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The Kärlingerhaus on Lake Funtensee
Bergerlebnis Berchtesgaden

Kärlingerhaus at Lake Funtensee

Kärlingerhaus Alpine Club hut at Lake Funtensee
  • Closed now
  • im Steinernen Meer

Kärlingerhaus is a popular overnight stop on the Große Reibn hut-to-hut route. Stay here while hiking in summer or ski touring through Steinernes Meer in winter. Together with Lake Funtensee, Kärlingerhaus forms a picturesque mountain hut and lake setting in Berchtesgaden National Park.

Located right on Lake Funtensee at 1,638 meters, Kärlingerhaus is an ideal starting point for mountain tours and hikes at Steinernes Meer above Lake Königssee. You can reach Kärlingerhaus via the Saugasse trail from Sankt Bartholomä, from Salet via the Sagereckersteig trail, or from Ramsau via Wimbachgries and Trischübel. Because of its location above the lake, Kärlingerhaus is also called Funtenseehaus.

 

Funtensee—Germany’s coldest spot

In December 2001, the lowest temperature ever recorded in Germany was measured at Funtensee: minus 45.9 degrees Celsius. These low temperatures are due to the lake’s geological setting and are only a temporary phenomenon. Most of the time, temperatures up here are normal.

 

Summit hikes from Funtensee

From Kärlingerhaus, you can set out for numerous peaks, such as Feldkogel, Funtenseetauern, Schönfeldspitze, Viehkogel, or Großer Hundstod via Ingolstädter Haus.

 

Facilities and accommodations

Kärlingerhaus at Funtensee is one of the largest mountain huts in the Berchtesgaden Alps and offers 160 beds in dormitories and private rooms:

  • 40 beds in four-bed rooms
  • 120 dormitory beds
  • 4 dining rooms 

Be sure to reserve your spot at the mountain hut in advance. Especially during peak season, Kärlingerhaus is often booked up very early. Check the availability calendar to see if there’s still a spot available at Kärlingerhaus for your desired dates.

Impressions

  • View from the Kärlingerhaus toward the Viehkogel
  • The Kärlingerhaus, with the Schottmalhorn in the background
  • Almkaser at Funtensee, with the Kärlingerhaus and the Schneiber in the background
  • Lake Funtensee: The Coldest Place in Germany
  • The Kärlinger House
  • View from the Kärlingerhuas across Lake Funtensee toward the Schottmallhorn
  • Mountaineers Dining at the Kärlingerhaus
  • The Dining Room at the Kärlingerhaus

Opening hours

The Kärlingerhaus winter shelter is available by advance reservation only through DAV Section Berchtesgaden.

Shelter (without cooking or heating facilities) is open.

DAV environmental seal for Kärlingerhaus at Lake Funtensee

Four mountain huts operated by the German Alpine Club received the Alpine Clubs’ Environmental Seal of Quality in 2014: Blaueishütte, Kärlingerhaus at Lake Funtensee, and Purtschellerhaus in the Berchtesgaden Alps, as well as Hildesheimer Hütte in the Stubai Alps. DAV Vice President Ludwig Wucherpfennig presented the certificates and plaques to representatives of the DAV sections of Berchtesgaden, Sonneberg, and Hildesheim during the general assembly in Hildesheim.

The award recognizes the environmentally responsible operation of the four huts. Since 1996, the German Alpine Club, Austrian Alpine Club, and South Tyrolean Alpine Club have awarded the environmental seal to mountain huts whose operators and sections demonstrate a strong commitment to environmental protection.

Criteria include environmentally responsible and efficient energy systems, water supply, and wastewater disposal. Renewable energy sources such as hydropower, solar energy, wind power, biomass, and vegetable oils should be prioritized, while measures such as improved thermal insulation and water-saving fixtures help conserve resources. Supply and waste management systems must also meet current technical standards. Other important requirements include consistent waste reduction and compliance with hut rules such as the sleeping bag requirement, smoking ban, and quiet hours.

 

Winter at Kärlingerhaus

Weather and snow conditions permitting, Kärlingerhaus opens to ski mountaineers during the Easter break. During this ski touring week, the Berchtesgaden Section of the German Alpine Club offers guided ski tours in the Lake Funtensee and Steinernes Meer area. At other times, Kärlingerhaus has a winter room that sleeps up to 30 people.

The Große Reibn, the classic ski tour through the Berchtesgaden mountains, is particularly well known, with Kärlingerhaus serving as an important base along the route.

Contact

Das Kärlingerhaus am Funtensee83471 im Steinernen MeerKaerlingerhaus@fn.dePhone: +49-8652–6091010

Webcams in the area

  • Kärlingerhaus am Funtensee

  • Kärlingerhaus am Funtensee