Location with dark secrets

A tour to one of the most beautiful regions of Bavaria is awaiting you: nestled between the Berchtesgaden Alps, Salzburger Land and the Bavarian Watzmann (highest mountain of the “Bavarian Alps”) lies the old, picturesque spa town Berchtesgaden. There is a reason why almost all leading Nazi functionaries settled on the Obersalzberg during National Socialism. Today the region is home to Bavaria’s second national park with an infinite number of attractions.

THE EAGLE’S NEST

Hardly had the railway to Berchtesgaden been built towards the end of the 19th century when the number of visitors, tourists and day trippers was already rising rapidly. This isn’t a surprise, because the Berchtesgadener Land is one of the most beautiful regions in Bavaria. The regular presence of the Royal Wittelsbach Family in Berchtesgaden Castle, the magnificent surroundings of the Watzmann mountain massif and the Königssee nearby were attractive crowd pullers then, as they are today.

But also Adolf Hitler discovered the beauty of this area when he came to Obersalzberg for the first time in 1923, which is now a district of Berchtesgaden at an altitude of just under 3.300 ft.  Ten years later, the National Socialists claimed Obersalzberg as a “Fuehrer’s restricted area” for themselves, and almost all party leaders had their private homes there. Adolf Hitler himself inhabited the “Berghof”, a spacious estate which can only be recognized today by a few foundation relics in a forest.
They are located close to the Obersalzberg Documentation Center, which provides information about National Socialism and its relation to Obersalzberg in a detailed exhibition. Hitler spent a lot of time at the Berghof and at times the Berghof was called the “Second State Chancellery” after Berlin. It should not be forgotten, however, that it was here that decisions on war strategies, on life and death and on the fates of entire peoples were made.

The Eagle’s Nest (Kehlsteinhaus), located almost 900 meters up the hill, was a gift to Adolf Hitler for his 50th birthday and was completed in 1939. Unlike the Berghof, it has been preserved and has been run as a restaurant since 1952. A visit to the Eagle’s Nest is definitely worthwhile, because apart from the magnificent view, the ascent by bus with a 24% gradient is a tingling experience.

The small alpine village Obersalzberg at the foot of the Kehlstein was exclusively used by the US Army for a long time and served as a recreation center for soldiers and guests. After the handover of the site to Bavaria in 1996, the Free State of Bavaria determined a kind of “two-pillar concept” for Obersalzberg: a place of learning and remembrance with the construction of the Documentation Center on one hand and recreation and nature experience on the other. Definitely a successful mixture!