The (...not so...) Grand Tour: Berchtesgaden Pt.1

Has anyone seen the TV show 'Band of Brothers'? Remember the famous last episode where the 101st Airborne Division captures Eagle's Nest? Well that took place in the mountains of Obersalzberg, near Berchtesgaden.

When we first arrived in Berchtesgaden we were a little surprised at how cold it was, especially considering how warm it was when we left Berlin. When we arrived at our campsite the sky was full of clouds. And because they were the really low lying clouds, you really had no idea just how big the mountains surrounding the entire village were, or even how many mountains there were! After a couple of hours these clouds started to lift revealing a pretty decent amount of snow cover (for summer at least) and it was at this point we were glad we decided to bring at least a few pieces of winter clothing with us ;)

Our first stop the next day was the Documentation Centre (museum) which was all about the atrocities committed by the nazi regime but also focused on the impact they had on the local area. Basically, Hitler fell in love with the area while on the run from the authorities, hiding out in a local hotel room. After his rise to power, Hitler and the Nazi party took over the area, often paying above market prices to local home / land owners. However, those who refused to sell had their property taken by force and were subsequently placed in concentration camps.

Hitler had the area of Obersalzberg turned it into a private retreat for himself, the top members of the Nazi party and their families. They built a school, petting zoos, sports facilities, massive luxury homes and an extensive network of underground buckers. We actually got to go down into part of this bunker system which was very impressive.

Graffiti left by the French soldiers who discovered the bunker.

One of the many rooms covered in graffiti left by soldiers and members of the public

Buffer with triple machine gun emplacement

The stairwell those machine guns would have been aiming at

Massive elevator shaft in the bunker system

In the afternoon we joined an 'Eagle's Nest Tour' which takes you on a bus through the town where the nazi buildings used to stand (including Hitler's holiday home - you might have seen footage of him and Eva Braun playing with their dogs here) but most of these were completely destroyed by the Americans at the end of the war.

What was essentially the "cherry on top" of the mountain complex was Eagle's Nest, often confused with Hitler's holiday home. In reality, Eagle's Nest was nothing more than a tea house (and now operates as a charity owned restaurant). No one ever stayed there over night and Hitler himself only visited 14 times and never for longer than 30 minutes at a time. Still, it was his official 50th birthday present and was more of a statement to the world that Germany could deliver such an incredible feat of engineering in just 13 months.

Thousands of people were employed for the construction and many people died. They worked around the clock building the road (the highest in Germany), the 124 metre elevator shaft (with access via a tunnel 124 metre long dug into the side of the mountain) and the tea house itself. All that may not sound too impressive now but back then it was an amazing feat. To give you an idea of just how steep the road is, cars are not allowed to drive on it. Access to the mountain is allowed only to special mountain buses with massive engines because cars had a tendency of sliding off! So up the highest road in Germany we went.

After many twists and turns we reached the end of the road. We jumped off the bus and walked 124 metres into the side of the mountain to reach the elevator. Hitler's chauffeur used to drive him in his mercedes benz all the way through the tunnel, right up to the elevator door. I guess the level of service just isn't what it used to be!

I was just pointing at Eagle's Nest here. However when I first looked at the picture after Alice had taken it, I freaked out because I thought I may have accidentally done the nazi salute (unintentionally of course!!!). Luckily I was pointing with my left arm!