Tag: History

• Kehlsteinhaus

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on August 12, 2019

  Near the summit of the Kehlstein mountain in Berchtesgaden Germany sits The Kehlsteinhaus, also known as The Eagles Nest. It was here where Hitler and members of the Third Reich made plans for the war and mass murder. The building was built in 1939 for the Nazi party and was speculated to be a 50th birthday gift to Hitler, however this was not true.

  In fact Hitler rarely visited Kehlsteinhaus. 

  

  Perhaps it was his fear of heights, or perhaps he wasn’t interested in the panoramic views below, but despite the horrific plans that occurred here I can’t deny the amazing views from the building. Kehlsteinhaus is one of the few buildings that was not touched by ally bombs during WWII, and is still largely preserved in its original state.

  Before I moved to Germany, I remember sitting in my dads living room looking at the website of the hotel I currently work for. My dad and I were looking at the myriad of tours offered by the hotel, and The Eagles Nest was one of them. I’d not heard of this place until that day, and it planted a seed in both the brains of my dad and I.

  

  One of the top places in Germany my dad wanted to see when he visited me last month was The Eagles Nest, so we planned for a day trip to see this important piece of history. I think places like this are important to see, but I don’t agree with the overly commercialized money making scheme that has been created around Kehlsteinhaus.

  It’s one thing to pay for a ticket to enter and to visit, it’s another thing to sell t-shirts, sweatshirts, postcards, and stickers as if this were Disneyland. Maybe it’s just me, but I wouldn’t want to walk around wearing a sweatshirt that says Kehlsteinhaus on it. The building is now used as a restaurant, and a busy one at that, however that doesn’t take away from the original use of the building.

  

  

  (Source)

  To reach Kehlsteinhaus, a bus is needed to drive about 20 minutes up the mountain. Once near the top, there is a tunnel built into the mountain (original tunnel) that leads to a golden elevator. The elevator room was designed to “dazzle” its guests and impress them with the glamour of the Nazi building. Although the building is now a restaurant, there are rooms inside that are still rich with history.

  Inside one of the dining areas is an original fireplace that was gifted to Hitler from Mussolini. The fireplace is made of marble and has a beautiful brown color. The room that was once used as a sunroom is now used as an informational room with history of the Third Reich. The room has an amazing view of the lake and surrounding mountains.

  The mountain itself is a host to a network of trails, of which I hope to return someday to explore. The views of Königssee below are breathtaking. 

  

  

  

  We spent enough time at the top to walk around a bit for the views, and sat for a bier and a bite at the restaurant. It was surreal to see photos of Hitler taken in some of the places we stood, and I couldn’t help but feel distain for him. I’ve since seen someone outside of this area wearing a Kehlsteinhaus sweatshirt and it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

  Am I alone on this? 

  

  

  

  The Kehlstein mountain trails are seemingly endless, and if we’d had more time I’d have tried to explore more. The surrounding area of Berchtesgaden is a sight to see, and the German alps are massively dominant. These are the types of mountains that will swallow you whole if you’re not careful.

  

  

  

  If you have any kind of interest in the history of WWII, I recommend a visit to Kehlsteinhaus. A place of terrible plannings, but a place of history nonetheless.  Just do me a favor, and don’t buy any crazy souvenirs. 

  

  

  Q: What time in history interests you most? For me it’s WWII. 

  

  | 18 Comments Tagged Berchtesgaden, Brittanys Life Abroad, Germany, History, WWII

• Dachau Concentration Camp

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on March 25, 2019

  There are few moments in my life that have touched me on such a deep level that words could not be formed, and breath was sucked from my lungs. Moments where emotions are felt so strongly that tears well up in my eyes and knots are felt in my throat. I had one of these sobering moments when visiting Dachau, the first concentration camp created in 1933 shortly after Adolf Hitler became Reich Chancellor.

  

  “Work sets you free”

  

  Front gate

  Despite the unfathomable events that took place behind this gate, I truly believe everyone needs to visit places like this. Not only to learn about the grotesque history that occurred in our world, but to put things into perspective. I sometimes get so wrapped up in my physical body, and the things I cannot do, that I forget to remember how blessed I am. Sadly, I believe the closed minded principals that fostered Dachau are all too relevant in the world today.

  

  Detention bunker

  

  Bunker

  

  Bunker

  This camp served as a model for all later concentration camps and as a “school of violence” for the SS men under whose command it stood. In the twelve years of its existence over 200,000 people from all over Europe were imprisoned here and in the numerous subsidiary camps. 41,500 were murdered between the multiple camps. The conditions worsened as time went on, but on April 29 1945, American troops liberated the survivors.

  

  One of many places where ashes were left.

  The current grounds of the camp have changed, but some buildings have been preserved and some replicas have been built to showcase what it was like back when the camp was in operation. Upon walking into the gate, you see the roll call square where prisoners were called every morning and night for punishment, and for work duty assignments. I took a left turn after entering the gate, heading towards to detention bunker first.

  The photos above and below show what it was like inside the bunker, the place where the most frequent punishments were held. Inside the bunker prisoners would be flogged, hung by their arms, kept in dark small spaces, or even executed. Walking the halls of this remaining bunker left a chill in my heart that I still carry with me today. I cannot even imagine.

  

  Roll call ground

  

  Bunker

  

  Bunker

  From the bunker I found my way into the onsite museum, where I learned so much more about the camp. I discovered that on camp road, where the living barracks were located, there were nine medical buildings. The medical care was inadequate, but the most horrifying part about these buildings were the human medical experiments that went on. A former prisoner, Nico Rost recalls one of these medical barrack buildings:

  “This was the barrack the prisoners feared the most – the barrack of experiments, the realm of Doctor Rascher. Atrocities were committed here which surpassed all the other cruelties carried out in German concentration camps, SS doctors committed them on defenseless prisoners, abused them for their so-called medical experiments: here prisoners were placed in icy water until they froze, often for hours on end so as to identify the average time that elapsed when it no longer made any sense to search for men who had parachuted into the English Channel after being shot down. Bone transplants, phlegmon and hyperthermia experiments were carried out in these barracks, ending in agonizing death after horrific suffering.”

  

  Camp road – the barracks were all lined on the sides. The buildings are no longer there.

  

  One of the old barrack platforms

  The end of camp road now leads to religious memorials, which was a much needed reprieve before the final and hardest location I visited at Dachau. Up until this moment I had mostly kept my composure. My soul ached the entire day, but I completely lost it when I turned the corner and saw the crematorium. The ovens were in operation day and night, and by then end of 1944 the capacity was too high to cremate all the bodies. Upon liberating the camp in 1945, American soldiers discovered countless corpses piled up inside.

  

  

  

  This photo hurts my heart.

  32,000 deaths were documented at Dachau, but there is an unknown number of unregistered deaths as well. Around the crematorium are gardens and a beautiful walkway. It was hard to see such beauty surrounding the place of death, but the commemorations and grave stones for those who died were beautiful. I lost my breath one last time after walking by a wall that was designated for execution. Prisoners would stand by the stone wall and wait to be shot, and the bullet marks are still visible today.

  

  Dachau had a gas chamber, however it was not used for mass murder like some of the other camps. Prisoners did report that the SS would use the chambers for smaller executions by poison gas. The gas chamber was within the crematorium, and there were three different rooms prisoners would go through. A waiting room, and room to take off their clothing, and the gas chamber. Prisoners were under the impression they would be taking a shower.

  

  Entrance to gas chamber, the word brausebad translates to shower.

  Writing this post stirs up all the same emotions I felt when I visited nearly three weeks ago. I went alone, and spent three hours touring the grounds. I took a train from my town into Munich, and from Munich it was about 20 minutes by another train and a bus to get to Dachau. It was really easy to find, and going in March meant there weren’t too many other people visiting. Despite my earlier comment of wanting people to see this place, I didn’t want to go at a time when it was overly crowded.

  

  For as long as I can remember I’ve been intrigued by all things related to the holocaust. I still struggle to wrap my head around the fact that human beings were able to do this to other human beings. The indifference towards others was so strong I can’t help but wonder what the men thought and felt while acting out these horrifying punishments. Can one really feel nothing when torturing another? I’ll never understand.

  I hope to return to Dachau sometime while living here and take advantage of a guided tour to learn even more, but I’m glad my first time visiting was on my own terms and at my own pace. This is an experience I will never forget.

  Q: I talk to people that tell me they couldn’t handle visiting one of these camps, could you?

  

  | 30 Comments Tagged Dachau, Germany, History, Holocaust

• Munich, Germany

  Posted at 5:00 AM by Brittany, on February 11, 2019

  Last week I took a day trip into the city of Munich, which is just over an hour long bus ride from where I am living. I had originally planned to visit the city alone, but when I discovered two of the girls I went to Innsbruck with were also going, I changed plans to go with them. The weather was perfect the entire day – it was cold, but the sky was cloudless and sunny.

  

  

  

  Before arriving, I searched the Google for a few places that were on the “must see” list, and planned to spend the rest of the time wandering the streets. I like to have a balance of knowledge and spontaneity when traveling to new places. This ensures I see a few top spots, but also opens the door for places I’d not have stumbled upon otherwise.

  

  

  

  

  Munich is a high end city and a lot of people visit to shop, but I came for the sights. I came for the architecture, for the cathedrals, for the parks, and for the food. The Marienplatz (city center) area is home to Neues Rathaus (Munich’s New Town Hall) which was at the top of my list of must see’s. The gothic style building dates back to 1867 and the inside was like a labyrinth. This was the first stop of the day, and we happened to arrive just in time to see the Glockenspiel perform, which only happens a couple times a day.

  

  Neues Rathaus on the left, Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady) domes in the middle, Mariensäule (St. Mary’s column) on the left.

  

  

  

  There is something magical about seeing a building in real life after seeing a photo, like meeting Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. Walking around the corner to see Neues Rathaus was one of those magical moments. As touristy as it may be, the building is a must see when visiting Munich. When walking around inside the building there were children everywhere, one of them was flaunting his money at me and I wasn’t sure if he thought I was a prostitute or just trying to brag.

  Based on my thick puffy jacket and long pants I’ll go with the latter. 

  After wandering around the Marienplatz area for a bit, we headed off to find some cathedrals. I absolutely love the strong faith in Europe, and although I don’t identify with Catholicism (despite being raised catholic) the beauty of these old churches is awe inspiring.  Our first stop was Frauenkirche (Church of our Lady.) The cathedrals iconic domes can be seen in one of the above photos.

  

  This was a good start to the cathedral crawl, and I felt that each cathedral after was better than the one before it. My only complaint was that my group didn’t want to spend more time inside each place we stopped (perks of traveling solo.) We also visited St. Peter’s Church and Holy Ghost Church, but my all time favorite of the day AND of all time thus far in my life was Asam Church. Usually when I think of a cathedral, I think of bright lights and stained glass windows. I think of white walls and a victorian themed decor.

  

  Holy Ghost Church

  

  However, upon walking into Asam Church all my stigmas surrounding cathedrals were shattered by the dark gothic vibe. The walls were dark, the decor was dark, and the ambiance was dark. It was the most beautifully dark cathedral I have ever seen, and I will return to Munich just to sit inside of it for longer than 5 minutes. The inside is much smaller than the other cathedrals we visited, and I can only imagine what the hymns sound like inside those walls.

  

  

  

  Such beauty. 

  A trip to the city isn’t complete without sustenance, and although the Hofbräuhaus is very touristy, it’s a traditional beer hall that dates back to the 16th century. Inside we were lucky to get a table, because if you don’t sit you don’t eat. People are known to scoot into a booth with strangers because it gets so busy at times. I’m not a beer drinker, but I did partake in a bowl of potato soup and a “side” of sauerkraut which was enough for three people.

  I ate it all.

  

  The inside was beautiful and we listened to traditional live music.

  

  I look forward to going back to the beer hall during Oktoberfest. 

  After our feast, we were off to the Englischer Garden, a public park created in 1789. Even the parks in Europe have deep history, it’s amazing. There is currently a lot of snow in Germany, which made the park look like a true winter wunderland. I can’t wait to return and see this park in the summer months. I envision myself sitting on the grass, having a picnic, eating bon bons and wading in the river.

  For those who like to partake in the hops, there is also a biergarten nearby.

  

  

  After making a pit stop into Starbucks for my compadres (the sign was in German, it was fun) we made our way to the last must see spot on my list. The Siegestor Arch was originally dedicated to the glory of the Bavarian army, and underwent serious damage after WWII. The arch was almost demolished in 1945, but was partially restored and now promotes peace. The total distance covered in Munich was 12 miles on foot, and I’d say we covered some solid ground.

  

  

  

  Munich is a city for everyone. If you like to buy expensive unnecessary items, go to Munich. If you like to learn about history and visit museums (I need to go back to see some museums), go to Munich. If you like to explore old architechture and historical buildings, go to Munich. Just outside of Munich are two other must visit places: (I haven’t been to either yet, but they’re on my list ASAP) Dachau Concentration Camp, and Neuschwanstein Castle.

  That wraps up my second trip outside of my “home” town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.  I’ve officially been living in Germany for three weeks (today) and I still feel like I’m on an extended vacation despite the fact that I’m working. Life is wild, and I’m happy to be along for the ride.

  Q: When visiting a big city would you rather: shop, visit museums, or visit landmarks?

  

  | 18 Comments Tagged Cathedral, Germany, History, Living Abroad, Munich

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