Berghof Obersalzberg
Re: Berghof Obersalzberg
I have an suggestion if you don't mind.
The last two times I visited Berchtesgaden I actually stayed on the Oberau
in guest houses which was great and enjoyed my time at them. Its nice because you meld into the
community and its easy to get around
There is an Auerwirt Hotel on the Oberau which Geoff has an photo of on
his site. Hitler actually donated monies towards having it built to house the
Hitler youth. Its now an guest house with an large restaurant and even larger
patio. They serve good food at reasonable rates. As the place was built
for youths so there is only one bathroom I understand on each floor..(this is where
being a male comes in ) Its hasn't changed practically at all since it was
built and it would be an experience. Even the kitchen which was built to
cook for the youths is exactly the same except for appliances. I should add that
the original fireplace is sitting in the restaurant....I imagined how many people
of that era sat and looked at it also.
The locals use this restaurant a lot and you can meld in and feel the ambiance.
Sitting on the patio as the sun goes down is amazing........the sun falls behind
the mountains as your sitting on the patio with your drinks and the cows usually
across the road have been herded into the barn but you still hear the cows mowing.
Next door is an church which has an dedication to the fallen and it also hasn't changed
since the war years. Its an great experience
The last two times I visited Berchtesgaden I actually stayed on the Oberau
in guest houses which was great and enjoyed my time at them. Its nice because you meld into the
community and its easy to get around
There is an Auerwirt Hotel on the Oberau which Geoff has an photo of on
his site. Hitler actually donated monies towards having it built to house the
Hitler youth. Its now an guest house with an large restaurant and even larger
patio. They serve good food at reasonable rates. As the place was built
for youths so there is only one bathroom I understand on each floor..(this is where
being a male comes in ) Its hasn't changed practically at all since it was
built and it would be an experience. Even the kitchen which was built to
cook for the youths is exactly the same except for appliances. I should add that
the original fireplace is sitting in the restaurant....I imagined how many people
of that era sat and looked at it also.
The locals use this restaurant a lot and you can meld in and feel the ambiance.
Sitting on the patio as the sun goes down is amazing........the sun falls behind
the mountains as your sitting on the patio with your drinks and the cows usually
across the road have been herded into the barn but you still hear the cows mowing.
Next door is an church which has an dedication to the fallen and it also hasn't changed
since the war years. Its an great experience
- Geoff Walden
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Re: Berghof Obersalzberg
The long-time owner Frau Ingrid Scharfenberg, who was a wonderful hotel manager and always made her guests feel right at home and even part of the family, passed away in 2013. I realized when I stayed there after her passing, that the reason I had liked the place so much and stayed there so many times, was because of her.
"Ordnung ist das halbe Leben" - I live in the other half.
http://www.thirdreichruins.com
http://www.thirdreichruins.com
Re: Berghof Obersalzberg
OhGeoff Walden wrote: ↑15 Jun 2019, 17:32The long-time owner Frau Ingrid Scharfenberg, who was a wonderful hotel manager and always made her guests feel right at home and even part of the family, passed away in 2013. I realized when I stayed there after her passing, that the reason I had liked the place so much and stayed there so many times, was because of her.
Well i was there om 2014 and 2015 i believe it os her daughter who runs the hotel now?
- Geoff Walden
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Re: Berghof Obersalzberg
Yes, that's correct.
"Ordnung ist das halbe Leben" - I live in the other half.
http://www.thirdreichruins.com
http://www.thirdreichruins.com
- Geoff Walden
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Re: Berghof Obersalzberg
There is an interesting set of photos on eBay just now, showing the initial stages of the construction of the Berghof in 1935.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/273895058890?ul_noapp=true
I can't speculate what the high tower and scaffolding were for, although I have seen other photos taken of the site from up there, and the scaffolding and later just remains of it can be seen in other photos. That high tower seems to have only been there at the start of site preparation, later just the scaffolding.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/273895058890?ul_noapp=true
I can't speculate what the high tower and scaffolding were for, although I have seen other photos taken of the site from up there, and the scaffolding and later just remains of it can be seen in other photos. That high tower seems to have only been there at the start of site preparation, later just the scaffolding.
"Ordnung ist das halbe Leben" - I live in the other half.
http://www.thirdreichruins.com
http://www.thirdreichruins.com
Re: Berghof Obersalzberg
A good find Geoff, never seen these images before !
Re: Berghof Obersalzberg
A good find Geoff, never seen these images before !
- N.C. Wyeth
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Re: Berghof Obersalzberg
Oh, come on . . . speculate, speculate, speculate!Geoff Walden wrote: ↑19 Jun 2019, 17:35I can't speculate what the high tower and scaffolding were for . . .
I'm going to say that tower appears to me to be a construction "buck-hoist" or elevator - with walkways connecting it at various levels. I think I spy counterweights and a hoist bucket within the guides of the tower. Materials for construction may have been delivered and stored [or even mixed, as in concrete] at a much higher elevation, where it was logistically safer and better - and by utilizing this "tower-hoist", materials [and maybe personnel?] could gain access to the construction site without taking a precarious tumble down the hill. They may have even sent those mining carts you see in the third photo, up and down the tower as well - perhaps using this contraption as a means of hauling away the soil they appear to be excavating.
History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time; it illuminates reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life, and brings us tidings of antiquity. - Cicero
- Geoff Walden
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Re: Berghof Obersalzberg
I agree, for sure ... it must have been some sort of hoist ... I just don't know what for. Later on, there was a walkway of sorts that ran from the back of this scaffolding over to the Berghof under construction, and I guess they used this to run bricks over there ?? - there seems to be a pile of bricks at the bottom, but maybe not - why would they pile bricks over top of the narrow-gauge railway they put in there? And there was later a ramp for transporting bricks that led up onto the walls from the area of the driveway anyway ... this would seem to be a much easier way to get the bricks up there. But maybe, if we put all the construction photos together this makes sense, as this seems to show that this tower/hoist (?) was not a good idea after all, and that's why it doesn't show up in later photos. Maybe ...
Like many OSB images, these photos bring out more questions than answers. Makes this thread fun!
Like many OSB images, these photos bring out more questions than answers. Makes this thread fun!
"Ordnung ist das halbe Leben" - I live in the other half.
http://www.thirdreichruins.com
http://www.thirdreichruins.com
Re: Berghof Obersalzberg
Thanks all! Great pics of the youth Hotel and that would be one to look into
Re: Berghof Obersalzberg
I can imagine there was more room at the top of the hill behind the Berghof for delivery trucks to unload, and for a staging area for construction materials, then to be moved on site by the conveyer and scaffolding lift. Purely conjecture though.
How far is 'a few yards'?
On Page 70 of Florian Beierl's "Inside Hitler's Mountain" there is a photo of the Berghof lobby with a wooden door to the right. The text states that in the event of an air raid, the occupants were to run through this door "a few yards" to the air raid shelter. Assuming the wooden door is the main entrance (I'm no expert), which air raid shelter had an entrance "a few yards" from the main entrance to the Berghof?
Kein Irrtum ist so groß, der nicht seinen Zuhörer hat.
Re: Berghof Obersalzberg
While I can't put my hand on my copy of "Inside Hitler's Mountain" at this moment, I recall the photo you mention. It was taken in the vestibule/main hallway on the main level of the Berghof, with arched columns representing Gothic architecture. There was a door on the back wall of that hallway -- the eastern wall which opened onto the walkway behind the Berghof -- and through that door and across the walkway one came upon the entrance to the tunnel system beneath the mountain, which was provided for air raid protection and storage.
Hope this is helpful.
Br. James
Hope this is helpful.
Br. James
Re: Berghof Obersalzberg
Thanks for the response, Br. James. I've just had another look at the Berghof plans and I think I have my lobbies mixed up. I think Florian Beierl is probably referring to the tunnel entrance in the crook of the retaining wall, hence 'a few yards'. I have a photo somewhere of a guard standing at the entrance to the tunnel but of course I can't find it atm.
Kein Irrtum ist so groß, der nicht seinen Zuhörer hat.