Overview
- This week visitors have formed hours‑long lines at the Friedrich‑August‑Hütte to buy a €4 Krapfen and photograph it against the Dolomite backdrop, overwhelming the hut’s limited morning supply.
- The pastry has been baked at the hut for about 30 years but first appeared on the hut’s Instagram in August 2020 and went viral on TikTok and Instagram this month, driving a sharp rise in day‑trippers.
- The hut sits at roughly 2,300 meters and is reachable in about 20 minutes from Passo Sella or via the Col Rodella cable car, which lowers the barrier for casual tourists and helps produce concentrated crowds.
- Local staff report they bake fresh Krapfen each morning, usually until late morning, and the surge has caused payment and connectivity problems and complaints from hikers and residents who say the scene shifts focus from nature to photo‑op tourism.
- Observers and a 2025 ADAC report cited by coverage frame the episode as an example of overtourism, raising the risk of strained local services and prompting the regional tourism board to avoid further influencer promotion.