History of The Berghof and Eagles Nest
In 1925, Adolf HitIer chose a remote mountain area in the south-east corner of Germany as his home. He settled in a small house (Haus Wachenfeld) in the Obersalzberg, a district overlooking the picturesque town of Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps. By 1933, HitIer had purchased Haus Wachenfeld with funds he received from the sale of his political manifesto Mein Kampf. The small chalet-style building was refurbished and much expanded by architect Alois Degano during 1935–36 under the supervision of Martin Bormann, when it was renamed The Berghof (English: "Mountain Court").
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After HitIer became chancellor of Germany in 1933, the Obersalzberg area was transformed into the southern seat of power for the Nazi Party. Eventually, the local became a complex of houses, barracks, tunnels and air raid shelters to provide a command post for the Nazi hierarchy. This complex included The Berghof and the famous Eagle’s Nest.
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The Berghof
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The Berghof was Adolf HitIer's home in the Obersalzberg of the Bavarian Alps near Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, Germany. He spent more time here than anywhere else during his time as the Führer of the Third Reich. It was also one of the most widely known of his headquarters, which were located throughout Europe (see map above).
The Berghof was HitIer's favorite residence for the next ten years until it was damaged by British bombs in late April 1945, and again in early May by retreating SS troops. It was then looted by Allied troops reaching the area. The Bavarian government finally demolished the burned shell in 1952.
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At The Berghof a large terrace was built which featured big, colorful, resort-style canvas umbrellas. The entrance hall "was filled with a curious display of cactus plants in majolica pots." A dining room was paneled with very costly cembra pine. HitIer's large study had a telephone switchboard room. The library contained books "on history, painting, architecture and music." A great hall was furnished with expensive Teutonic furniture, a large globe, and an expansive red marble fireplace mantel. Behind one wall was a projection booth for evening screenings of films (often, Hollywood productions, including Mickey Mouse).
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A sprawling picture window could be lowered into the wall to give a sweeping, open-air view of the snow-capped mountains in HitIer's native Austria. The house was maintained much like a small resort hotel by several housekeepers, gardeners, cooks, and other domestic workers. "This place is mine," HitIer was quoted as saying to a writer for Homes & Gardens magazine in 1938. "I built it with money that I earned.
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The Obersalzberg was bombed by hundreds of British RAF Lancaster heavy bombers, including aircraft from No. 617 Squadron RAF (the "Dambusters"), which attacked Obersalzberg on 25 April 1945. At least two bombs struck the Berghof and did considerable damage to the building. Retreating SS troops set fire to the villa on 4 May, four days after HitIer's suicide in Berlin.
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The Berghof before and after the bombings
Only hours later, the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division arrived at Berchtesgaden along with the French 2nd Armored Division. Herman Louis Finnell of the 3rd Division stated that he and Private Fungerburg were the first to enter Berghof and the secret passages below the structure. Finnell stated that the hallway below the structure had rooms on either side filled with destroyed paintings and evening gowns, as well as destroyed medical equipment and a wine cellar. The American troops reportedly confused Berchtesgaden with the Berghof, and a French Army captain and his driver were the first Allied military personnel to reach the still-smoldering chalet. A French tank crew soon joined them, and Allied soldiers thoroughly looted and stripped the house over the next few days. The American 1st Battalion of the 506th Infantry Regiment arrived on 8 May. The 3rd Battalion of the 506th came into Berchtesgaden by a different route and sustained casualties in a skirmish with the crews of two German 88mm anti-aircraft/anti-tank guns. Several of the most notable artifacts taken by American soldiers was the Columbus Globe for State and Industry Leaders, known more commonly as "HitIer's Globe" and a Presentation Tray given to HitIer by the people of the Sudentenland.
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The Berghof's shell survived until 1952, when the Bavarian government demolished it with explosives on 30 April. The Berghof, the houses of Göring and Bormann, the SS barracks, the Kampfhäusl, and the teahouse were all destroyed. This had been part of an agreement under which the Americans handed the area back to the Bavarian authorities. There was fear that the ruins would become a neo-Nazi shrine and tourist attraction.
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More than 50 Obersalzberg Nazi buildings were destroyed. The Platterhof had been a nearby hostel for visitors to the area, and it was turned into the General Walker Hotel for American troops after the war. It was demolished in 2001.
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Eagles Nest
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A mountaintop structure, the Kehlsteinhaus, nicknamed Eagle's Nest by André François-Poncet, a French diplomat, was built in 1937–38 above the Berghof, but HitIer rarely went there. The Kehlsteinhaus (known as the Eagle's Nest in English-speaking countries) was built by the Third Reich atop the summit of the Kehlstein, a rocky outcrop that rises above Obersalzberg near the town of Berchtesgaden. It was used exclusively by members of the Nazi Party for government and social meetings. It was used by HitIer as a house to show off to visiting dignitaries.
The corner of the rear terrace is shown in the above right view. HitIer receives a visit from Nazi Labor leader Robert Ley and his wife Inge (to the left of HitIer) and Adolf Wagner, Nazi leader of Munich and Upper Bavaria (foreground). Standing at the right is HitIer's personal adjutant Julius Schaub, while Martin Bormann disappears behind the wall. The below right picture is as it appears today.
Construction of Eagle’s Nest began in April of 1937. The gift of this conference center (later called HitIer's Eagles Nest by the Allies) was to be from the Nazi Party which supplied the funds, along with some donations. Construction of the building on top of a mountain, with its steep access road and a 400 foot elevator shaft inside the mountain, was an ambitious goal, but consistent with the Third Reich's grandiose building plans. Over 3,000 men worked day and night, winter and summer, for 13 months to complete the project. The road was blasted out of the mountainside, passing through five tunnels to get to the entrance. Heavy wooden gates guarded the opening into the Kelhstein, leading into a 406 foot (124 meter) tunnel cut into the heart of the mountain. An elevator shaft the same length as the tunnel was then cut straight up through the mountain to the peak itself. The house sits on the summit, at 6,017 feet (1834 meters). The entire project was completed by the summer of 1938, well in advance of HitIer's birthday the following year.