Gepatschhaus und Kapelle Maria Schnee mit angebautem Schlafhaus, Alpine architectural ensemble in Kaunertal, Austria

The Gepatschhaus is a Category II shelter of the German Alpine Club's Frankfurt am Main section, standing in the rear Kaunertal of the Ötztal Alps. The hut and the adjoining Maria Schnee Chapel, consecrated in 1895, have been protected as monuments since 2013. The Kaunertaler Glacier Road, a toll road, runs a few metres past the building.

The Gepatschhaus was built in 1873 as the first shelter of the German Alpine Club (Deutscher Alpenverein) on Austrian soil. It was extended in 1892, 1911 and 1958 and partly renovated in 2005. The chapel Maria Schnee beside it was consecrated in 1895. Since 2013 the house and chapel are protected monuments.

The chapel beside the hut is dedicated to Maria Schnee (Our Lady of the Snows) and was consecrated in 1895, the year after the Gepatschhaus itself was first extended. Since 2013 the hut and chapel together have been listed as protected monuments, so the small white chapel is part of the same heritage status as the shelter.

The hut sits a few metres from the toll Kaunertaler Gletscherstraße, so it can be reached by car; the "Gepatschhaus" bus stop is a two-minute walk away. From here the Ochsenkopf (2944 m) takes 3 hours, the Weißseespitze (3526 m) 6 hours; using the bus to the Weißseeferner ski area cuts the latter to 2½ hours. All hut-to-hut crossings except the Aachener Höhenweg require crossing a glacier.

The location sits near the toll-funded Kaunertaler Glacier Road that opened in 1980 to serve alpine tourism. This road provides access to high mountain terrain that would otherwise require technical climbing skills to reach.