Kehlsteinhaus, aka The Eagle's Nest

 

As part of our trip to Berchtesgaden, Germany, we visited the Kehlsteinhaus.  Kehlsteinhaus was built by the Nazi party as a 50th birthday gift for Adolf Hitler in 1938.

 

 

Hitler had a mountain house at the bottom of the mountain, and this facility only served as a place to entertain dignitaries.  Supposedly he only visited ten times due to a fear of heights and confined spaces.  The tour guide said that Hitler's girlfriend, Eva Braun, visited the house more frequently.  It was also used to host a wedding reception for her sister.

 

Entrance tunnel leading to the elevator to the top

The building was an intended target to be bombed my the Royal Air Force, but it is believed that it was missed as a result of low cloud cover during the raid.  At that time Hitler's mountain residence was bombed as well as many other targets in the Berchtesgaden/Obersalzburg area. 

The US Army was the first to take the town of Berchtesgaden and the 'Eagle's Nest' in May 1945.  It was used by Allied Forces until 1960, when it was given back to the State of Bavaria. 

 

 
Today the building is used as a restaurant, and is a popular place for tourists to visit.  The building was not very big, and did not have a lot of historical information presented, but the view was amazing!

Cheers to the Allied Forces!

The bird really wanted our left-over cake.

 
Despite the fact that we have smiling faces in the pictures, we did not take visiting the Kehlsteinhaus lightly.  We used the opportunity to talk to the kids about the war, and remember the terrible atrocities committed by Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. 

Being a Jewish woman, it is heartbreaking to think how much different my life and the lives of my children here in Germany would have been 70 years ago.  I am so grateful for all that we have, this amazing opportunity to live and travel in Europe, and for the fact that I can raise my kids without fear or suffering.