History of the Schneefernerhaus

After the inauguration of the Eibsee-Schneefernerhaus cogwheel train in 1930, the building was opened as the Schneefernerhaus Hotel in 1931. It was a popular excursion destination for many tourists and skiers. After the Second World War, the hotel was confiscated by American troops in 1945 and reopened in 1952. On May 15, 1965, a big avalanche occurred at the Schneefernerhaus. After the completion of the new tunnel to the Zugspitzplatt and the opening of the more conveniently located Sonnalpin in 1989, the number of visitors to the Hotel Schneefernerhaus continued to fall, so that it ceased to operate in the early 1990s. In the following years, the Free State of Bavaria converted the building into an environmental research station, which was opened in 1999. In 2009, the new cable cabin to the station was put into operation. The founding of the Virtual Alpine Observatory (VAO) followed in 2012.

Picture: Archive Bayerische Zugspitzbahn (BZB)