Gamskarkogelhütte

The place

The Gamskarkogelhütte: A Historic Refuge in the Austrian Alps The Gamskarkogelhütte, also known as the Badgasteiner Hütte, is a hut belonging to the Bad Gastein section of the Austrian Alpine Club, located at 2467 metres altitude in the Großarltal, on the summit of the Gamskarkogel in the Ankogel group. It lies within the municipality of Bad Hofgastein, in the Pongau district, in the Austrian state of Salzburg. History and Construction Built in 1828, the hut is one of the oldest in the entire Alpine region. Although described as the oldest in Europe, this claim is debatable, since the Salmhütte on the Grossglockner was built almost 30 years earlier, and the Wiesenbaude in the Giant Mountains in 1623 or 1625. The hut's construction was commissioned by the Archduke, who regularly visited the Gastein valley between 1822 and 1859. The building was assembled at the Rastötzenalm, 700 metres lower down, then transported in pieces by horse to the summit of the Gamskarkogel, where it was reassembled. Tourism and Hiking The area offers various excursions up to the hut and the Gamskarkogel. In summer the hut provides meals, and in winter it offers a room for ski tourers. It is an essential stopover for hikers on the Zentralalpenweg, an Austrian long-distance trail from Hainburg on the Danube to Feldkirch. References Deutscher Alpenverein, Österreichischer Alpenverein, Alpenverein Südtirol (Eds.): Hoch hinaus! Wege und Hütten in den Alpen. (Hut directory). Volume 2. Böhlau Verlag, Vienna / Cologne / Weimar 2016, ISBN 978-3-412-50203-4, p. 178. Official Website and Bookings Official hut website Historical archive document of the alpine huts in Germany, Austria and South Tyrol (temporarily offline) Historical archive document of the Badgasteiner Hütte from the alpine clubs of Germany, Austria and South Tyrol (temporarily offline) Hiking suggestions with many photos and routes ℹ Note Do not include any information on guided tours, opening dates or bookings in the final text.