Anningerhaus

The Anningerhaus is a mountain refuge hut (Schutzhütte) on the 624-metre Anninger hill in the municipality of Gaaden, Mödling District, Lower Austria, near the Anninger transmitter. It is run by the Verein der Naturfreunde in Mödling (Mödling Friends of Nature association), the local branch of the Austrian Naturfreunde organisation founded in 1877. The hut serves hikers and day-trippers in the Wienerwald (Vienna Woods) and is a traditional excursion destination for Vienna and the surrounding area. The first Anningerhaus opened in 1893, having grown out of a simple shelter built by the Friends of Nature near Buchbrunnen in 1878. The wooden building with soft-stone walls was substantially extended three times, the last time in 1905. On 30 October 1910 it burned to the ground, probably because of a badly connected stove and a lack of water for firefighting. After a temporary emergency hut and extensive fundraising, the new Anninger Schutz-Haus was built in 1911/1912 at its present site near Eschenbrunnen, on land belonging to Stift Heiligenkreuz (Heiligenkreuz Abbey), and opened on 20 July 1912. During the First World War it was used as a military observation post and was therefore closed to the public. In the final days of the Second World War, in 1945, the building was also destroyed by fire. The present Anningerhaus was not rebuilt until 1959 and has served hikers ever since. Nearby once stood the Kaiser-Jubiläumswarte, a 15-metre viewing tower on the Eschenkogel (653 m), opened by the Friends of Nature on 3 July 1898 to mark the 50th anniversary of Emperor Franz Joseph's accession. It was a three-storey iron structure on a base. Because of its dilapidated condition it was demolished in 2021 and replaced by a new viewing tower. The Anningerhaus is typical of Austrian Alpine Club huts, offering simple food, shelter and a base for walks on the Anninger. Its website, anningerhaus.at, provides information for visitors. The hut remains an active place to eat and relax in the Vienna Woods.

The history of the Anningerhaus begins with the Verein der Naturfreunde in Mödling, founded in 1877. In 1878 the association built a simple shelter hut near the Buchbrunnen on the Anninger. Through extensions and expansion, this developed into the first Anningerhaus, which opened in 1893. The building was significantly enlarged three times, the last time in 1905. On 30 October 1910, the house — a wooden structure with cork-stone walls — burned down to its foundations, probably because of an improperly connected stove that heated two rooms and a lack of extinguishing water. Today only the well enclosure remains visible from that first building. After the fire, an emergency hut was built and used. Following various, sometimes controversial fundraising actions and a planning competition, the Anninger-Schutzhaus was constructed in 1911/1912 at its present site near the Eschenbrunnen, on a plot owned by Heiligenkreuz Abbey. It opened on 20 July 1912. During World War I, the nearby observation point was used as a military observation post, so the refuge house was not usable during that period. After the war, the telephone lines laid for military communications could continue to be used. In 1945, in the final days of World War II, this second house also burned down. It was not until 1959 that the present Anningerhaus was rebuilt. The hut has since served as a refuge and excursion destination in the Vienna Woods. A related structure, the Kaiser-Jubiläumswarte, was a 15-metre-high observation tower on the Eschenkogel (653 m) not far from the Anningerhaus. It was opened on 3 July 1898 by the Verein der Naturfreunde to honour the 50th anniversary of Emperor Franz Joseph's reign. It was an iron construction with three storeys and a substructure. Due to structural decay, it was demolished in 2021 and replaced by a new observation tower.

• 2021

  Kaiser-Jubiläumswarte demolished due to structural decay and replaced.

• 1959

  Present Anningerhaus rebuilt.

• 1945

  Second Anningerhaus burns down in the final days of World War II.

• 1912

  New Anninger-Schutzhaus opens on 20 July at the present site.

• 1910

  First Anningerhaus burns down on 30 October.

• 1905

  First Anningerhaus enlarged for the third and last time.

• 1898

  Kaiser-Jubiläumswarte observation tower opened on 3 July.

• 1893

  First Anningerhaus opens.

• 1878

  Association builds a shelter hut near the Buchbrunnen.

• 1877

  Verein der Naturfreunde in Mödling founded.

Traditional alpine association refuge hut in the Vienna Woods, operated by the Naturfreunde for hikers and day visitors.

• Anningerhaus refuge hut

  Mountain refuge hut at 624 m on the Anninger, offering food, drink and shelter to hikers.

1. 1Anningerhaus – Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Anningerhaus – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org
3. 3Website Anningerhausanningerhaus.at