Destroying the Berghof – Hitlers home on the Obersaltzberg

A P-47 Thunderbolt flies over the remains of the Berghof, first bombed and then set on fire by the SS only ruins remain.

Hitler had always been attracted to the Obersaltberg, the mountain overlooking Berchtesgaden. In the 1920s he had rented a house there and in the 1930s he bought Haus Wachenfeld. This was rebuild into the Berghof in which he spent a large part of the war. Being close to Hitler was very important for the Nazi Party chiefs and they moved into this area too, turning a lovely mountain into a Nazi powerhouse.

In the following photo’s we will be looking at the Berghof as it was, then bombed and gutted by fire, then blown up again and as it is now.

Haus Wachenfeld in 1934, before it was transformed into the Berghof  [Via]

A postcard of Haus Wachenfeld

Guardhouse beneath the Berghof (seen at the top Right) [Via]

 

Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun at the Berghof [Via]

Destruction

Lancasters of No. 460 Squadron RAAF took part in a daylight raid on Hitler’s Bavarian mountain retreat

Aerial shot of the Berghof (center) [Via]

Abandoned and destroyed

The destroyed Berghof it would remain in this state for 7 years until it was finally blown up in 1952. The remains of the garage that had so far survived destruction were pulled down in the 1990s. Only the retaining wall remains.

A Postcard of the ruined Berghof [Via]

Looking up the the building from he street, the garage is on the right.

Looking out of what once was Hitlers living room, the massive windows that could be lowered were completely destroyed.

Looking up the driveway, note the American guard at the right.

Looking up the driveway. [Via]

The Berghof was completely gutted by fire

Overlooking the Berghof, which is at the right [Via]

Looking at the Berghhof from above. [Via]

On the next page, pictures of the destruction of the remains and as it is today.

Eradication

On 30th April 1952, what would have been Hitlers Birthday the remains were destroyed with a massive explosion. Subsequently virtually all traces of the building have been removed.

[Via]

[Via]

Today

The Berghof has been thoroughly cleared from the mountainside, only the retaining wall remains. The area has been used to dump the rubble from all the torn down Nazi buildings, raising the current ground level by several meters.

Looking up the driveway

The retaining wall

Where the Berghof used to be….

YouTube

Amazing colour footage of the Obesaltzberg area:

This video blends the situation as it is today with images from the 1940s

https://youtube.com/watch?v=uEUgmhIvnj0