Chemnitz hut

Mayors congratulate Chemnitzer Hütte on its anniversary

Members of the Friends of Chemnitzer im Hütte in the German Alpine Club, Chemnitz section with the Gruber family who run the hut and the mayors Michael Stötzer and Knut Kunze in front of the Chemnitzer Hütte Picture: Stadt Chemnitz, Lars Ehlert

On the weekend of 25-26 July 2025, the mayors Knut Kunze and Michael Stötzer conveyed the congratulations of the city of Chemnitz to the Chemnitz hut in the southern Zillertal Alps/South Tyrol (Italy) at an altitude of 2,419 metres on the occasion of its 130th anniversary. They had set off from the Neves reservoir to the hut on the Nevesjoch in a hike lasting several hours and took part in the alpinists' birthday celebrations.

They brought a Christmas angel with a cogwheel, which was designed to mark the city's title year as European Capital of Culture 2025, as a gift to the family running the hut, led by hut manager Roland Gruber. A Chemnitz 2025 banner has been fluttering at the hut since spring, advertising the European Capital of Culture in the high Alps.

Das Bild zeigt mehrere Personen vor dem Gipfelkreuz. Alle Tragen Regenfeste Wanderkleidung. Die beiden linken Personen hocken. Die linke Person ist Bürgermeister Knut Kunze. Die Person rechts neben ihm ist Bürgermeister Michael Stötzer. Alle Personen schauen freundlich in die Kamera. Im Hintergrund ist nur grauer Nebel zu erkennen.

vlnr: Bürgermeister Knut Kunze, Bürgermeister Michael Stötzer, zwei Mitglieder des Südtiroler Alpenvereins, Sektion Sand in Taufers, sowie Michael Stötzers Sohn Arne Picture: Sophie Waltschew

Once at the hut, the mayors took part in a tour with the local Alpine Club South Tyrol, Sand in Taufers section, the German Alpine Club, Chemnitz section, during which a new summit book was brought to the summit of the Schaflahnernock at 2703 metres above sea level, where they were the first to sign the new summit book.

Mayor Knut Kunze: "I was very lucky to have been taken climbing in Saxon Switzerland for many years as a teenager. In addition to their love of nature, many Saxon mountaineers back then were also united by a strong desire to get to know the distant great mountains, such as the Alps. The peaceful reunification made this possible. I think it's great that our visit here is now possible in Chemnitz' year as European Capital of Culture."

Mayor Michael Stötzer: "It is remarkable how close and cordial the exchange between the sections of the German Alpine Club, the South Tyrolean Alpine Club and the Gruber host family has been for years. It's good to see how common sporting interests connect people beyond the borders of Chemnitz, Saxony and Germany. A living example for Chemnitz 2025."

The visit was supported by the Chemnitz section of the German Alpine Club (DAV). The DAV organised a high-altitude tour from Brenner over the main Alpine ridge Nevesjoch. The Chemnitz section has also founded a circle of friends of the Chemnitz hut, which aims to keep the history and contact with the Chemnitz hut alive.

The visit by the mayors is not the first by representatives of the city. In 2003, the then Lord Mayor Dr Peter Seifert visited the hut.

The first simple mountain hut was built in 1880 by the Taufers (South Tyrol) section of the Alpine Club. In 1894, the hut was handed over to the Chemnitz section of the DAV, which then realised a new building - the inauguration took place on 27 July 1895.