Berchtesgaden

Introducing Berchtesgaden

Steeped in myth and legend, Berchtesgadener Land enjoys a natural beauty so abundant that it’s almost preternatural. A tale has it that angels, charged with handing out the Earth’s wonders, were startled by God’s order to hurry up and dropped them all here. Framed by six formidable mountain ranges and home to Germany’s second-highest mountain, the Watzmann (2713m), the dreamy fir-lined valleys are filled with gurgling streams and peaceful Alpine villages.

Much of the terrain is protected by law within the Berchtesgaden National Park, home to the pristine Königssee, perhaps Germany’s most photogenic lake. Outdoor activities, notably hiking, are plentiful. The mountain-top Eagle’s Nest, a lodge built for Hitler, is a major drawcard, as is the Dokumentation Obersalzberg, a museum that chronicles the region’s dark Nazi past. The area’s wartime legacy is never far below the surface, as demonstrated by the prolonged debate over the propriety of building the Hotel Intercontinental on the nearby site of the Platterhof, once a Nazi ‘people’s hotel’. The prospect of drawing more luxury cash to the area outweighed the local council’s qualms about erasing part of a key historical site, and the new hotel complex was finally unveiled in 2004.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009