Wendelsteinhaus

The Wendelsteinhaus is a mountain restaurant and former shelter hut located below the Wendelstein summit in the municipality of Bayrischzell, in the Miesbach district of Upper Bavaria, Germany. It was established on 15 June 1883 by the Münchner Verein Wendelsteinhaus as a Schutzhütte (shelter hut) for hikers and climbers. The original building stood at the Angerl on the southeast side of the mountain and could accommodate up to 70 people, but it soon proved too small; in 1885 alone, more than 6,000 visitors signed its hut book. A new house was built between the summit drop and the Gachen Blick and opened in 1887, replacing the old structure. A tiled stove from that period survives in the so-called Bierstube. The association that founded the hut dissolved in 1890, and the Sektion Rosenheim of the DuÖAV lacked the funds to acquire it. Over the following decades the house was repeatedly rebuilt and modernized. With the construction of the two Wendelstein railways — the rack railway in 1912 and the cable car in 1970 — the hut lost its original function as a shelter and became a gastronomic establishment. Overnight stays are no longer possible, but the restaurant offers more than 500 seats. It is owned by Wendelsteinbahn GmbH, the operator of the railways. The Wendelsteinhaus also gave its name to a Gemeindeteil (municipal part) of Bayrischzell, listed with the topographic designation "Unterkunftshaus." Besides the restaurant at "Wendelstein 1," this municipal part includes five other properties: the mountain rescue hut near the Kesselwand, the two buildings on the Wendelsteinalm, the building further north, and the Siglhütte. The site remains a popular destination for visitors using the rack railway or cable car, and it serves as a base for summit ascents (the Wendelstein summit at 1,838 m is about a 20-minute walk) and for transitions to neighboring huts such as the Aiblinger Hütte (1 hour) and the Alpenvereinshütte Mitteralm (1.5 hours).

The Wendelsteinhaus was built on 15 June 1883 as a shelter hut below the Wendelstein summit by the Münchner Verein Wendelsteinhaus. The Wendelstein was a working area of the Sektion Rosenheim of the DuÖAV, but the section's wish for its own hut on the Wendelstein failed due to its limited funds. The Munich association had the means and erected the first Wendelsteinhaus at the Angerl on the southeast side of the mountain, supported by the Sektion Rosenheim. The opening took place on 15 June 1883. The house could accommodate up to 70 people, yet it soon became too small; in 1885 more than 6,000 visitors signed the hut book. The old house was demolished and a new one was built between the summit drop and the Gachen Blick, opening in 1887. A tiled stove from that time is still preserved in the so-called Bierstube. The Verein Wendelsteinhaus dissolved in 1890; again the Sektion Rosenheim lacked the funds to acquire the house. Subsequently the house was repeatedly rebuilt and modernized. Overnight stays are no longer possible. The gastronomic operation offers over 500 seats. Through the construction of the two Wendelstein railways (rack railway in 1912, cable car in 1970), the hut lost its task as a shelter and today serves as a gastronomic establishment. It is owned by Wendelsteinbahn GmbH. The Wendelsteinhaus was the namesake of the eponymous Gemeindeteil of the municipality of Bayrischzell in the Miesbach district of Upper Bavaria. The Gemeindeteil Wendelsteinhaus, with the topographic designation "Unterkunftshaus," includes, besides the gastronomic operation at "Wendelstein 1," five other properties: the Bergwachthütte near the Kesselwand, the two buildings on the Wendelsteinalm, the building further north, and the Siglhütte. Transitions to neighboring huts include the Aiblinger Hütte (1 hour) and the Alpenvereinshütte Mitteralm (1.5 hours). Summit ascents to the Wendelstein (1,838 m) take about 20 minutes.

• 1970

  Cable car (Seilbahn) built, further transforming the hut into a gastronomic establishment.

• 1912

  Rack railway (Zahnradbahn) built, reducing the hut's shelter function.

• 1890

  Verein Wendelsteinhaus dissolved.

• 1887

  New house built between the summit drop and the Gachen Blick and opened.

• 1885

  More than 6,000 visitors signed the hut book.

• 1883

  Wendelsteinhaus opened on 15 June as a shelter hut by the Münchner Verein Wendelsteinhaus.

Historic alpine mountain restaurant and former shelter hut, owned by the Wendelsteinbahn railway company, serving visitors of the Wendelstein.

• Gastronomiebetrieb (restaurant) with over 500 seats

• Bierstube with historic tiled stove

1. 1Wendelsteinhaus - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Wendelsteinhaus - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org
3. 3Official websitewendelsteinbahn.de