Eagle's Nest and Other Nazi History

I did not take this picture.  I stole it from the internet.  This is what the Eagle's Nest is SUPPOSED to look like

During our trip to Salzburg we we visited the Kehlsteinhaus or Hitler's "Eagle's Nest."  The "nest" which was  comprised of a chalet high upon a mountaintop overlooking Obersalzburg, was a 50th birthday gift given to Hitler from his Nazi cronies in 1939. He didn't spend too much time up there, but did host parties and a few dignitaries. It was captured by the 101st Airborne in May 1945, and considered to be a prestigious symbolic victory.

Nowadays the Germans, in their subdued way of dealing with Nazi history, make little fanfare of it… it is simply a restaurant, but does have quite a bit of space for walking around and admiring the views.  There is an interesting museum, at the base of the mountain that features Nazi history from this area.  Hitler LOVED Bavaria and the Alps.  The Nazi party was born in Munich.  He, along with many of the top Nazi officials, had homes in Obersalzburg.

So, to go up to the Eagle's Nest is a bit of a racket.  You have to take a 20 minute bus ride along a steep, hairpin curved road.  The bus tickets weren't cheap… I want to say 20 euro or something like that just for a round trip up and back.  The weather was clear when we boarded the bus, but as we climbed higher and higher we were soon in the clouds.  Do not go up unless you have clear blue skies… really… not worth it! 

But, at least C and Dad had fun on the bus

Yes, this is what the top looked like for us!!  Ben, is his good natured way, didn't let the disappointment get the better of him… he took the girls on a little hike and still had fun.  Meanwhile, I was sulking on a bench in the corner.  

See that panoramic display?  That's what it's supposed to look like!!

We shall return!!

 The only original piece left in the chalet is the fireplace… which is pretty cool. See the year 1938?

Fortunately our experience was redeemed by visiting the museum at the base and exploring some of the ruins.  

I'm not trying to make light of Nazi history or anything, but I thought this picture was hilarious.  I'll let you come up with your own captions.   

Connected to the museum was a series of bomb shelters used by the Nazis.  The allies bombed this area to smithereens in May, 1945.  I'm not going to lie, the shelters were pretty creepy. One of the films in the museum featured a local resident who described the terror of the allied bombing… since the noise from the explosions echoed off the mountain walls it sounded as if the world was ending… crazy to imagine.

Check out the date etched in this concrete wall by an allied soldier:



This map of Obersalzburg shows all the Nazi top brass who had homes in the area including Hitler, Bormann, Speer, and Goring.  The museum explained that they basically kicked out all the residents who lived here and built their own enclosed Nazi community.

The most fascinating part for me of the whole area was the ruins of the Berghof, Hitler's vacation home in Berchtesgaden.  It is not nearly as well known as the Eagle's Nest, but much more rich in history. Second to the Wolf's lair in eastern Poland (where we've also had the chance to visit), the Berghof is where Hitler spent most of his time during the war.  All that is left today is the southern wall and bits of the foundation.  I read a good chunk of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich since Ben gave it to me a couple Christmases ago and this location was a huge part of the Nazi narrative… Hitler received many government officials including David Lloyd George, Benito Mussolini, and Neville Chamberlain in his home. In fact, Chamberlain visited the Berghof a number of times and this location is where he notoriously signed the appeasement document that basically gave Germany Czechoslovakia in exchange for a promise of peace.... haha… Hitler definitely got the last laugh on that one.  It's also where many of the nefarious decisions regarding the future of Europe were made… including hammering out the details of the final solution.  

Hitler greeting Chamberlain on the steps of the Berghof:

What is left today:

What's eery and kind of strange about it is that there is only one plaque at the location that gives just a tiny bit of information.  The only way I heard about the ruins was randomly from a review on Trip Advisor.  Even though it's just a half a kilometer from the museum, there are no signs and no indication that you can visit there.  I asked the lady at the desk in what direction the ruins were and she didn't offer any info, like she didn't want us going there… we just kind of followed a gravel path and eventually came to them.  You get the sense the Germans definitely have moved past this.  

The view from the Berghof ruins, you can see why this place was so dear to Hitler's heart.  It's also strange to consider the very man, whom the world has basically deemed to be the most evil person to ever walk the face of the earth, enjoying the beauty and peace this area has to offer.  It's just a strange sensation.  Like we have something in common.

I hope you don't think I have some inappropriate obsession with Hitler or the Nazis.  I just love being in places where so much history has taken place, for better or for worse.