Schwarzensteinhütte

An architectural beacon at an altitude of 3,000 meters

Just 200 meters from the mountain border with Austria, the highest mountain hut in the Zillertal Alps rests on a rock massif on the Italian side. The Schwarzensteinhütte is a safe retreat with imposing, sculptural architecture in the form of a boulder, harmoniously and steadfastly integrated into a notch in the mountain. Inside the hut, a breathtaking view of the mountain landscape awaits – as does the appropriate BEGA lighting.

As a result of the ever-growing number of mountain tourists, the provincial government of South Tyrol decided to renovate 25 alpine mountain huts. However, there was a problem with the Schwarzensteinhütte built in 1894: the ground beneath the hut was moving due to permafrost thawing as a result of climate change. So a new building was needed, about one hundred meters above the old site. The ambitious construction project by architects Helmut Stifter and Angelika Bachmann was completed during two summer periods of four months each. A multi-story mountain hut with 510 square meters of floor space, 50 beds and extraordinary architecture. The floor plan is an irregular hexagon with a body that becomes smaller from top to bottom. On the widest side, the wide band of windows offers a phenomenal view – from the Zillertal Alps and the High Tauern to the Rieserferner Group and the peaks of the Dolomites. This panorama is the real highlight of an overnight stay in the Schwarzensteinhütte.

BEGA luminaires from the STUDIO LINE series complement the copper used on the building’s outer shell, which consists of standing seam cladding with rolled copper and conical panels. The copper interior finishes of both the pendants and the recessed ceiling luminaires harmonize with the characteristic exterior of the refuge. The combination of wall and ceiling panelling in brushed spruce and the matte black BEGA luminaires creates a warm atmosphere. Functional yet stylish interior lighting in the Schwarzensteinhütte is guaranteed by the wide beam light distribution and glare-free, downward-directed light of the pendant luminaires in the dining room, and the compact recessed ceiling luminaires in the bedrooms and the connecting corridors – an architectural beacon at an altitude of 3,000 meters.