Where Eagles Dare

The Eagle's Nest (Kehlsteinhaus") was Hitler's alpine retreat. It was/is located in Berchtesgaden, Germany, in the beautiful Bavarian Alps. Mom and I visited in 1991 during our trip to England and Europe. 

The Eagle's Nest, elevation 6017 feet

Getting to Eagle's Nest was no simple task. First you had to take a shuttle bus from the parking lot in Obersalzberg. That was an edge of your seat experience. There were five tunnels and a hairpin turn to navigate. The road was very narrow, so was always close to the edge. Next there was a tunnel that led to an ornate elevator. The elevator took us to the mountaintop. It climbs 407 feet up through the heart of the mountain. We could have taken the elevator back down, but we elected to hike back down. Bad choice for Mom. The hike freaked her out. It was steep, with not many guard rails. I enjoyed it.

Berchtesgaden, Germany served as a headquarters for the Nazi Party during World War II. Hitler’s home and office were located here, along with the homes of other top Nazi officials like Hermann Göring, Joseph Goebbels, Albert Speer, Heinrich Himmler, and more (of history’s most notorious villains). When the Party wasn’t governing from Berlin, the Third Reich was governed from Berchtesgaden. Eagle's Nest was captured, but not destroyed during the war.

Berchtesgaden