The Kehlsteinhaus is absolutely unique; it is a marvellous achievement for its architect Roderich Fick, and the engineers and construction workers of the 1930s. The building should not be mistaken, as is often the case, for Hitler’s teahouse; it would have taken over two hours, all uphill, to reach the Kehlsteinhaus on foot from the Berghof — a long way for a cup of tea. The Führer’s private teahouse, which he visited almost daily when at the Berghof, as already stated, was located below the Berghof at Mooslahnerkopf, then less than thirty minutes walk distant; today it takes about forty-five minutes due to present restrictions lengthening the route. The Kehlsteinhaus has on occasion been referred to as the D-Haus, (House for Diplomats) as a number of VIPs were entertained there during the Third Reich period. If splitting hairs on the subject, one might describe the Kehlsteinhaus more accurately as Hitler’s ‘second teahouse’.
Perched as it is on a rocky outcrop on top of the Kehlstein Mountain at 1,834 metres (6,017 feet), the panoramic views on a clear day are truly magnificent. Martin Bormann initiated the idea of the building, it would be something special to present to the Führer and in doing so he might gain further favour with Hitler. Discussions on the project began in April 1937. However, such was the urgency expressed by Reichsleiter (Reich Leader) Bormann, that building work began before the end of the year. We must remember, that prior to this undertaking, the Kehlstein Mountain was untouched, in a virginal state, no roads or buildings existed there. Thus this entire undertaking and everyone involved in it were starting from scratch.
The project had to be completed in time for Hitler’s 50th birthday on 20 April 1939. Incredibly the work finished ahead of schedule at the end of 1938. Given the difficulties involved the achievement almost defies belief. Under the direction of Dr Fritz Todt, a new road was blasted out of the mountainside, this exceeded 6.5 kilometres (4 miles) when completed. The road has only one true hairpin bend. All materials had to be moved to site over the most difficult of terrain. During the winter progress was particularly slow and teams worked round the clock using searchlights during the hours of darkness. As for the road; the original plan was that the road should continue all the way up to the building. However, on reaching a point above the tree-line, it soon became clear that this last section of road would be clearly visible from the valley below. This would counter everything that had been done to deliberately blend the road into the mountainside on the lower slopes. From the outset the idea had been to incorporate the road into the mountainside as unobtrusively as possible.
This last section of road presented a major problem. When the idea of constructing a tunnel and installing a lift as an alternative to continuing the road was suggested, Bormann, on being informed that the difference in costs was marginal, approved the tunnel/lift option. A tunnel would lead from a parking area located at the end of the mountain road below the house. A lift at the end of the tunnel would then carry visitors up to the building. This hand-finished, marble block-lined tunnel, constructed through solid rock, is almost 124 metres (406 feet) long. At the end of the tunnel one enters a large circular waiting room with walls and domed ceiling constructed of large Rupholdinger marble blocks; here one finds the lift. As for the lift, it is spectacular, for it is more like something one would expect to find in a top hotel rather in the heart of a mountain. The highly polished brass walls in the lift reflect light in such a way so as to make the interior appear even larger. This lift climbs the remaining 124 metres to arrive inside the Kehlsteinhaus in just over forty seconds. While during the 1930s and 40s the lift might carry perhaps ten people at a time, today as many as forty-six passengers are squeezed into this, the original lift.
As to the construction of the building itself, the high altitude, the weather and the particularly cramped working conditions on the mountaintop called for ingenuity. Having constructed a double-skinned wooden framework according to the plan of the building, this, when approved, was filled with cement. When the cement had set and the wooden planks were removed, this left what amounted to a prefabricated shell of the structure. The outer walls of the concrete shell were then clad in precisely pre-cut granite blocks, each bearing a unique number relating to the detailed blueprints. Thus each block had a preordained place in the scheme of the building before it even left the quarry. This method of construction meant that building work proceeded quickly. Again the limestone blocks for the interior of the reception/conference room arrived in a similar pre-cut fashion.
A cable system covering a distance of 1,270 metres (4,166 feet) with a difference in elevation of 670 metres (2,200 feet) was installed. This temporary cableway carried building materials from a point accessible by road in the valley below to the summit. On completion, the Kehlsteinhaus consisted of; a reception/conference room, a dining room, the ‘Scharitzkehlstüberl’ (referred to as Eva Braun’s room), Hitler’s study, a guardroom, a kitchen, a full basement and the usual facilities. Only the most experienced engineers and craftsmen had been employed on the project and only the finest quality materials used in construction. We must remember that there are no bedrooms in the Kehlsteinhaus. Bedrooms never featured in the original plans, no-one ever spent the night in the building. From the outset the Kehlsteinhaus was conceived as a gift from the Nazi Party to Adolf Hitler, somewhere to visit during good weather, occasionally with visiting VIPs.
The estimated cost of this most extravagant of birthday presents was some 34 million Reichsmarks. At the time that figure would equate to around 10 million US Dollars; 140 million US Dollars in today’s terms. When completed it is believed that over 3,500 workers had taken part in the task. While the workers were well paid and also received generous allowances, the work was fraught with danger. Despite strenuous efforts to educate the workers about the dangers of working at high altitude and in such conditions, ten labourers lost their lives during the construction period. Five workers died as the result of a landslide on 10 August 1937. A driver died when his lorry left the road and plunged 200 metres (some 660 feet) down the mountain. Another worker died when he fell down the lift-shaft during construction. Another unfortunate fellow, refusing to pay a bet he’d lost, was stabbed to death in one of the labour camps.
Hitler’s first visit to the Kehlsteinhaus was on 16 September 1938; the NSDAP officially presented it to him on the occasion of his 50th birthday on 20 April the following year. The Führer made fourteen official visits to the Kehlsteinhaus between 1938 and 1940. Notwithstanding a small number of private undocumented visits with Eva Braun and members of his inner circle, Hitler’s last official visit took place on 17 October 1940. Nonetheless it was in this fabulous building that foreign heads of state were entertained. All came away much impressed by this triumph of German ingenuity and engineering. On 18 October 1938, the French Ambassador, André François-Poncet visited the Kehlsteinhaus, while later commenting on the experience he used the term ‘Eagle’s Nest’ in his description of the event, in doing so he coined a new name for the building, a name that has been used ever since. Bormann, Goebbels, Himmler, Ribbentrop and Speer are but a few of the Party hierarchy to have visited the Eagle’s Nest. On 3 June 1944, Eva Braun organized for the wedding reception of her sister Gretel, to SS General Hans Georg Otto Hermann Fegelein to be held in the Kehlsteinhaus. Owing to the war situation the Führer did not attend.
Due to its location, being some distance from the Obersalzberg complex, the Kehlsteinhaus survived the air attack of April 1945 unscathed. The Kehlsteinhaus would have proved a difficult target in any event. Firstly, there is its location; perched on a rocky outcrop. Secondly, it is a small target. Thirdly, the granite-clad outside of the building ensures it blends in very well with the natural rock of the mountain. Furthermore, a light snowfall in the area days before the air-raid would also help to disguise the Eagle’s Nest. However, having survived the air-raid, the building was marked for destruction in 1952 alongside all remaining Nazi structures in the area at that time. But for the intervention of Landrat (District President) Karl Theodor Jacob, the Kehlsteinhaus would have been blown up. Returned to the Bavarian State in 1952 this historic building now serves as a mountain restaurant and remains a major tourist attraction in the area.