Hut Fund Report 2018
by Janet Britnell
So far in 2018 we have made a donation €10K to Sektion Öblarn to help restore the Berghaus in der Walchen which was severely damaged in a storm in August 2017 (see NL Summer 2018); a donation of €13K to Sektion Bad lschl to help with unexpected additional costs for infrastructural improvements at the lschlerhütte (see NL Autumn 2018); and €10K to the tiny Sektion Rauris, to help them make their contribution to the installation of a more modern Material Seilbahn shared by the Zittelhaus (the Alpenverein's highest hut) and the Sonnblick Observatory on the summit of the Hoher Sonnblick, 3106m, in the Goldberggruppe, Hohe Tauern. As you will see from the two reports from members who attended the official dedication ceremonies for the Salmhütte (Hut Fund donation of €40K in 2011), and the Berghaus in der Walchen, our donations are very much appreciated by the hut owning sections and the Hauptverein. There are some big projects in the pipeline for 2019, and the grant towards the huts from Austrian federal government will be lower than in recent years, so our Hut Fund will be needed more than ever. Please keep your donations coming in!
Salmhütte - opening of terrace and extension
by Michael Prowse
The best view in the Alps? Everyone has a favourite, but one thing is certain - staring at the summit of Austria's highest mountain from the terrace at the Salmhütte is both awe inspiring and humbling. And if you've made your way there as a member of ÖAV Sektion Britannia then give yourself a pat on the back as you sip your beer and gaze at the Großglockner from the Britannia Terrasse, named in recognition of our 2017 donation towards the new extension and terrace. The view comes free!
In June, Tim Morley and myself were honoured to represent Sektion Britannia at the official opening of the terrace and a fine new extension to the hut.
The third Salmhütte
The construction of the Britannia Terrasse was part of a €600,000 project to update Austria's oldest mountain hut though, like trigger's broom, the current incarnation shares nothing from the first Salmhütte, built in 1799 with cash from the delightfully named Xaver von Salm-Rifferscheide, Bishop of Gurk. That hut, built at the foot of the Leitenkees glacier, fell apart by 1828 . A second hut lasted for about 30 years before a third was started in 1855, carved into the rocks of Schwerteck at 2730m. This was abandoned in 1914. The remains are still there and well worth visiting, as we did during our stay.
After WW1, ownership passed to ÖAV Sektion Wien and in 1929 a fourth hut was opened at the Hasenpalfen. This stone hut, at 2844m, with its shingle roof and red-and-white shutters remained almost unchanged, apart from getting electricity and toilets, until now.
The fourth Salmhütte with new extension and terrace
But there were always two big problems - a tiny 12 sq m kitchen and dreadfully cramped accommodation for the guardian. Step forward Michael Merstallinger, the hut manager for Sektion Wien. His vision was for an annexe with a new kitchen and staff living quarters. A competition was held and after much deliberation a simple design of a shingle-clad, pitched-roof box, echoing the form of the existing hut, was chosen.
Herr Merstallinger's organisational genius brought together builders, architects and planners and over the summers of 2017 and 2018 the work was completed. Solar panels provide power for the hut as well as its green credentials. A state-of-the-art kitchen gives the current hut guardian, Helga Pratl, something to be proud of, and somewhere to produce the stunning meals that are the hallmark of her hospitality.
And so it was that on June 30 more than 100 people - ÖAV members and officials, local dignitaries, mountain guides, engineers, planners, architects, builders and more - gathered on the terrace for the inauguration ceremony and to hear a priest from nearby Heiligenblut bless the building.
The ÖAV's Georg Unterberger, who advises sections on hut renovation, praised Sektion Britannia's contribution. "The €40,000 is by far the biggest single donation and the terrace is magnificent." Walter Hauer, Sektion Wien chairman and our host, echoed his sentiments, adding: "We hope to see many of you here in the coming years."
The weather gods were kind and as the clouds cleared to reveal clear blue sky, the Großglockner looked benignly down. A very different mountain from that, which three days earlier had defeated our summit attempt with temperatures of -8ºC, gale-force winds and a whiteout. Still that means we have to return; unfinished business has to be dealt with and any excuse to visit this most delightful of huts again is welcome.
Restoration and Reopening of Berghaus in der Walchen
by Tony Cooper
This is a hut at about 1000m in the Walchen valley in northern Styria. ln August 2017 it was severely damaged by flash floods, and Janet Britnell wrote an article about it for the Summer 2018 newsletter, just after the AAC(UK) had donated €10K towards its restoration, which cost €300K in total, as well as several thousand man hours of volunteer labour. The hut is owned by the tiny Sektion Öblarn (SÖ), with about 350 members, and is now open for business again.
On 15th August 2018, when the rebuilding was 99% complete, the Section held a grand Open Day. 15th August is Assumption Day (Maria Himmelfahrt), one of the holiest days in the Catholic Calendar and a traditional day for such events. Several hundred people were there, including many children, mostly in traditional dress.
Because of our donation the AAC(UK) was invited to send a representative to this event and since I had planned to be in the area around that time I attended on our behalf. The expressions of gratitude from all and sundry, both to me personally and to the AAC(UK) were overwhelming and I was treated as a guest of honour. lt was a great privilege, as well as very enjoyable, to be there. As I write, the home page of SÖ, alpenverein.at/oeblarn, has some good pictures which give a flavour of the event and also has a section of thanks, amongst which Sektion Britannia features prominently.
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