Grazer Hütte is the easy mountain-hut day in the Prebersee corner of Lungau: a shingle-clad Alpine Club hut from 1894 sitting at 1,897 m on the slopes of the Preber, close enough to the lake that a family can walk up, eat well and be back at the water in an afternoon.
Why go
The hut has real history in its walls. The sign over the door records the essentials — built by the Graz section of the Alpine Club in 1894, at 1,897 m — and in 1933–34 it was managed by Heinrich Harrer, later famous for Seven Years in Tibet. Today it is a friendly seasonal hut with warm food served daily, outdoor tables with a Schladming Tauern panorama, and a carved wooden marmot greeting you at the entrance.
The walk itself is the gentlest hut climb in this part of Lungau. From Prebersee the signed trail climbs through forest and open pastures in about 1¾ hours; if you park in one of the small bays along the road just past the lake — as we did — the climb shrinks to roughly an hour each way. Our family round trip was a comfortable couple of hours of walking, plus hut time.
From our visit, the cold Murauer Radler on the terrace was the small reward that made the top feel earned. Menus and availability change, so treat that as a snapshot rather than a promise.
Good to know
- The hut season runs roughly from late May to mid-October, with warm food daily from about 11:00 to 16:00; check current opening dates before setting out.
- The hut stands just across the provincial border in Styria (Krakau), but the natural approach starts at Prebersee in Lungau.
- This is a genuine mountain walk on an easy trail: proper shoes and water are still the right call, and it is not a stroller outing.
- Ambitious hikers can continue from the hut toward the Preber summit (2,740 m) — a much bigger day that needs an early start and stable weather.
- Combine the hut with the flat Prebersee lakeside loop for a full but relaxed family mountain day.
