In South Bavaria, known for its fairytale castle of Neuschwanstein, and the alpine resorts, there is also a tearoom called Kehlsteinhaus, known as the Eagle’s Nest. It was built as a gift for the 50th birthday of Adolf Hitler, where he was having guests important to him. Therefore, due to the burden carried by the German nation for the crimes against humanity, the Eagle’s Nest is not propagated by the Germans, like the castle mentioned earlier. In Italy we met German tourists who, to our surprise, seemed to have no idea about this place, even though the altitude route to the mountain lodgings and the top of the Kehlstein provide some of the best views in the whole of Bavaria.
The mountain’ tearoom and the road leading to it was built in 1938-1939, as a part of the complex Berghof. The originators was the German Nazi party (NSDAP), but Hitler did not quite like the place and he was not there more than 10 times, because he had a fear of heights and was afraid of air raids on the exposed area of the mountain. He had invited foreign guests there for a few times, but his visit never lasted for long. On August 22nd in 1939, Hitler presented the chief commanders of the Wehrmacht, tragic for our country, then the whole world, plan to attack Poland.
The facility survived the bombing of the Allied forces during World War II in the intact state and was taken over by the American troops, who had returned it to the German authority only in the year 1952.
Eagle’s Nest today
Kehlsteinhaus tearoom can be visited from mid-May to late October. The road to the top is disabled for general traffic and only special buses go there from the station in Hintereck near Berchtesgaden. Ticket’s price for both ways is 16 euros per person. At the station there is large parking lot for the cars and the smaller one for motorcycles, which are free and are located next to the restaurant Obersalzberg. One could try a traditional Bavarian beer and a meal there. At the station there are lockers for motorcycle helmet and clothing opened for 1 euro, which is then returned.
After arriving by bus to the parking lot located at an altitude of 1 710 meters above sea level, one needs to sign up for a specific time to return by the bus. This probably makes it easier to keep an order among tourists returning down. Ordnung muss sein (Ger. Order must be). The entrance to the Eagle’s Nest starts with walking the 124-meter tunnel to get to the “golden elevator”. It takes visitors 124 meters up to the restaurant which offers a beautiful panorama of the Bavarian Alps and the Lake Königsee from a height of 1834 meters above sea level. The lift costs an extra fee of 3 euros, although as you can see is not always, because no one took a penny from us.
In The Nest
Around the Nest
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The road to the Eagle’s Nest (Kehlsteinstrasse)
Within 13 months the German engineers and workers in harsh mountain conditions built a 7 km road leading to the summit of Kehlstein. With laborious and hard work they pierced through the rock and dug five tunnels with a total length of 277 m. The roadway is narrow, because it has only 4 meters wide and winding with elevation of 800 m. Kehlsteinstrasse is considered one of the most scenic routes in Europe. Accessible only by bus, where one can enjoy the beautiful slopes of the Mount Hoher Göll (2522 m) from behind the windshield. We suggest sitting down on the right side of the coach to have the best views from the beginning of the route, which takes about 25 minutes.
Rossfeld Panoramastrasse
Right next to the Eagle’s Nest there is a charming route which lies on the south-eastern German-Austrian border, where you can finally enjoy riding your own vehicle. Rossfeld Panoramastrasse is a 16 km section of the road in the midst of a picturesque mountainous landscape of the Salzburg Alps. In addition to the views, there are also didactic-nature paths that await for the hikers. he route begins in the village of Oberau at the heights of 750 m.a.s.l. The highest point of the road and is 1 570 m.a.s.l. and ends up falling in Obersalzberg.
Rossfeld Panoramastrasse is payable and costs 4 euros, but it is worth the money. Especially when you go to the area on a motorcycle Rossfeld becomes a must.
Info about the Rossfeld Panoramastrasse:
| Route length |
16 km |
| The beginning / end | Oberau / Obersalzberg |
| Surface | Asphalt of very good quality |
| Availability | Usually open from mid-May to late October |
| Threats | None |
| Traffic on the road | Small |
| Attractions along the way | Nature trails, restaurants with a view |
| The maximum height | 1 570 m above the sea level |
Location of the Eagle’s Nest and Rossfeld Panoramastrasse
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 | Bus station near by the Eagle's Nest Kehlsteinstraße, Burgkirchen an der Alz, Germany |
 | Kehlsteinstrasse - the road to the Eagle's Nest Kehlsteinstraße, Burgkirchen an der Alz, Germany |
| The Rossfeld Panoramastrasse Kehlsteinstraße, Burgkirchen an der Alz, Germany |
 | The Eagle's Nest - Kehlsteinhaus Kehlsteinstraße, Burgkirchen an der Alz, Germany |
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