Stunning Landscape and Dark History in the Bavarian Alps

Hello everyone! I'm in the Berchtesgadener Land in the south of Bavaria and I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say this is one of the most beautiful landscapes in Germany. Here you will find stunning mountains and cozy Bavarian towns. There's also one of the most beautiful mountain lakes in Germany. But terrible crimes were planned in the middle of this alpine isle at Hitler's Berghof on the I'll show you the underground bunkers that have been preserved. We visit Hitler's tea house, the so-called Eagle's Nest. And we also drive across the picturesque Lake Königssee. I'd say not many places offer such a combination. So let's get into the mountains and into history. We start in the city that gave the entire region its name, Berchtesgaden. Rich salt deposits brought money into the town and prosperity to the citizens. Added to this was the idyllic location in the Alps, where it got around. Initially Bavarian kings came here in the summer. Later it was popular with scholars, industrialists, artists and even the Nazis. And who comes today? Well, tourists like me. Berchtesgaden is located in the south of Germany, on the border with Austria just 30 kilometers from Salzburg. From Munich it's 200 kilometers. East of Berchtesgaden lies the Obersalzberg. In the south is Lake Königssee. The lake is considered a jewel of the German Alps. By the way, you can only explore Lake Königssee by boat. Why? I'll show you later. The boats leave from Schönau. In mid-summer there can be a lot of crowds, so you should book your tickets online in advance. Electric boats have been sailing on Lake Königssee since 1909. They were cheaper, cleaner and quieter than steamships. There are different tours you can take. Mine lasts an hour and costs 22 euros and 50 cents. Lake Königssee is located in the Berchtesgaden National Park and therefore enjoys special protection. The lake has drinking water quality. At its deepest point, it measures 192 meters. Those steep rocks fall almost vertically into the water. That's why there are no roads or footpaths around the lake. So you can only explore it by boat. A highlight of every tour is the famous Echo Wall. The boat slowly approaches the Hirschau Peninsula. Here you can look at the pilgrimage church, take a break at a historic restaurant or go on a short hike. Well, assuming you have better weather than me. That's why I'm heading straight back from the lake up to the mountains. My next destination is the Obersalzberg near Berchtesgaden. Where there is dense forest today, there were a few farms and guesthouses a hundred years ago. The dictator Adolf Hitler also enjoyed vacationing here. First in a small country house and later in the spacious Berghof. The Berghof was strictly shielded from the public because alongside Berlin it became Hitler's second seat of government. Hitler not only spent his vacation on the Obersalzberg but also a quarter of the time he was in office. Hitler received high-ranking guests and officials at the Berghof. Political and military decisions were made here about persecution, war and genocide. After the war the property was blown up. Today there is hardly anything of Hitler's Berghof left. Only this supporting wall of the slope is left. Today only a few tourists come here. The place where they take their photos used to be the large terrace of the Berghof. Hitler's lover Eva Braun filmed these videos with her small film camera. Images of a deceptive idol. After the war things became quiet on Obersalzberg. It was not until 1999 that a documentation center was set up a few hundred meters from the former Berghof. Soon the rush of visitors from all over the world was so great that it had to be rebuilt and expanded. The house reopened in 2023 with a new concept. I think the title of the exhibition is very appropriate for the location. Idol and atrocity. Replicated in the exhibition is Hitler's map table which can be seen in many photos of the Berghof. Plans for the German war of annihilation were drawn up here such as the attack on Poland or the attack on the Soviet Union. Decisions were also made here that resulted in the murder of millions of Jews, Sinti and Roma in the ghettos and extermination camps of Eastern Europe. What wasn't so clear to me before was how big the area actually was. Hitler's Berghof was the center of the Obersalzberg. But other Nazi greats such as Hermann Göring and Martin Bormann also owned their houses here. There were also SS barracks, administration buildings and underground bunkers. The original village and its residents had to give way. The Obersalzberg became a strictly shielded area. In 1944, Hitler was at the Berghof for the last time. In April 1945, the Allies bombed the site. The ruins were blown up in 1952. I talk about this with the head of the documentation center, Sven Keller. The desire and will of the American occupying forces here at the Obersalzberg and the state government in Munich was to prevent a pilgrimage site. They didn't want this Berghof to become the ruin of the Walfahrtsstätte here at the Obersalzberg. And did it work out? No, it didn't work out. We know this, above all, because on neuralgic data, such as on April 20th, Hitler's birthday, we collect records again and again. We find, for example, small tombstones, tombstones, which are still left behind on the site of the Berghof by obviously insidious Hitler nostalgics. What do you think, how would you deal with a building like the Berghof today? Would the building be blown up again or would it be left as it is? I believe that if this Berghof ruin would still stand today, it would be worthwhile to preserve it. Simply because if you look at recordings from the post-war period, how this ruin looked like in the end. So you have to imagine a building that is first slightly damaged by the British bomb attack and then ignited by the retreating SS here. So you basically have such a hollowed out, burned-out building, which is covered with graffiti over and over again. And with graffiti from the soldiers, especially from the American soldiers, who then occupy this place here, who occupy it, who also take possession of it a bit symbolically and who leave their names, their associations, their units over and over again on this ruin. I think it could have worked as a memorial, perhaps too much has been said. But in any case, I think the place was already enchanted at this point. Now we go into the underground bunkers. They are more than six kilometers long. Thousands of forced laborers dug the tunnels into the rock. People and material were supposed to find protection here in the event of a bomb attack. Italian forced laborers left this inscription. Tre tubi means three pipes. And this is where French soldiers immortalized themselves. The French and Americans were in a real race, each wanting to be the first to conquer Hitler's Berghof. In the end, they arrived almost at the same time, but found the Berghof and the bunker complex deserted. What do visitors take away from the documentation center? The impression I'll take with me is, when you see wrong being done against someone else, that we need to speak up. If we don't speak up now, then later it could be us. Probably the information about the concentration camps. I've been to Dachau. I've seen it. Seen the stuff in there on Auschwitz. Probably spent three or four hours in there, but only took about an hour. It was great. A lot of information, a lot of history. Well, it just makes you realize how powerful Hitler was and what all he accomplished while he was in command. So it's interesting. Very interesting. A lot of information. Very, very educational. The documentation center is located at an altitude of approximately 1,000 meters. At 1,800 meters, you'll find the Kehlsteinhaus. It was built in 1937-38 as a tea house for Hitler. The Allies called it the Eagle's Nest. The Kehlsteinhaus is one of the few buildings from the Nazi era that were not destroyed. And the journey itself is an experience. The only way up is by shuttle bus — unless you want to hike. The narrow street is closed to private cars. It was carved into the steep mountain specifically for the Kehlsteinhaus — with five tunnels. That reminds me a bit of the bus rides in the Andes. There's a steep drop-off right next to the road. But you will be rewarded with a great view. And after 15 minutes of driving, you're almost at the top. For the remaining 124 meters, you take the historic lift. It is still in its original condition. No, it's not covered in gold, but in brass. 42 seconds. On a clear day, you can see up to 200 kilometers away. Nowadays, the Kehlsteinhaus is a popular excursion restaurant. A small exhibition provides information about the history of the house. It was built especially for Adolf Hitler. But in fact, he was rarely up here. Rather, the Kehlsteinhaus was used by Nazi officials and their guests, who liked to drive up from Obersalzberg to celebrate and relax here. When you're up here, you should take the time and walk a few meters. It is worth it. Down there, you can see Lake Königsee. And that's not the only vantage point. There are endless photo opportunities — for example, the summit cross. Most visitors return at this point — and don't know what they're missing. If you pass the Kehlsteinhaus and keep going, you'll find secret spots like this one. There's a circular route amidst the rocks. And although the Kehlstein is such a tourist hotspot, I have the mountain world almost to myself. I feel a bit like the king of the Alps. I think I didn't promise too much at the beginning. There are only a few places in the world that combine idol and atrocity as much as here in the Berchtesgadener Land. What do you think? What's your opinion? Feel free to leave a comment.