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BERCHTESGADEN EAGLES NEST
WWII Hitler History Tour in Alps Vacationland

For most of those not from Germany, Berchtesgaden on the southern Bavarian border of the Alps with Austria southeast of Munich is most associated with Adolf Hitler and WWII history. Old newsreel images of the Fuehrer romping with mistress Eva Braun with a backdrop of jagged snow covered peaks and deep Alpine valleys are the familiar visions, though the black & white photography of old footage hardly does justice to the blue shaded colors of the Obersalzberg Alps where green grass meets snow white mountain peaks (see Murnau Blue Rider). Americans familiar with the WWII years often think of the Eagle’s Nest as perhaps Hitler’s house in the mountains, but in fact it is really just one of the last surviving buildings of the era.

Long before Adolf came to this area of Germany, Berchtesgaden was a beloved vacation destination for the wealthy families of Bavaria and Austria. Tucked in the Alps with easy access to ski lifts of Garmish and Austria, it was and still is the perfect summer or winter destination. But one man’s love affair with this storied land almost brought it to disaster. Most don’t know it, but Hitler was not German, but Austrian and much of his belief’s festered here in Bavaria (see Munich Hitler Walking Tours). This location in the Alp was the second seat of Nazi power and the “backup” redoubt in case Berlin fell, but never got to serve that purpose.

The dictator discovered this beautiful mountainous land in his younger days and often stayed at the Hotel Platterhof, before renting a house next door in 1927. He wrote the second half of his “Main Kampf” here. The other half he wrote in a military prison cell in Landsberg am Lech, a medieval town on the Romantic Road (see Kaltenberg Knights Festival). After being elected chancellor in 1933, he converted the house next to the hotel in Berchtesgaden into a large estate where he could hold political gatherings and named it “The Berghof”. The Eagle’s Nest located on a sharp peak overlooking Berchtesgaden was originally constructed as a Tea Room with a view, as a gift for the Furher for his 50th birthday, but he never went there much, afraid of heights, but its perch on the Obersalzberg mountain protected it from allied bombs while other buildings like the Berghof and Hotel Platterhof were heavily damaged. The Eagle’s Nest has a restaurant for tourists who get their for the incredible views, but it is only open in Spring and Summer, with a steep, narrow road to reach it.

Local tour guide David Harper operates Eagle’s Nest Tours if you want to get your fill of World War II Berchtesgaden history. The tour lasts 4 to 5 hours and goes down into the Nazi underground bunkers, miles long tunnels dug by labor camp prisoners, as well as up to the Eagle’s Nest. Also the Documentation Center opened in 1999 houses research documents, photos and newsreels. You can find your own way around Berchtesgaden for the beautiful scenery, but for the full story, the mini bus tour might be worth a shot.

If coming from Salzburg, Austria bus 840 leaves almost every hour from either the Salzburg train station or from Mirabellplatz for Berchtesgaden and takes about 45 minutes. From Munich trains for Berchtesgaden leave about once an hour with a change at Freilassing taking about 2 1/2 hours. Or take a guided couch tour from Munich (see Munich Sightseeing Tours). © Bargain Travel Europe

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These articles are copyrighted and the sole property of Bargain Travel Europe and WLPV, LLC. and may not be copied or reprinted without permission. Photo Courtesy Eagles Nest Tours.

See Also:

ZEPPELIN MUSEUM - FRIEDRICHSHAFEN
Hindenberg History

MAX KRUG CLOCKS

DACHAU HOLOCAUST MUSEUM

BENDLERBLOCK BERLIN - HITLER BOMB PLOT

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