It’s hard to shed a tear for something so closely associated with Hitler but I do have fond memories of it. It’s in the running as one of the most beautiful places on earth. I got to spend a couple of extended stays in Berchtesgaden when I was stationed in Germany and there was still an Armed Forces Recreation Center in the area. I do hope they are able to rebuild something for people to enjoy.
Reports are saying a suspected arsonist has been detained. It appears that it’s someone who is mentally ill so it’s unknown if he will charged at all.
Ah, that makes sense. Germany, after war’s end, famously rejected any place, practice, or objects that could be part of ‘Hitler/Nazi veneration.’ On seeing the thread I was amazed that Hitler’s actual mountain home had existed up until now (and obviously it had NOT).
(I wonder if the arsonist was confused about these facts?)
And here I was all ready to put this in “misinterpreted thread titles”, but it turns out it actually is about that Eagle’s Nest.
As to whether it seemed nice at least in comparison to other mountain retreats, I guess that depends on whether it was at the Berghof or Berchtesgaden that contained the spacious mountain patio that was made famous in many shots of that mustached guy. I like terraces with a view and I especially like ones that give you enough room that you don’t have to feel like you’re always right near the edge.
I think it more likely the arsonist was in sympathy with the Nazis. The Eagles Nest is a symbol of Nazi defeat. Google pictures of Commander in Chief Eisenhower and General Clark at the Eagles Nest. It isn’t an accident that they traveled to this location as a show of the defeat of the Nazi regime. It was not a simple “drive-by” to create this image. It was a clear public display.
My apologies but I can’t get links to work so you’ll have to Google it yourself.
(I suppose it’s even possible that this arsonist is apolitical, and just thought it would be cool to see a building-on-the-side-of-a-mountain burning down.)
I have very mixed feelings about this. I visited in the late 90s and the tour was tasteful and honest. I came away from it feeling that it was a significant historical landmark that highlighted the excesses of the regime without glorifying it in any way. If anything it was more a symbol of their defeat. Learning about the involvement of Easy Company from Band of Brothers not long after reinforced that for me. To my knowledge, it was the only intact relic of the Nazi regime still standing and I feel like wiping the Nazis from our memory is a worse offence than preserving Kehlsteinhaus as a reminder. I do hope that at least parts of it can be saved for future generations, for that reason alone.
From my understanding Hitler rarely visited this place. He only went to it a little over a dozen times and that was mostly before the war. He had a fear of heights and used the nearby Berghof complex extensively. It was truly a war complex with many buildings for other high ranking officials connected by an extensive tunnel system. The main house itself was a diplomatic showcase that had a massive panoramic window view of the Alpines. The entire window retracted. It was a central launch point in Hitler’s rise to political power and then a major remote post for war planning. The British heavily bombed it in attempt to kill Him. What was left was eventually destroyed and hauled away.
I wrote almost this exact thing but for some reason I didn’t hit post. This wasn’t where he lived part of the time. It is not a good place for someone who doesn’t like heights.
Obviously I consume English language media so I’m not getting it from the source but what I’ve read is implying that it was crazy rather than ideology.
Also the former Air Ministry (now the Finance Ministry) in Berlin, the Führerbau (now a music college) in Munich and the Haus der Kunst, also in Munich.
It was on my bucket list to visit since my father fought in Europe. The picture of Eisenhower really stands out in my mind as the ultimate image of victory.
Tempelhof air terminal served for so much longer after the war, starting notably with the Airlift, it became more associated with Cold War West Berlin.
Hard agree. We have places for memories, they’re called libraries and museums. This is sufficient to document things that nobody’s going to deny, i.e. that Nazis and Hitler existed. And it’s right to deny neo-Nazis a pilgrimage site and meeting-place.
The things that need to be physically preserved are the things likely to be denied and downplayed, i.e. Holocaust memorials. Forget the Nazis and their snazzy uniforms and digs, remember their vileness and atrocities.
Not that I would’ve advocated for burning Adlerhof, but I don’t really care that someone did.
