Hut Fund Report

by Janet Britnell

The Feldnerhütte

The Feldnerhütte (2182m) on the Kreuzeck Höhenweg belongs to Sektion Steinnelke, a small revitalised section now based in Greifenburg, in Upper Drautal, Kärnten, near the section's work area in the Kreuzeckgruppe. The Hut Fund Report in the 2015 Autumn Newsletter 207 featured the history of Sektion Steinnelke and the Salzkofelhütte, their other hut, which is also a key staging post on the Kreuzeck Höhenweg and on an alternative loop of the E10 Long Distance Path. As already reported Sektion Britannia donated EUR 5k towards the renovation of the kitchen in the Salzkofelhütte during Summer 2015.

Roof after completion
All Photos by Sektion Steinneike

A lot of work was done on the Feldnerhütte in 2014 and the original plan for 2015 was a relatively low cost (EUR6.3k) repair of three dormer windows, and renovation of the roof. However, the authorities insisted that they needed to improve the sewage treatment facilities at the hut in 2015. In February, when the applications for funding had to be submitted to the Alpenverein the additional cost was estimated at EUR 14k, but the final cost rose to EUR 25k during the course of the summer and, by then, all the Alpenverein 2015 hut 'pot' had been allocated to other projects. By providing volunteer labour for all three projects the total cost came within their original budget but the section's contribution of about EUR 13k drained their financial resources such that they decided they would not be able to undertake any more major work on the two huts before 2018. Then, in the autumn, came the news that the hydroelectric department at Siebersdorf Research Enterprises was about close. The hydroelectric generators at the Feldner and Salzkofel huts were built to an innovative design by the research department in question. Although the Hut Department in Innsbruck considers the design to be truly great, it was never developed commercially so, in order to maintain the two generators in the future, Section Steinnelke needed to purchase as many spare parts as possible.

Roof before completion

The Feldnerhütte is a small category I hut, with 9 beds and 30 Matratzenlager, a long way from the nearest road access at Gnoppnitz, and 7 hours from Greifenburg and public transport, so most of its income comes from walkers on the two long distance paths, with no net income for the section. The hut burnt down in 1988 and, after it was rebuilt in 1990, they were given a Sektion Britannia Hut Fund donation of 100,000 Austrian Schillings to help refurnish the hut. At their meeting in October 2015 the Executive Committee agreed to give Sektion Steinnelke a further EUR 15k towards the waste water treatment at the Feldnerhütte and to help purchase spare parts for the large hydroelectric generator at the Feldnerhütte and rather smaller model at the Salzkofelhütte.

The new kitchen

The new kitchen sitting area

"I HAVE TO THANK YOU ALL! in the name of the Sections and of Hauptverein. Your donations are a very special and unique example for solidarity within the Alpenverein that always will be mentioned as best-practice example!"

Please keep the donations coming in!

The new sewage plant

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