Rifugio Paul Preuss

Rifugio Paul Preuss (German: Preusshütte) is a private alpine refuge in the Rosengarten/Catinaccio group of the Dolomites, in the Trentino region of northern Italy. It sits at 2,243 m above sea level in the heart of the Catinaccio, directly above the Gardeccia basin at the Porte Neigre and only a few hundred metres from the Vajolet Towers and the Vajolet Hut. The refuge is open during the summer season, generally from June to October, and offers a restaurant and bar, a large terrace and sun deck, and ten beds with duvets and hot showers. It is reached on foot from Gardeccia (about 45 minutes on path 546), from Pera di Fassa (about 3 hours) and from Rifugio Ciampedie (about 1 hour 30 minutes), and it serves as a base for numerous hikes and via ferrata routes of varying difficulty. The hut was built by the Fassa valley mountain guide and climber Tita Piaz and dedicated to Paul Preuss, the famous early-1900s climber and pioneer of free climbing. Its origins are closely tied to Piaz's turbulent life: his first wife had run the Vajolet Hut of the Leipzig section of the German and Austrian Alpine Club from 1898, but after her death in 1912 Piaz was excluded as hut warden because of his open sympathies for irredentism. He therefore built a simple wooden hut on land he had bought a few hundred metres away, initially for selling postcards, and shortly before the First World War planned to expand it into a refuge with financial support from the Società degli Alpinisti Tridentini (SAT). The war prevented the project, and the idea was revived when SAT did not renew his lease in 1929. Despite considerable financial strain, Piaz completed the hut and dedicated it to his friend Paul Preuss. The refuge was demolished in 1988 and replaced the same year by a new building, and it is still run by the Piaz family. As a commercial offering, the Rifugio Paul Preuss is a hospitality brand: a mountain hut business providing accommodation, food and drink to hikers, climbers and via ferrata users in one of the most visited parts of the Dolomites. Its identity is bound up with the Piaz family, with the history of Trentino mountaineering and with the rivalry between private and club-run huts in the early twentieth century. The official website presents it as a historic refuge in the heart of the Catinaccio at the foot of the Vajolet Towers, with restaurant, bar, terrace, sun deck and ten beds, open in the summer season from June to October.

The history of the Rifugio Paul Preuss is closely bound up with the turbulent life of the Fassa valley mountain guide and climber Tita Piaz. Piaz's first wife had run the Vajolet Hut of the Leipzig section of the German and Austrian Alpine Club (DuOeAV) from 1898. After her death in 1912, Piaz was no longer acceptable as hut warden of the DuOeAV hut because of his open sympathies for irredentism. He therefore built a simple wooden hut a few hundred metres away, on land he had acquired, for the sale of postcards. Shortly before the outbreak of the First World War he planned to expand the hut into a refuge. The Società degli Alpinisti Tridentini (SAT) supported the construction financially, also against the background of the confrontation with pan-German movements in the Fassa valley. The outbreak of the war prevented the realisation of the building project. After Piaz became hut warden of the Vajolet Hut, now run by SAT, in the early 1920s, the hut-building plans were shelved for the time being. The subject became topical again when SAT did not renew his lease in 1929 for reasons that were not fully clarified. The SAT, now controlled by the Fascist party, tried in vain to dispute his building land. Despite considerable financial outlay, Piaz succeeded in completing the hut and dedicated it to his friend Paul Preuss. The neighbourhood with the SAT hut remained troubled afterwards; in 1934 Piaz complained that SAT had cut off the water supply and telephone line from the Vajolet Hut. In 1988 the hut was demolished and replaced the same year by a new building. The Rifugio Paul Preuss is still run by the Piaz family. The official website states that the refuge has stood in the heart of the Catinaccio at the foot of the famous Vajolet Towers at 2,243 m above sea level since 1913, that it was built by the mountain guide Tita Piaz and dedicated by him to Paul Preuss, himself a famous climber of 1900 and a pioneer of free climbing, and that it is still managed by the Piaz family today. It is open in the summer season from June to October and has a restaurant and bar, a large terrace and sun deck, and ten beds with comfortable duvets and a bathroom with hot shower.

• 1988

  The hut is demolished and replaced the same year by a new building.

• 1934

  Piaz complains that SAT has cut off the water supply and telephone line from the Vajolet Hut.

• 1929

  SAT does not renew Piaz's lease; he completes the hut despite considerable financial outlay and dedicates it to Paul Preuss.

• 1913

  The Rifugio Paul Preuss is established in the heart of the Catinaccio at the foot of the Vajolet Towers, built by Tita Piaz and dedicated to Paul Preuss.

• 1912

  Death of Piaz's first wife; Piaz is excluded as hut warden of the DuOeAV hut because of his irredentist sympathies.

• 1898

  Tita Piaz's first wife begins running the Vajolet Hut of the Leipzig section of the German and Austrian Alpine Club.

Historic, family-run private alpine refuge in the heart of the Catinaccio/Rosengarten, at the foot of the Vajolet Towers, open in the summer season.

• Mountain hut accommodation (10 beds)

• Restaurant and bar

• Terrace and sun deck

1. 1Rifugio Paul Preuss - Pozza di Fassa - Torri del Vajolet - Dolomitirifugiopaulpreuss.com
2. 2Preuss refuge - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Rifugio Paul Preuss - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org