The small market town of Berchtesgaden is located in the extreme south-eastern area of Germany in the Federal State of Bavaria, referred to as Bayern in Germany. It is a popular visitor destination as it stands in an area of great natural beauty and is a centre of historical and contemporary cultural significance. The town of approximately 7,000 residents is able to trace its history back over 900 years through records which mention its significant salt deposits. Salt mines dating from the 16th century, have over the years given the town great prosperity which is reflected in the glorious and picturesque old historical centre. Originally the seat of a small principality, Berchtesgaden is home to the Royal Palace, its Abbey Church and numerous other sights which are well worth a visit, including its old historic centre which is located around the street called Nonntal. Many of the old buildings have beautiful external wall murals, and one interesting thing to see is the 16th century Hirschenhaus with its ‘monkey facade’, the oldest non-religious house frescoes in the Bavarian Alps. For those that are interested, the town was also once home to Hitler’s mountain residence known as the Berghof, which has been demolished. However the town still maintains some typical Third Reich buildings, notably the Bahnhof (railway station) and the Postamt (Post Office).
Berchtesgaden lies in the shadow of Mt Watzmann, which at 2713 metres is Germany’s second highest peak, and is part of the Berchtesgaden National Park, Germany’s only Alpine National Park. It is a region of spectacular natural beauty comprised of crystal clear lakes and snow capped majestic mountains. The park, which attracts over a million visitors each year, is also home to the iconic 12th century Chapel of St Bartholomew which is the unmistakable symbol of the Bavarian Alps. The chapel stands on the banks of the picturesque, glacial Lake Konigssee which at 8 kilometres long and up to only 1 kilometre wide is like a fjord surrounded by bare rock cliffs and high mountains!!
Standing on the very edge of the German and Austrian border, Berchtesgaden is well known for being home to the Kehlsteinhaus, better known as the Eagle’s Nest, which was a mountain retreat belonging to Adolf Hitler (N.B. open only during the summer months) - the contemporary museum known as the Dokumentation Obersalzberg which exhibits the history of the Obersalzberg and the Nazi dictatorship, and allows access to an interesting section of the extensive fortress-like bunker network below the mountain - the local salt mines and the old salt works of Bad Reichenhall!! There is also the local heritage museum at Schloss Adelheim and just outside of town in Unterau is the Grassl’s Gentian Schnapps Distillery, where you can tour the distillery, taste the produce and maybe pick up a bottle or two!!
There are four small townships located around Berchtesgaden which if you are touring could well be worth a visit. The south-eastern most town of Germany, Schonau am Konigssee which is located at the northern end of Konigssee Lake, reputably Germany’s cleanest lake and home to the Chapel of St Bartholomew - Bischofswiesen, a popular centre for hiking, biking and climbing in summer and downhill skiing cross-country skiing and snowboarding in winter – the wonderful mountain village of Ramsau, with its picturesque riverside church, is well known for its high mountains and Lake Huntersee, and during the winter the village offers 190 kilometres of marked paths and steep roads, chutes and cross-country ski tracks!! – and Marktschellenberg which stands at the foot of the legendary mountain massif of the Untersberg which lies only 15 kilometres from Salzburg!!
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