The Eagle's Nest and the Wolf's Lair October 31, 2006
Happy Halloween!
We woke to gorgeous views of the valley below our balcony and the mountains above. A thin layer of clouds in the valley at daybreak by breakfast was a complete shroud of fog that limited our vision to a few hundred feet. As mountain weather is prone to do things changed as we started down the path across the road from the hotel toward the bahnhof (train station). The clouds had cleared and a blue sky formed a brilliant canopy over a perfect crisp fall day. All I can say is that the weather gods must really like us as the weathermen have been forecasting rain for several days and we have so far escaped it. Today we hit the jackpot as we are going to Kehlsteinhaus (The Eagle’s Nest) which has spectacular views of the Bavarian Alps and surrounding areas including Salzburg, Austria.
The Eagle’s Nest was the Nazi Party’s present for Hitler’s 50th birthday in 1938. (This was actually Martin Boorman’s project by which he set the standard for “sucking up”.) It is a meeting center located on Kehlstein mountain about 6000’ feet above sea level. It is set on a promontory jutting from the mountain which gives it a commanding view, up to 200 km / 125 miles, of the surrounding countryside. The road to reach the base of the complex and the elevator shaft with its vertical tunnel in solid rock are engineering marvels especially when you consider they were completed in just thirteen months. The road was carved from the side of Kehlstein from solid rock and from personal experience it must have been a nail biting job. There are areas that inches from the shoulder of the road you could look straight down a thousand feet or more. Once at the base we passed through a 124 meter (407 feet) long tunnel to reach the elevator. The tunnel is nicely finished with smooth stone and reflects the care that was taken in the overall construction. The elevator, which rises 124 meters, is quite elegant and is finished in brass. It would probably hold 30-35 people and makes the trip in less than a minute.
The Eagle’s Nest itself consist of a large meeting room, a dining room, kitchen, lavatories and a small room that is said to have been used by Eva Braun for serving tea. It is built of marble with 3’ thick foundation walls. It was built in the typical 3Rd Reich architecture. Paid German labor was used for construction and the quality of the finishing is superb.
After all this Hitler only came here 4-5 times for various reasons one of which may have been his aversion to heights. One reason the site was chosen was because it overlooks Obersalzberg which Hitler started using as his party headquarters in 1928 and continued using as a part time residence until his death in 1945.
We took a bus from the Berchtesgaden bahnhof to Dokumentation Obersalzberg (the museum) and from there a special bus to the parking area below the Eagle’s Nest. We walked through the tunnel and took the elevator to the top. The tunnel and elevator look today the way they did the last time Hitler made this journey. It is a little creepy if you think about that while making the journey. When you get to the Eagle’s Nest the exterior of the building itself is the same while the interior serves as a restaurant for visitors now. There is a trail that takes you to overlooks just to the northeast of the “Nest” and are well worth the five minute walk especially when there is clear weather like we had today. (Please see the photos at XXXXXXXXX.) The Bavarian Alps are a combination of rugged rocky peaks surrounded by pastoral lands dotted with quaint Bavarian style houses. Holly and I could only say “it just looks so Bavarian”. We feel very lucky to have had the clear weather today especially since this is the last day of the season for the Eagle’s Nest and it won’t reopen until mid-May 2007.
We took the special bus back down the mountain to the Dokumentation Obersalzberg where we toured the museum including an extensive bunker complex built deep underground. The museum gives a vivid picture of the rise of Adolph Hitler and the costs to the German people. While a majority of Germans supported Hitler and the Nazi Party a smaller number fought against the tyranny which was the trademark of the Third Reich. A great number of these people paid with their lives or time in one of the concentration camps. (As a note; the concentration camps originated in 1933 with Dachau and were used for the internment or execution of Germans that opposed the Nazi Party.)
After the bus ride back to Berchtesgaden we found a sign informing us that train service will be discontinued between November 1-14th. It looks like we’ll have to take a bus to Salzberg to pick up the Austrian train line when we leave here on Friday. Our only concern is that snow is forecast for Thursday. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that we don’t get snowed into this Alpine village, although worst things could happen.
We climbed the hill back to the Zentrum (town center) and found a local restaurant for a Bavarian lunch. Holly had weiner schnitzel and I had grilled calves liver and onions. I would have come here earlier if I’d known.
After lunch we had a quick shopping spree which found us sporting new head gear. Back to the hotel to mentally prepare for the weather to come; rain tomorrow and snow on Donnerstag (Thursday).
We woke to gorgeous views of the valley below our balcony and the mountains above. A thin layer of clouds in the valley at daybreak by breakfast was a complete shroud of fog that limited our vision to a few hundred feet. As mountain weather is prone to do things changed as we started down the path across the road from the hotel toward the bahnhof (train station). The clouds had cleared and a blue sky formed a brilliant canopy over a perfect crisp fall day. All I can say is that the weather gods must really like us as the weathermen have been forecasting rain for several days and we have so far escaped it. Today we hit the jackpot as we are going to Kehlsteinhaus (The Eagle’s Nest) which has spectacular views of the Bavarian Alps and surrounding areas including Salzburg, Austria.
The Eagle’s Nest was the Nazi Party’s present for Hitler’s 50th birthday in 1938. (This was actually Martin Boorman’s project by which he set the standard for “sucking up”.) It is a meeting center located on Kehlstein mountain about 6000’ feet above sea level. It is set on a promontory jutting from the mountain which gives it a commanding view, up to 200 km / 125 miles, of the surrounding countryside. The road to reach the base of the complex and the elevator shaft with its vertical tunnel in solid rock are engineering marvels especially when you consider they were completed in just thirteen months. The road was carved from the side of Kehlstein from solid rock and from personal experience it must have been a nail biting job. There are areas that inches from the shoulder of the road you could look straight down a thousand feet or more. Once at the base we passed through a 124 meter (407 feet) long tunnel to reach the elevator. The tunnel is nicely finished with smooth stone and reflects the care that was taken in the overall construction. The elevator, which rises 124 meters, is quite elegant and is finished in brass. It would probably hold 30-35 people and makes the trip in less than a minute.
The Eagle’s Nest itself consist of a large meeting room, a dining room, kitchen, lavatories and a small room that is said to have been used by Eva Braun for serving tea. It is built of marble with 3’ thick foundation walls. It was built in the typical 3Rd Reich architecture. Paid German labor was used for construction and the quality of the finishing is superb.
After all this Hitler only came here 4-5 times for various reasons one of which may have been his aversion to heights. One reason the site was chosen was because it overlooks Obersalzberg which Hitler started using as his party headquarters in 1928 and continued using as a part time residence until his death in 1945.
We took a bus from the Berchtesgaden bahnhof to Dokumentation Obersalzberg (the museum) and from there a special bus to the parking area below the Eagle’s Nest. We walked through the tunnel and took the elevator to the top. The tunnel and elevator look today the way they did the last time Hitler made this journey. It is a little creepy if you think about that while making the journey. When you get to the Eagle’s Nest the exterior of the building itself is the same while the interior serves as a restaurant for visitors now. There is a trail that takes you to overlooks just to the northeast of the “Nest” and are well worth the five minute walk especially when there is clear weather like we had today. (Please see the photos at XXXXXXXXX.) The Bavarian Alps are a combination of rugged rocky peaks surrounded by pastoral lands dotted with quaint Bavarian style houses. Holly and I could only say “it just looks so Bavarian”. We feel very lucky to have had the clear weather today especially since this is the last day of the season for the Eagle’s Nest and it won’t reopen until mid-May 2007.
We took the special bus back down the mountain to the Dokumentation Obersalzberg where we toured the museum including an extensive bunker complex built deep underground. The museum gives a vivid picture of the rise of Adolph Hitler and the costs to the German people. While a majority of Germans supported Hitler and the Nazi Party a smaller number fought against the tyranny which was the trademark of the Third Reich. A great number of these people paid with their lives or time in one of the concentration camps. (As a note; the concentration camps originated in 1933 with Dachau and were used for the internment or execution of Germans that opposed the Nazi Party.)
After the bus ride back to Berchtesgaden we found a sign informing us that train service will be discontinued between November 1-14th. It looks like we’ll have to take a bus to Salzberg to pick up the Austrian train line when we leave here on Friday. Our only concern is that snow is forecast for Thursday. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that we don’t get snowed into this Alpine village, although worst things could happen.
We climbed the hill back to the Zentrum (town center) and found a local restaurant for a Bavarian lunch. Holly had weiner schnitzel and I had grilled calves liver and onions. I would have come here earlier if I’d known.
After lunch we had a quick shopping spree which found us sporting new head gear. Back to the hotel to mentally prepare for the weather to come; rain tomorrow and snow on Donnerstag (Thursday).
posted by Gary and Holly Davis @ 12:27 PM
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