Monday, May 18, 2015

TO THE EAGLE'S NEST


Two hours from Munich by car is the very beautiful Berchtesgaden region of lush meadows around the Obersalzberg mountain.


From 1920 Adolf Hitler spent increasing amounts of time here under the alias 'Herr Wolf', eventually renting a house. Largely driven by Martin Bormannm, Hess's chief of staff rising to Hitler's private secretary, the Nazi Party, with party funds equivalent to half a billion euros in today's terms, built Hitler a Teehaus on the top of Kehlstein Mountain for his 50th birthday. Perched at 1834 metres, it assumed the name Eagle's Nest during the liberation.

Although he visited infrequently, fourteen times actually, it was nonetheless the place where major decisions were made about the terror and horror, persecution and murder of millions. Today it swarms with visitors. You reach it by bus for the giddy final 7km climb to the entry platform and bone chilling stone tunnel into the mountain where an obscenely over-dressed lift in green leather, brass and venetian glass takes you the final 120 metres.

You wonder what you are doing there. There is the view, spectacular on a fine day. But it really is to do with walking in the shoes, as asinine as that may seem to be, and is.

From the bus



That's Konigssee mid background just left of centre.

There's a huge bus turn around and waiting platform, touristy shop, and the mouth of the tunnel (1938) before the walk into the mountain and into the lift.  









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