Edelrauthütte

The Edelrauthütte (also known as Eisbruggjochhütte; Italian: Rifugio Passo Ponte di Ghiaccio) is a mountain hut located at 2,545 metres above sea level on the Eisbruggjoch, a pass between the Pfunderer and Lappacher valleys in the Pfunderer Berge, a subgroup of the Zillertal Alps in South Tyrol, Italy. It was opened in 1908 as a base for high alpine tours into the three-thousand-metre peaks of the Zillertal main ridge to the north. The original building was completely replaced by a new structure in 2016. The hut was founded by the Alpine Gesellschaft Edelraute of the Österreichischer Alpenklub (Austrian Alpine Club) and initially named Edelrautehütte after its founding association. After World War I, South Tyrol was annexed by Italy, which expropriated all German and Austrian mountain huts on its territory. During the subsequent fascist Italianization, the name Edelrautehütte was replaced by the Italian Rifugio Passo Ponte di Ghiaccio. A literal translation of the Italian name into German produced Eisbruggjochhütte, another name common in popular usage. Although the land register still lists the form Edelrautehütte alongside the Italian designation, Edelrauthütte is today the most commonly used name. The hut is a key stop on several high-altitude trails, including the Pfunderer Höhenweg (Bruneck – Sterzing, 5–6 days), the Neveser Höhenweg (1 day), and the Brenner – Schwarzenstein – Speikboden route (5–6 days). It serves as a base for ascents of peaks such as the Hochfeiler (3,510 m), Hoher Weißzint (3,371 m), Niederer Weißzint (3,263 m), Östliche Hochwart (3,068 m), Westliche Hochwart (3,045 m), Großer Möseler (3,479 m), and Napfspitze (2,888 m). Access to the hut is on foot only; there is no road or material cable car. Three main approaches exist: from the Neves reservoir in the rear Lappacher Tal in about 2.5 hours, from the hamlet of Dun in Pfunders in 3 hours, and from the Hochfeilerhütte via the Niedere Weißzintscharte in 5–6 hours (note: this route has been closed since 2 August 2023). Since 1999, the hut has been owned by the Autonomous Province of Bozen – South Tyrol, along with 24 other formerly state-expropriated mountain huts. The concession for its management by the CAI (Club Alpino Italiano) expired at the end of 2010. Since 2015, the province has been supported in administering the hut (leasing to tenants, monitoring management, renovation measures) by a parity commission that includes the AVS (Alpenverein Südtirol) and the CAI alongside public authorities. After the provincial government decided in 2011 to rebuild the hut due to its poor structural condition, the project by the Brixen architectural firm MoDus Architects was realized in 2015 and 2016. The construction cost approximately 2.9 million euros. The new hut is energy-autonomous and offers rooms for 4, 6, and 8 people, a small dormitory, a dining room with large panoramic windows, a terrace with panoramic benches, and a wellness area. Overnight stays cost €34 per day for adults, with children up to 15 receiving a 50% discount; breakfast is €19, and half-board is €78. A hut sleeping bag is mandatory. The hut is typically open from early June to early October.

As early as 1895, the hut construction committee of the Berlin section of the DuOeAV planned a jubilee hut at the Eisbruggjoch that would "substantially facilitate the visit of the Hochfeiler and several other peaks in the western part of the Zillertal main ridge for (...) alpine travellers." In 1906, the Alpine Gesellschaft Edelraute of the Österreichischer Alpenklub in Vienna acquired a building plot at the pass and erected the Edelrautehütte the following year. It was ceremonially inaugurated on 17 August 1908 in the presence of imperial ministerial councillor and alpinist Josef Daimer. From the beginning, the glacier base was well visited: in the bad-weather summer of 1910, 95 early pioneers still dared the ascent. After World War I, South Tyrol was annexed by Italy, which subsequently expropriated all German and Austrian mountain huts on its territory. The management of the Rifugio, which was then run as a business and simultaneously served as a base for the Italian financial guard, was taken over by the Brixen section of the CAI. After World War II, the shelter was heavily neglected and damaged by vandals. Although it was restored and reopened for business in 1950, it was again militarily occupied in 1964, at the height of the unrest over South Tyrol's insufficient autonomy. Only since 1972 has the Edelrauthütte been open again to mountaineers and served as a tourist base on the well-known high trails. As space became scarce on peak days, it received an annex with a winter room and sleeping quarters in 1976, and shortly afterwards an electricity plant. Even then, an army helicopter handled the transport of materials. To this day, the Edelrauthütte has no access road or material cable car. Together with 24 other state-expropriated mountain huts, the Edelrauthütte passed into the ownership of the Autonomous Province of Bozen – South Tyrol in 1999; the concession for its management by the CAI expired at the end of 2010. Since 2015, the province of South Tyrol has been supported in the administration of the hut (leasing to tenants, monitoring of management, renovation measures) by a parity commission in which, alongside the public sector, the AVS and the CAI are represented. After the provincial government had already decided in 2011 to rebuild the hut due to its poor structural condition, the project by the Brixen architectural firm MoDus Architects was realized in 2015 and 2016. The cost of the construction work, in which the new building was erected first and then the old hut standing immediately next to it was demolished, amounted to around 2.9 million euros.

• 2016

  The new energy-autonomous hut is completed, replacing the original building.

• 2015

  Construction of the new hut by MoDus Architects begins; the old wooden hut is demolished in summer.

• 2011

  The provincial government decides to rebuild the hut due to its poor structural condition.

• 2010

  The concession for management by the CAI expires at the end of the year.

• 1999

  The hut passes into the ownership of the Autonomous Province of Bozen – South Tyrol along with 24 other huts.

• 1976

  An annex with a winter room and sleeping quarters is added; an electricity plant follows shortly after.

• 1972

  The Edelrauthütte reopens to mountaineers and becomes a tourist base on high trails.

• 1964

  The hut is again militarily occupied at the height of the unrest over South Tyrol's autonomy.

• 1950

  The shelter is restored and reopened for business after World War II neglect and vandalism.

• 1910

  In the bad-weather summer, 95 early pioneers still dare the ascent.

• 1908

  The Edelrautehütte is ceremonially inaugurated on 17 August in the presence of Josef Daimer.

• 1906

  The Alpine Gesellschaft Edelraute of the Österreichischer Alpenklub acquires a building plot at the pass.

• 1895

  The hut construction committee of the Berlin section of the DuOeAV plans a jubilee hut at the Eisbruggjoch.

High-alpine, energy-autonomous mountain hut and alpine touring base in one of South Tyrol's most remote hiking regions.

• Overnight accommodation

• Breakfast

• Half-board

• Restaurant and sun terrace

• Wellness area

1. 1Edelrauthütte – Schutzhütte in den Zillertaler Alpenedelrauthuette.it
2. 2Edelrauthüttewikidata.org
3. 3Edelrauthüttede.wikipedia.org