About the area

The road leading to the Eagle’s Nest is a feat of architectural mastery. It was blasted into the solid rock of the mountain over a period of only 13 months. The elevation difference of 800m (2625ft) is covered with only a single switchback and 5 tunnels. The design of this road is unique around the world.

History of the Eagle‘s Nest
Construction of the Eagle’s Nest with its meter-thick foundation walls was finished after only 13 months in 1938. It was one of the most elaborate construction projects during the Third Reich. The building is located on a spur just beneath the summit of Kehlstein Mountain at an elevation of 1,834m (6017ft).

Initially, the Eagle’s Nest was intended to fulfill representational purposes and was a gift to Adolf Hitler for his 50th birthday. Hitler however visited the Eagle’s Nest only a few times.

Except for the Eagle’s Nest, only a few “authentic” buildings of the Third Reich are preserved to this day. The Eagle’s Nest was not hit during the airstrike on 25th April 1945 and still exists in its original form today.

Its name was coined by a French diplomat who supposedly gave the building the nickname “Eagle’s Nest”.

Today, the building is used as a mountain inn. The restaurant boasts a unique panoramic view of the Berchtesgaden mountains and the area around Salzburg. Additionally, it is a reminder of the horrors and human abysses of the Nazi dictatorship under Adolf Hitler.