Eagle's Nest, Obersalzberg

Eagle's Nest, Obersalzberg, Germany - darkometer rating : 8 - A prime destination in the far south of Germany primarily for history tourism buffs with a special interest in the Nazi era and WWII ... due to the associations of the place with Adolf Hitler . The "Eagle's Nest" was a mountain-top retreat specially built for and presented to Hitler as a 50th birthday gift in 1939. It complemented a much larger complex of residences and bunkers lower on the slopes of the Obersalzberg mountain (and inside it). A modern documentation centre puts the whole affair into a well-commodified historical-educational context. > More background info > What there is to see > Location > Access and costs > Time required > Combinations with other dark destinations > Combinations with non-dark destinations > Photos More background info: First of all: "Eagle's Nest" is not its real name. It's actually called the Kehlsteinhaus in German, after the Kehlstein mountain on top of which it sits. It's the infamous tea house built for Adolf Hitler for his 50th birthday that is however better known internationally under its English nickname "Eagle's Nest". This epithet goes back to a comment made by an early visitor, the then French ambassador, who likened the place to Mt Athos in Greece as well as to an eagle's nest. The comparison stuck, especially with foreigners. Some of the most famous "private" footage of Hitler, Eva Braun, their dog and some of Hitler's closest associates was taken here at Obersalzberg ... not at the Kehlsteinhaus itself, however, but at the more frequently used Berghof residence further down the hill. Still, this is probably why it is such a popular tourist destination today, despite the erroneous localization of all that historic footage.