lake konigssee and other Berchtesgaden, Germany Things to Do Tips

the konigssee is one of the most beautiful lakes in germany. you can take one of a number of electric tour boats to the chapel of st. bartholoma. st. bartholoma now contains a restaurant and beer garden which is a nice place to have lunch. there are two tour boat options, the round trip to the obersee takes about two and a half hours or you can just go as far as st. bartholoma which is half way. another place to visit on the konigssee is the malerwinkel, (painters corner) this beautiful spot is a short walk from konigssee village. a must see site when visiting berchtesgaden.

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Directions: two and a half miles west of berchtegaden. from the train station you can take a bus to konigssee village. also there is a hiking path along the river that takes you there.

the salzbergwerk (salt mine) has been in continous operation since 1517. you can take an interesting tour of the mine. you will be given a traditional miner's overcoat for protection against the cold and damp environment. you take a motorized cart down about a half a mile into depths of the mine. inside the mine you take a boat ride on a subterranean lake. the tour takes approximately 60 minutes.

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Address: bergwerkstrasse
Directions: just east of central berchesgaden

from central berchtesgaden you can take salzbergstrasse to the obersalzberg plateau and to the kehlsteinhaus (eagles nest). this is the area that is known for adolf hitler's home and for a complex of nazi era buildings. pictured is a pizza shop on the corner of bergwerkstrasse and salzbergstrasse. this building was originally the first guard house to the entrance to the obersalzberg complex. on the two and half mile drive to the hintereck parking lot you will pass the club house of a golf course which was once the dairy that supplied the berghof and the nazi complex.

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Address: salzbergstrasse-hintereck
Directions: by car or bus to the hintereck parking lot.

located on the obersalzberg plateau are the ruins of hitler's berghof. hitler bought an alpine cabin known as haus wachenfeld in 1928. over the years it had several renovations and in 1938 the berghof was built as the official residence and office for the fuehrer. the berghof served a dual purpose, primarily it was the fuehrer's residence, but it also hosted numerous important meetings. it was at the berghof that hitler met the british prime minister chamberlain and worked out the austrian anschluss, (union). in 1945 the british bombed the obersalzberg and destroyed the berghof and the homes of hermann goring and martin borman. in 1952 the bavarian government blew up the remains of the berghof.
an interesting web site to see before and after pictures of the berghof is. www.thirdreichruins.com.

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Address: salzbergstrasse-hintereck
Directions: obersalzberg. from the hintereck parking lot walk down salzbergstrasse past the hotel zum turken. the driveway to the berghof is just past the zum turken on the left.
Website: www.thirdreichruins.com

pictured is the foundation of hitler's berghof. this is all that remains of the building. if you walk the path past the ruins you will come to the documentation center. this is an excellent museum about the third reich and the holocaust. under the museum you can see some of the tunnels of the obersalzberg complex. you can also get to the documentation center from the hintereck parking lot.

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Address: salzbergstrasse-hintereck
Directions: just below the zum turken hotel
Website: www.thirdreichruins.com

the zum turken hotel dates back to the early 20th century. this hotel catered to alpine hikers and skiers. when hitler built the berghof next door the nazis took over the hotel to house hitler's s.s. body guards. during the 1945 bombing of the obersalzberg the hotel was spared. after the war the hotel was returned to it's owners and it has been in operation ever since. today it is host to tourists visiting the eagles nest and other berchtesgaden attractions. note: this hotel is only open to registered guests. on the parking lot side of the hotel there is an entrance to the obersalzberg tunnels which are open to the public for a small fee.

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Phone: 08652 50 67
Address: salzbergstrasse-hintereck
Directions: obersalzberg, next to the hintereck parking lot.

the kehlsteinhaus is host to a quarter million visitors a year. this is an alpine tea house was built for adolf hitler by martin borman in 1938. pictured is the entrance tunnel to the tea house. you take an elevator cut through a part of the mountain to enter the building. the building's electric power is generated by a 1930's u-boat engine which is still in use today. a must see site when visiting berchtesgaden. open summer months only.

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Directions: obersalzberg. from the hintereck parking lot you must take a bus to the eagles nest.

once you enter the eagles nest it is hard not to be impressed by this feat of 1930's engineering. built on top of a mountain the views are fabulous. hitler did not care for the ride up to the kehlsteinhaus and rarely spent time there. on a clear day you can see salzburg in austria and lake konigssee. also you get a great view of the walzmann. visit my berchtesgaden home page for a view from the kelsteinhaus. there is a restaurant inside and a gift shop. a must see site when in berchtesgaden.

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Directions: obersalzberg. hintereck parking lot. from the parking lot you must take a bus to the eagles nest.

hermann goring built a house on the obersalzberg in order to be close to the fuehrer. in 1945 it was destroyed in the british bombing attack. pictured is a pile of rubble which once was part of his house. in the foreground, the small pond is actually a 1945 bomb crater. the only reason that i am posting this pic is that no one will ever see this site again. it is now under the foundation of the new intercontinental resort. not that this site has any real historical significance, but i feel that this new modernistic hotel has no place in this peaceful alpine locale. my advice to the visitor to this wonderful area, do it soon before developers ruin it's pristine beauty. the nazis started the destruction of the obersalzberg and today developers are finishing the job.

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Address: hintereck
Directions: obersalzberg, across the street from the hintereck parking lot.
Website: www.thirdreichruins.com

pictured is the elevator which takes you to the kehlsteinhaus. the interior of the elevator is gold plated. the elevator is powered by a 1930's u-boat engine which is still in use today.

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Address: obersalzberg
Directions: obersalzberg. hintererck parking lot then take the bus to the kehlsteinhaus.