New pavilion completed at Watzmannhaus after 12-year dispute

A new pavilion has been completed at the Watzmannhaus mountain hut after 12 years of planning, legal challenges and negotiations, BR reported. The Salettl, which offers views of the surrounding mountains, will open to guests during the 2027 season.

The 122 year old and structurally damaged previous building was demolished for the project. The new pavilion is considerably smaller than originally planned and will have just over 40 seats instead of 80.

Helicopter lifts construction materials

The pavilion was assembled at an altitude of 1,930 metres on August 19. Preparations took several weeks, including the demolition of the old building and construction of a foundation.

No vehicle access road leads to the Watzmannhaus, making the construction possible only with helicopters. Demolition material had to be flown down, while the new components were transported up.

The new pavilion was first assembled in the valley and then dismantled into sections weighing no more than 900 kilograms. The sections were taken by lorry to an alpine pasture about three minutes by helicopter from the hut.

On the main construction day, helicopter pilot Simon Voigt made around 20 flights to transport the materials. Luis Huber, a flight coordinator from the helicopter company, organised the work at the hut.

Because of the limited space and the altitude, Huber told BR that the work was not a standard construction site. The components were first placed on the terrace and then transferred for lifting. Workers on scaffolding received and guided the sections into position.

Hut keeper helps with construction

Paul Verst, the 25 year old hut keeper, welcomed the completion of the pavilion as the final step in the renovation of the Watzmannhaus. The main building had already been refurbished.

Verst runs the hut with his mother, Annette, and a large team. The building has 160 sleeping places and a large kitchen. A trained carpenter, Verst also worked on the scaffolding during the pavilion’s construction.

His parents managed the Watzmannhaus for many years, so he had experienced the building’s history and renovation since childhood.

Plans scaled back after legal challenges

The Munich section of the German Alpine Club began planning the replacement of the old Salettl in 2014. The original design included 80 seats and a substantially larger extension. A path was supposed to run beneath the building, which was planned in the style of an observation platform.

The Berchtesgadener Land district authority approved those plans in 2016. The Bund Naturschutz environmental organisation successfully challenged the approval because the Watzmannhaus is located inside a national park.

The organisation also won a legal challenge against a second, smaller design. The Bavarian Administrative Court ruled that an exemption from nature conservation requirements could not be granted.

The German Alpine Club and Bund Naturschutz eventually agreed on a much smaller design, which was later approved. Rita Poser of Bund Naturschutz Berchtesgadener Land told BR that the solution matched the organisation’s expectations for construction in the national park’s core zone.

The Alpine Club has also reduced the number of sleeping places at the Watzmannhaus from 220 to 160 during the renovation. The organisation says it aims to become climate neutral by 2030.