Soon after the beginning of alpinism, enthusiasts built the first huts in which to stay before and after the ascent to the summits. Towns and villages were too far down in the valleys, and the alps were chosen to allow good grazing for the cattle and goats, not to allow good access to the summits. So the alpine clubs raised funds, bought ground and built the huts to provide food and shelter to alpinists.
To this day, many of the huts belong to chapters of the alpine clubs, named for the chapter they belong to. So you find the names of cities far away in the lowlands in the heart of the Alps. The Brunswick Hut, for instance, is a base camp for glacier tours close to Sölden, Tirol. The huts are run by professional gastronomers, with the help of volounteers.
The huts are open to everyone, but alpine club members get a discount on fees and some prices. Since it is the clubs that maintain and mark a large part of the trails, and provide a lot of information, it is advisable to become a member if you plan to spend more than just a few days in the Alps.
Outside the Alps, Youth Hostels are a good place to stay. They were founded a little more than a hundred years ago to provide food and shelter for travellers on foot, especially school groups and scout-like organizations. The goal was to provide a hostel every 30 km / 20 miles or so, but because foot travelling has declined, the network is thinner, depending on demand. Today, they're open to individual travellers and families, too. In most places, there's no age limit, just Bavaria accepts people over 26 only as guardians of minors.
To stay in the Youth hostel, you must be a member of a youth hostelling organization such as DJH (www.djh.de, click on the Union Jack to get the english version). In most cases, you can join directly at the hostel during check-in.
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