Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

The Eagle’s Nest

Tuesday, 6th June 2006 by

Thanks to the various Google Maps updates of imagery in Germany we can now get a good look at Hitler’s “Eagle’s Nest” or Kehlsteinhaus as it is properly known. The Eagle’s Nest was part of the Berghof complex in the Bavarian Alps near Berchtesgaden. It was built as a 50th birthday present for Adolf Hitler from the Nazi party but was apparently rarely used by him as he was afraid of heights. Aside from the macabre connotations it is a fantastic feat of engineering. The Nest is built on a ridge at the top of the Kehlstein mountain, 1835 metres up. It can only be reached by a 4 mile road which cost 30 million Marks to construct in 1939. The final approach to the Nest is an elevator bored through the mountain that travels 124 metres up via a granite tunnel. The elevator itself is surfaced with polished brass, talk about extravagant…

The Nest was used as a command post by the Allies until 1960 when it was handed back over to Germany. It is now a restaurant and Hitler’s small study is used as a storage cupboard.

Thanks: justin flavin & Tom

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Locations: Germany / Categories: Buildings

12 Responses to 'The Eagle’s Nest'

1. rob says: June 6th, 2006 at 9:23 am
Heres a tip. Watch Band of Brothers episode 10 - “points” for a really good bit featuring eagles nest and the whole Berchtesgaden.
2. SpedAngel says: June 6th, 2006 at 12:49 pm
Everyone’s posts have been typo free for quite a while, but here’s a tip: “only be reached by a 4 mile”
3. Alex says: June 6th, 2006 at 1:34 pm
That was a test SpedAngel, and I’m afraid you missed a misspelling of “macabre”
4. Olly says: June 6th, 2006 at 1:56 pm
Looks like the spelling police paid me a visit before I could even fix it!
5. AC says: June 6th, 2006 at 2:04 pm
Shouldn’t that be “spelling nazi“?
6. Olly says: June 6th, 2006 at 2:09 pm
Sorry AC, you lose: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin’s_law
7. Jack says: June 6th, 2006 at 2:12 pm
Obligitory Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kehlsteinhaus
8. Vikas Garg says: June 6th, 2006 at 3:28 pm
Great blog! Using google map to visit places without actually visiting them, now isn’t that wonderfully lazy
9. SpedAngel says: June 6th, 2006 at 9:11 pm
hey now, other people used to fix your mistakes without being heckled I just love reading your posts, and hope the general public realizes how intelligent and well-spoken you all are
10. nigerache says: June 7th, 2006 at 3:02 pm
HAH! we can finally talk about hitler…. j/k now would godwin’s law take affect since this is a post about his place?
11. Alex says: June 7th, 2006 at 11:26 pm
lol! yes nigerache, this time you are allowed to mention the nazis
12. Damian Thorne says: July 2nd, 2006 at 2:32 am
Pretty fitting to make this post on D-Day.