The last city on our European visit was Salzburg, Austria and Berchtesgaden, Germany which was the location of Hitler’s “Eagles Nest”.
We picked up our rental car at the Vienna Airport and navigated our way to the Autobahn (Interstate) highway for the two hour drive to Salzburg. We came close to being involved in an accident when a car changing from the middle lane cutoff a car on the outside lane forcing it into the barrier wall. We watched as the car struck the concrete wall then the rear end rising about three feet before falling back to the highway. As the car struck the pavement the spare tire broke lose from underneath and rolled right towards us. Jeff had clearance to swerve and miss the tire, but the accident shutdown the Autobahn behind us.
Cafe lifestyle-Salzburg comes to life late afternoon with sidewalk cafes where people eat and drink long after the sun goes down. The picture shows the cafe across from our hotel with Jeff enjoying a libation.
Hohensalzburg castle is the largest attraction in Salzburg. We boarded a funicular railway which runs every 10 minutes to climb to the castle. Initially built in 1077, and later enlarged between 1495 and 1519, it became one of the largest fortresses in Europe. Since then the castle’s exterior has remained substantially the same. Throughout the long history of Hohensalzburg, the castle was never conquered and remains one of the few castles with this status in Austria.
View of Salzburg from the castle.
Scroll player used to play the castle chimes.
Cannon used for castle defense.
After the castle visit we crossed into Germany to visit Berchtesgaden, Germany which was the location of Hitler’s mountaintop resort known as the “Eagles’ Nest.” We had a private guide for the tour who knew his history well.
I copied the following: “The project began in April of 1937. The gift of this conference center (later called Hitler's Eagles Nest by the Allies) was built for Hitler's upcoming 50th birthday in 1939 and 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 leading into a 406 foot 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. No slave laborers were used in the construction; most of the workers were highly paid Germans, Austrians and Italians. The work was very dangerous; men working on the scaffolding on the Eagle's Nest were dangling over a 2,000 foot drop! 12 men died during the project. Even though there was a cable system to haul material to the top, a lot of the supplies were still carried up by a constant stream of men with 110 pound loads on their backs. The entire project was completed by the summer of 1938, well in advance of Hitler's birthday the following year.”
Jeff hired a private guide for our tour. We started at the visitor's center at the base of the mountain and were bused to the top.
Power for the Eagles' Nest was a diesel generator from a German submarine. This room was not seen except with a guide.
Entrance tunnel to the elevator.
Marble for the fireplace in the great room was Italian marble supplied by Italian dictator Mussolini.
The Eagles' Nest from above.
View of Salzburg and the Bavarian Alps from the Eagles' Nest.
Jeff ordering lunch at the Eagles' Nest cafe.