgaden, Upper Bavaria. The hut is the most important base on the Watzmann for day visitors and overnight guests, and it is open in summer, with a winter room available in the cold season. The Watzmannhaus was built by the Munich section of the DuOeAV under the leadership of Franz von Schilcher, after the Berchtesgaden section had laid out paths but lacked the funds for a hut. The foundation stone was laid on 2 July 1887, the shell was completed that autumn, and the hut was inaugurated on 5 August 1888 with space for 25 people. The builder was Valentin Raspamonti of Tarcento. Demand was strong from the start, leading to a first expansion in 1894; the name "Münchner Haus am Watzmann" used at the time did not stick. A larger rebuild between 1908 and 1911 gave the hut its present appearance and expanded it to 132 sleeping places. With up to around 8,000 overnight stays a year, it is among the most visited mountain huts of the Alpine Club. The hut's profile combines a historic, weather-exposed high-Alpine location with regional, fresh cuisine and family hospitality. It serves as the key staging point for the Watzmannüberschreitung, one of the finest ridge traverses in the Eastern Alps, and also as a rewarding destination for less ambitious mountain sports enthusiasts — a day tour for the very fit, or an overnight base for a side trip to the Hocheck. The "Watzmanntour," a four-day hut-to-hut circuit around the Watzmann, is promoted as a way to explore the national park. Water scarcity has always been the hut's defining constraint. In the record summer of 2003 water ran short early, leaving enough only for cooking; washing and tooth-brushing were cancelled for guests. In 2006 the hut was equipped with a modern combined heat and power unit and a wastewater treatment plant, bringing it up to the latest environmental technology, with drinking water tanks and environmentally sound energy and wastewater management. Since September 2018 a general renovation has been under way; the planned demolition and rebuilding of the Salettl was temporarily prohibited by the Munich Administrative Court following a complaint by the Bund Naturschutz. The hut is supplied by a material cableway installed in 1960, overcoming a height difference of 600 metres with one support; the valley station below the Mitterkaseralm is reachable by forest road with an off-road vehicle. The hut is run by Paul Verst, continuing a line of hut keepers that includes the families Eder, Kaltenbacher, Kurz and Verst since 1985.

The Watzmannhaus was built by the Munich section of the DuOeAV under the leadership of Franz von Schilcher, after the Berchtesgaden section had laid out paths but lacked the funds for a hut. The foundation stone was laid on 2 July 1887, the shell was completed that autumn, and the hut was inaugurated on 5 August 1888 with space for 25 people. The builder was Valentin Raspamonti of Tarcento. Demand was strong from the start, leading to a first expansion in 1894; the name "Münchner Haus am Watzmann" used at the time did not stick. A larger rebuild between 1908 and 1911 gave the hut its present appearance and expanded it to 132 sleeping places. With up to around 8,000 overnight stays a year, it is among the most visited mountain huts of the Alpine Club. Hut keepers have shaped the hut's history. Johann Grill, the "Kederbacher," was the first hut keeper until 1905, followed by his son Johann Grill the Younger until 1911. Adolf Adam kept the hut in 1911/12, then Anna Gschoßmann with the Högerle family until 1925. From 1925 the Strobl-Bitterling family ran the house over three generations (Emma Sprick-Strobl until 1955, Gabriele and Albert Bitterling until 1977, Raimund Bitterling until 1984) — a total of 60 years. From 1985 the families Eder, Kaltenbacher, Kurz and Verst took over in succession. Emma Sprick-Strobl earned an outstanding reputation as a hut keeper. Water scarcity has always been the hut's defining constraint. In the record summer of 2003 water ran short early, leaving enough only for cooking; washing and tooth-brushing were cancelled for guests. In 2006 the hut was equipped with a modern combined heat and power unit and a wastewater treatment plant, bringing it up to the latest environmental technology, with drinking water tanks and environmentally sound energy and wastewater management. Water remains scarce. The hut is supplied by a material cableway installed in 1960, overcoming a height difference of 600 metres with one support; the valley station below the Mitterkaseralm is reachable by forest road with an off-road vehicle. Previously supplies were carried on foot and with pack animals (mules). Since September 2018 a general renovation has been under way; the planned demolition and rebuilding of the Salettl was temporarily prohibited by the Munich Administrative Court following a complaint by the Bund Naturschutz. The hut is run by Paul Verst, continuing the line of hut keepers since 1985.

• Foundation stone laid for the Watzmannhaus by the Munich section of the DuOeAV.

• Watzmannhaus inaugurated, offering space for 25 people.

• First expansion of the hut due to strong demand.

• Larger rebuild gives the hut its present appearance and expands it to 132 sleeping places.

• Material cableway installed, overcoming a 600-metre height difference with one support.

• Water supply repaired.

• Roof renovated and newly covered with larch shingles.

• Photovoltaic cells installed on the roof.

• Record summer causes severe water shortage; washing and tooth-brushing cancelled for guests.

• Hut equipped with a modern combined heat and power unit and a wastewater treatment plant.

• General renovation begins; planned Salettl demolition and rebuild temporarily prohibited by the Munich Administrative Court after a Bund Naturschutz complaint.

A historic, environmentally upgraded Alpine Club hut (Category I) serving as the primary base for the Watzmann ridge traverse, combining high-Alpine access with regional cuisine and family hospitality.

• Catered mountain hut accommodation (Category I)

  Overnight stays and dormitory beds in a catered Alpine Club hut.

• Regional fresh cuisine

  Regional, fresh cuisine paired with family hospitality.

• Winter room

  Unstaffed winter room available in the cold season.

• Watzmannüberschreitung base

  Key staging point for the Watzmann ridge traverse, one of the finest in the Eastern Alps.

• Watzmanntour

  A four-day hut-to-hut circuit around the Watzmann.

1. 1Watzmannhaus am Watzmann übernachten – Alpenverein München & Oberlandalpenverein-muenchen-oberland.de
2. 2Geschichte Watzmannhaus – Alpenverein München & Oberlandalpenverein-muenchen-oberland.de
3. 3Watzmannhaus – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org
4. 4Watzmannhaus – Wikidatawikidata.org
5. 5Mediadaten Magazin alpinwelt Alpenverein München & Oberland - Alpenverein München & Oberlandalpenverein-muenchen-oberland.de
6. 6Alpenverein München & Oberland Mitgliederzeitschrift alpinwelt - Alpenverein München & Oberlandalpenverein-muenchen-oberland.de