Stubenberghaus

The Stubenberghaus is a mountain refuge in the Styrian Alps, perched on the slopes of the Schöckl above the village of Sankt Radegund near Graz. Built in 1889–90 by the Styrian Mountain Club to plans by Friedrich Sigmundt, it is the only alpine refuge in Austria protected as a historic monument. The house takes its name from Joseph Graf zu Stubenberg, who supported its construction. The refuge’s history reflects wider political currents: it was opened in 1890 with Graz’s mayor Ferdinand Portugall present, and in 1901 a bust of Julius Ritter von Plazer, the lawyer who led the opening, was unveiled. During the 1930s the building became a target of state surveillance after the Styrian Mountain Club joined the German and Austrian Alpine Club, and it only resumed normal service after the Second World War. A major restoration between 1999 and 2001, directed by the Federal Monuments Office and won by architect Karl-Heinz Winkler, preserved the original timber walls and recreated the larch-shingle façade. Visitors find a working mountain inn at about 1,430 metres above sea level, with fourteen bedrooms and several parlours opening onto south- and west-facing terraces. The refuge is a starting point for walks on the Schöckl and a stop for pilgrims following the Steirischer Mariazellerweg. It can be reached on foot, by mountain bike along the closed Schöcklhöhenstraße, or by the Schöckl cableway.