The Münchner Haus ("Munich House") on Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze, is an Alpine Club hut belonging to the Munich Section of the German Alpine Club (DAV).

Münchner Haus
Münchner Haus is located in Germany
Münchner Haus
Münchner Haus
Coordinates47°25′15″N 10°59′06″E / 47.42083°N 10.985°E / 47.42083; 10.985
CountryGermany
Administrative
district
Bavaria
Mountain rangeWetterstein
LocationWest summit of the Zugspitze
Elevation2,959 m (9,708 ft) above sea level
Construction
Built in1894–1897
Administration
Hut typeDAV Hut Category II
OwnerMunich Section
Websitewww.muenchner-haus.de
Facilities
Beds/Bunks30
Opening timesmid-May to end September
Accessibility
Accessed by3 cable cars
Footnotes
Hut referenceOeAV DAV

The category 2 hut lies on the west summit of the Zugspitze at a height of 2,959 metres (9,708 ft) [1] and is thus the highest refuge hut in the German Alps. The Münchner Haus is managed by Hansjörg Barth whose family have run the hut for three generations since 1925.

Approach routes edit

The hut may be reached with the aid of cable cars from the Zugspitzplatt, the Eibsee lake and from Ehrwald in Austria. The Münchner Haus is accessible on foot over the usual climbing paths to the Zugspitze.

Tour options edit

Due to the exposed situation of the summit, walkers have a very limited scope. In addition to the approach routes to the summit of the Zugspitze which are suitable for walkers in places, there is the short, slightly exposed climbing path to the actual summit cross on the east summit.

For ambitious climbers the Jubilee Ridge, which runs between the Zugspitze and the Alpspitze, offers an interesting climbing tour.

Facilities edit

There are usually shower facilities available at the hut. For 4 € they supply 30 litres of warm or cold water.[citation needed] It is not possible to reserve bedspaces at weekends, and during the week reservations are unnecessary. From 3 pm beds are allocated every hour on the hour.[citation needed]

In 2019, as part of its ongoing fight against the spread of bed bugs in some German alpine huts,[2] the Münchner Haus required those staying at the hut to microwave their sleeping bags in advance.[3]

History edit

The foundation stone for the Münchner Haus was laid in 1894. Construction was very controversial and led to a rift within the Munich Section of the German Alpine Club, the outcome of which was the foundation of the Bayerland Section. Three years later the Alpine Club celebrated the opening of the hut on 19 September 1897. On 19 July 1900 the meteorological station with its prominent tower was inaugurated. The first meteorologist on the Zugspitze was Josef Enzensperger, who was the first to winter alone in 1900/1901.

References edit

  1. ^ see topographic map 1:25,000 series, sheet 8531/8631 "Zugspitze" by the Bavarian State Survey Office
  2. ^ "Alpenverein geht bei Bekämpfung der Bettwanzen in die Offensive - Aktuell - Presse - Der DAV - Deutscher Alpenverein (DAV)". www.alpenverein.de. Deutscher Alpenverein. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  3. ^ Blond, Josie Le (12 July 2019). "Alpine huts take drastic action to ensure the bed bugs don't bite". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 August 2019.

External links edit