Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Away from the trails, the main draws are the mountaintop Eagle's Nest, a lodge built
for Hitler and now a major dark-tourism destination, and Dokumentation Obersalzberg, a
museum that chronicles the region's sinister Nazi past.
Sights
Eagle's Nest
( 2969;
www.kehlsteinhaus.de
;
mid-May-Oct)
Berchtesgaden's most sinister draw
is Mt Kehlstein, a sheer-sided peak at Obersalzberg where Martin Bormann, a key hench-
man of Hitler's, engaged 3000 workers to build a diplomatic meeting house for the Führ-
er's 50th birthday. Perched at 1834m, the innocent-looking lodge (called Kehlsteinhaus in
German) occupies one of the world's most breathtaking spots. Ironically, Hitler is said to
have suffered from vertigo and rarely enjoyed the spectacular views himself. The Allies
never regarded the site worth bombing and it survived WWII untouched. Today the
Eagle's Nest houses a restaurant that donates its profits to charity.
To get there, drive or take half-hourly bus 838 from the Hauptbahnhof to the Hotel In-
tercontinental then walk to the Kehlstein bus departure area. From here the road is closed
to private traffic and you must take a special
bus
(adult/child €15.50/9)
up the mountain
(35 minutes). The final 124m stretch to the summit is in a luxurious brass-clad elevator.
HISTORIC SITE
Königssee
Crossing the serenely picturesque, emerald-green Königssee makes for some unforget-
table memories and once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunities. Contained by steep mountain
walls some 5km south of Berchtesgaden, it's Germany's highest lake (603m), with drink-
ably pure waters shimmering into fjordlike depths. Bus 841 makes the trip out here from
the Berchtesgaden Hauptbahnhof roughly every hour.
Escape the hubbub of the bustling lakeside tourist village by taking an electric
boat
tour
(
www.seenschifffahrt.de
;
return adult/child €13.30/6.70)
to St Bartholomä, a quaint
onion-domed chapel on the western shore. At some point, the boat will stop while the cap-
tain plays a horn towards the Echo Wall - the sound will bounce seven times. Pure magic!
The effect only fails during heavy fog. From the dock at St Bartholomä, an easy trail leads
to the wondrous
Eiskapelle
(Ice Chapel) glacier cave in about one hour.
You can also skip the crowds by meandering along the lake shore. It's a nice and easy
3.5km return walk to the secluded
Malerwinkel
(Painter's Corner), a lookout famed for
its picturesque vantage point.
LAKE
