Europahütte

Refuge on the border between
Italy and Austria

The Europahütte mountain hut is located at 2697 metres above sea level on the Tuxer Hauptkamm in the western Zillertal Alps, on the border between Italy and Austria. Due to structural damage, the building had to be partially demolished and rebuilt. When building in high alpine terrain, it is important to pay attention to durability and the impact on nature, which is why a sustainable construction method was sought – making CLTPLUS and glulam elements from THEURL the ideal building materials.

Project information

Use: mountain hut
Location: on the Tuxer Hauptkamm in the western Zillertal Alps, on the border between Italy and Austria
Completion: 2026
THEURL materials used: approx. 350 m³ CLTPLUS and 14 m³ BSH

Project partners

Builder: German Alpine Club (DAV) Section Landshut E.V.
Timber construction: UNIONBAU AG // SAND IN TAUFERS
Architecture: MoDusArchitects
Images: © UNIONBAU AG // SAND IN TAUFERS

Unique high alpine location spanning the border between two countries

The mountain hut is in an unusual location, as it lies exactly on the border between the Republic of Italy and the Republic of Austria. One part of the hut is located in the Pfitsch Valley (municipality of Pfitsch in Italy) and the other in the Venna Valley (municipality of Gries am Brenner in Austria) not far from the Kraxentrager (2,999 m). The national border runs directly through the existing hut, making it a special feature and a symbol of the values of the Euregio and the principles of the European Union. The new building will result in slight repositioning of the location, but the uniqueness of the cross-border location will be retained.

A refuge with an eventful history

The Europahütte was built in the summer of 1887 by the Landshut section of the German and Austrian Alpine Association (DuÖAV) and inaugurated in August 1899. At that time, the hut was built of stone with a pitched wooden roof and comprised two storeys and a cellar. However, an extension was soon added due to a lack of space. The building was further extended in 1902-1903, during which time the number of guest rooms on the first floor was increased. A new kitchen with pantry and dining room as well as a veranda with a panoramic view were created on the ground floor. The basement was also extended with staff and storage rooms.

After the First World War and the peace treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye in 1919, the Austrian-Italian border was redrawn and thus fell right through the middle of the hut. As a result, only the eastern part remained on Austrian territory, and it was extended in 1925.

After the Second World War, the refuge was initially closed and left to decay. It was not until 1953 that renovation work was resumed on the Austrian side. However, the Italian side remained closed and was only taken over again by the Sterzing section of the Italian Alpine Club in 1979. At the beginning of the 1980s, the idea of a cross-border “European hut” was born. In 1987, joint management by the CAI and the DAV was agreed contractually and completion of construction was celebrated on 9 and 10 September 1988. Since then, three flags have flown at the Landshut Europahütte: the Tyrolean, the Italian and the European.

Combination of stone and wood

One of the most important features of a mountain hut is the reliable and constant protection it offers travellers. Buildings in high alpine regions must be able to withstand various weather conditions, extreme weather, large temperature fluctuations and harsh conditions at high altitudes. In order to build a stable hut that can withstand extreme weather conditions, stone was often used for the walls and wood for the roof. To honour the history and tradition of the original hut, it was decided to preserve part of the existing building, namely the original hut. The new building is made of timber and constructed entirely from the ground floor upwards. The exterior walls, interior floor and roof elements were prefabricated in the factory. A total of around 350 m³ of CLTPLUS and 14 m³ of glulam from THEURL were used in the new hut.

Complex construction site delivery at 2697 m above sea level

The high alpine location of the Europahütte at almost 2,700 metres above sea level posed a particular challenge when it came to delivering the building materials, as access to the construction site was very limited. There is no road to the refuge, which is why it can only be reached on foot. To enable the timber elements to be transported up the mountain, they were first delivered by semi-trailer to a storage area. There they were temporarily stored with WABs. Each component was then delivered individually to the construction site by helicopter. The special delivery of building materials was heavily dependent on the weather conditions. Constant consultations had to be held as to whether or not the construction or delivery of the individual timber elements could be continued by helicopter and therefore required close cooperation and coordination with THEURL’s logistics department. Nevertheless, significant construction progress was made before the onset of winter.