High up in the Alps in Bavaria, Germany, the German's built the Eagle's Nest for Hitler's 50th birthday present. This area, Berchtesgadener, was important to Hitler as he wrote his book, Mein Kampf here. Interestingly, he was afraid of heights. [We do NOT have this in common as the rope course cured me of my fears.] And he was claustrophobic. Ironic, since you have to travel (we walked but Hitler took a limo) in a tunnel for 124 meters (406 feet) to ride in a brass elevator 124 meters (406 feet) to get up to the Eagle's Nest. That's after you travel up the mountain 7 km (4 miles). The mountain road contains only 1 switchback. Yes, it is an engineering marvel. The Germans blasted rock to make the road, built in 13 months. Therefore, you ride up the side of cliffs at times. To make it safe, the Germans only allow you to take their bus up the road (since 1952). And the organization replace the buses every 5 or so years. The road has 5 tunnels with, I believe, the original cobble stone in the road at those points.
During WWII, Stuttgart provided warning to the town of Obersalzberg that the allies were going to bomb. There was a 30 minute warning. The town could cover itself in smoke in 20 minutes. So for part of the war, there were no damages. However, the night before we bombed the town, we hit the warning system in Stuttgart. So the town only received a 5 minute warning and was bombed heavily. However, the night before, it also snowed. This covered the Eagle's Nest. And we did not see it to bomb it. So the Eagle's Nest survived the war. And is in it's original form.
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| Mantel |
When we took over the Eagle's Nest, the soldiers carved their names into the marble fireplace. They also signed their names on the round table. General Eisenhower signed his name as well. Because he signed the table, it went to a museum. General Eisenhower also liked the brass eagle on the huge doors to the tunnel that led to the elevator. He took one and eventually donated it. The long-time elevator operator took the other brass eagle. The tour provider seemed mad that General Eisenhower took the eagle. But he was British! Um, to victors go the spoil. The allied forces also cut up the one inch think Persian carpet as souvenirs. When one of the officers realized what we were doing, he did put a stop to it. That seems fair. Actually, the US only gave back the Eagle's Nest to the Berchtesgadener a couple of years ago. Until then, only the US military could visit.
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| Dining Room, Hitler designed the ceiling |
As for the Eagle's Nest, no one ever slept up there (except the guards). They only visited. Hitler designed the ceiling for one of the rooms. It is now a restaurant, with any leftover money going to charity. But they have lots of expenses, such as the buses, rock climbers checking for loose rocks after the winter freeze, etc.
There is a Dokumentation Center near the bus station. Here, they give the history of WWII. The exhibition is in Deutsch. However, there is an English audio tour. The audio tour is pretty true to how the history is taught to us. I can't read Deutsch, so I can't say whether that is accurate. ha ha The Dokumentation Center was built at an underground bunker. You can also tour this. In this respect, I have to say, I feel like everyone prepares for war better than us. Are/were there bunkers in the US for people? (Remember-in Moscow people were going down to the Metro if we ever bombed them.)
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The Germans certainly gave us breathtaking views.
Christine
