History of HITLERS EAGLES NEST - Documentary about the "Project Kehlstein" on Obersalzberg - Germany

[Music] Vectis cotton and its surroundings are renowned for their spectacular scenery rarely can one encounter so much beauty concentrated in one area the 2714 metre high of Osman mountain is its most distinctive landmark this mountain is surrounded by a world-famous countryside at the northeastern edge of the German Alps the picturesque unique say lies between the bossman and the hotend Iberia almost resembling a Norwegian Ford a boat trip across Lake Curtis say mainly located within the national park is a highlight of the region [Music] having the majestic 2,000 meter high of osmond east wall as a background made Saint Bartholomew of famous Modi for photographers and artists the world over in 1134 monks founded the Saint Bartholomew Church which is renowned for its dome shaped roof [Music] the world famous rum saw Church with the right Alvin the background has been an inspiration for many artists and photographers from around the world endless numbers of tourists appreciate the spectacular views from the Bacchus garden Alps which can be easily explored on foot by bus or by cable car hikers can reach high altitudes thanks to the well-kept network of trails [Music] the Obersalzberg in 1936 the Obersalzberg became increasingly important as the second seat of government for Hitler's since he seized power Hitler's country residents the Berghof was renovated and extended on numerous occasions many of Hitler's and her cabinet also moved to the over-salt spark while Minister Albert Speer years of Gerber's and Haman gearing were their only part-time Martin Bormann had a house very close to his Fuhrer Hitler and spent most of his time there when Hitler was on the Obersalzberg Martin Bormann was always close by ready to carry out Hitler's request as quickly as possible [Music] Martin Bormann was the man responsible for the major transformation in the area which was previously a high-altitude recuperation resort he transfigured the whole area into a private insecure zone Foreman's former adjutant Fritz dargas recollects extreme a Godzilla mom there is yeah in the particle year this lets in the substance a traitor decorators Phyllis Proctor this stops light up I head that via an extreme hole put it soon the hotter of goods and a trick as Venice air guides us a gig of a lease of Lord Shiva's message spring the former caretaker of Hitler's bag off ever during who can be seen on the right beside Hitler in this picture recalls how Borman realized Hitler's ideas promptly Hitler drift in new head in tiny a day I said with Arne Duncan so father I defer strict Xia Kingston house see who'd self-seeding avec TOI sir the Acacia mr. Ferguson a British printer for Nero party tomorrow is aware of window by now six Putin's it solenoid behind the house expands Erik that then wind up around when toss washing visitor the understood sphere Borman field powd estate houses Nero duties the Downton ganging up on Hitler November 1936 a meeting was requested on the Obersalzberg by Martin Bormann with dr. Fritz Todt who was general inspector for German Road infrastructures [Music] thoth who can be seen on the right was the most highly respected road planner of his time and was therefore considered the most competent man for the project cauã Steen [Music] at first Borman in the only planned a walking trail on the northern side of the calles teen but then developed it into a road accessible to vehicles on the 12th of April 1937 Borman visited the construction site and expressed his wishes to build a road up to the south face of the mountain which could provide superior views of the surrounding countryside [Music] the surveyors from the Polanski and solar firms set out the next day to examine the rugged South Face of the Cal Stine Melton to find the most suitable route [Music] during a following visit to the construction area Borman suggested that the road should be extended to just below the summit the idea to build a house on the summit in the rock face was born [Music] as the road plans extended to just below the summit Poorman decided at the end of April 1937 to build another teahouse which would be larger and much more impressive than the existing teahouse which was located just below Hitler's Birkhoff near the cuts off in the meanwhile Foreman considered the eagle's nest to be the ideal 50th birthday present for Hitler from the Nazi Party Crandall and Billy Mittal Strasser were the caretakers at Hitler's Birkhoff and recollect al Borman decided to present the Fuhrer with the eagle's nest as a 50th birthday present [Music] the with Jeff Eva Austin the Pullman hotel is he some tea sorry the bars only I'm overjoyed we're gonna see Scott owned duties during th day Bruce doesn't meet the rocky spiakov in the meanwhile Borman commissioned plans for the kehlsteinhaus to be drafted by professor of architecture ro terrific who could be seen on the left hand in this picture he had only four weeks to draft the plans Borman was immediately impressed by the architects plans this draft illustrates the house face covered with granite blocks which fits into the surrounding scenery the road building plans had to be considerably changed to accommodate the construction of a house on the 1834 meter hi Kel Steiner edge [Music] [Music] the course of the road was finalized during a subsequent visit to the building site on July 12 1937 by Borman doctor told professor Fick and diplôme engineer Hans höppner from the state planning office who can be seen in the center of the photo they also agreed to build a tunnel leading to a lift which would ascend into the interior of the house work was in full swing in the meanwhile the transportation track from Charlotte Skell was to accommodate the transit of the building materials for the planned work on the South face of the Kel Stein at the same time the pole NC and solder companies began construction of the Cal Stein Road foot Porter's had one of the most important jobs at the beginning of the Kel Stein about fifty men would have to hand carry the materials up along rough footpath they erected simple bases at different key points these workers were mainly young men whose firms gave them the chance to volunteer for this prestige project on October 2nd to 1937 only four months later construction for a cable car began which made transportation to the building materials for the upper construction sites a lot easier [Music] in the meantime a second transportation path had been built on the north side of the Calais time known as the Dawson linkle Road at about the same time worker accommodation barracks were delivered from a company in unique at that time the Obersalzberg road was still unpaved which often led to problems for the heavy trucks nor was it unusual for the local farmers to come and help out when problems occurred [Music] manual labor was necessary to transport materials at the upper stages again up to 1300 workers lived at the main camp LeGarrette in addition to the administration office there was a canteen and a theater [Music] a further camp on the south side of the Calais tine known as tatts angle was located above LeGarrette it was here that Polinsky and solar installed their own offices and sleeping accommodations the final barracks for the workers were transported on the incomplete thousand Bingu Road on the North Face of the Cal Steen for the Kelston camp the workers responsible for the tunnel construction were mainly from the Hulk teeth company and resided at the present-day bus parking lot just below the kehlsteinhaus from December 1937 on Kemp Cal Steen could accommodate up to 800 laborers the Polinsky and solar companies erected a barn for the machinery in the charlotte skele valley in addition to a powerful generator there was also a water pump and a large compressor which supplied the South Face construction sites with pressurized air water had to conquer an altitude difference of approximately 1,200 meters in order to achieve this 3 pump stations were established on various levels the barn at chard scale and the liquor at camp is recognizable in the upper part of this photo we can see the air and water pipes in the foreground fences were erected to protect the air and water pipe some stone avalanches on many occasions large boulders rolled down and destroyed the pipelines which considerably delayed construction the middle and upper level of the Kelston began in the summer of 1937 following the completion of transportation tracks [Music] [Music] when the trucks couldn't travel any further extensive narrow gauge railroad tracks were laid to remove all the loose rocks and boulders [Music] [Music] the muddy paths posed enormous risks for the workers explosives were used to shape the road along the rock face and the resulting boulders who are manually reduced to gravel to some extent dr. Tode considered it essential that the road should blend in well with its surroundings and therefore used the material remaining from the explosives to build walls along the road and form a base for the road foundation [Music] [Music] tunnel construction proved more difficult than initially thought it was discovered after the first explosions that they were not dealing with solid rock but a massive rocks with numerous air pockets it was necessary to use concrete to fill the hollows in order to form a solid body of rock so that a preliminary tunnel could be formed [Music] [Music] [Music] when the tunnel was cleared and natural stone wall was used to line it giving it a vaulted depression sheets of corrugated iron were laid behind the stone lining to protect the tunnel from dampness [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] a preliminary tunnel for the underground elevator was driven in September of 1937 the record company was subcontracted but Polanski and solar for this job just two weeks later the tunnel was already 100 meters deep and the cavity for the elevator was broken through from the summit ridge [Music] the walls of the tunnel were aligned with Kyra Stein marble which was taken from a quarry just above Becca's garden [Music] [Applause] [Music] a stonemason had built a huge swastika into the marble at the end of the 124 metre long tunnel but following a request from Hitler a bronze door was later used to cover this massive swastika there was a waiting room for the elevator joining the tunnel the domed ceiling and walls are lined with polished marble from Roop holding [Music] an engine room and another tunnel which housed the heating ventilation pipes and electric cables were built running parallel to this tunnel about 40 meters away from the main entrance in case of a power cut a backup diesel submarine engine was delivered from a shipyard in Bremerhaven to provide power for the lift and the house itself [Music] numerous air vents were installed at the base of the tunnel to provide warm air and to prevent condensation buildup you [Music] the work continued throughout the winter of 1937 1938 on all the tunnels along the Kel Stein the supporting walls and on the entrance tunnel underneath the house [Music] the workers were continually under threat of avalanches from the girl and Kara Stein mountains [Music] work had also commenced on the parking lot at the entrance tunnel [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] the large square stone used for the supporting wall was dug out from a small quarry near the Suppan Crites Bend only a few metres below the parking lot [Music] work commenced on the kehlsteinhaus itself in mid-february 1938 [Music] on the peak of the Kel Stein een hundred and thirty-four meters height they erected the first areas of where the house would stand not long after everyone got underway and once again everything was in full force also due to the fact that so many people were assigned to this particular construction site they built barracks laid rail tracks built pulley systems and even brought up cement mixers but one false move could have had fatal consequences or end in a deadly accident [Music] working day and night the building of the house and the road were accomplished in an unbelievably short time if you compare today's construction technology to the lack of it then you will realize the achievement of each and every one of the engineers that helped construct the Kel Stein they were all pioneers [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] while the exterior walls of the house are predominantly made of concrete the interior walls are made of brick when the exterior walls were in place the transportation the granite blocks for the facade began they had been commissioned in 1937 to accompany in Passau from the architects plans the masonry division of the Phillip Holtzman company were responsible for the fine workmanship on these blocks [Music] the elevator leading up to the house was completed while work continued on the house the lifts interior walls were lined with brass and it could transport up to twelve people [Music] in the meanwhile the Kel Stein completed here we can see a stonemason putting some final touches to one of the tunnels [Music] the rocks are reduced to gravel to be used as a foundation base for the road these gravel foundations enabled the road to accommodate heavy trucks paving of the road itself was an adventure in itself again caution and concentration were greatly needed for the maneuvering of the huge roller tar cooling on his journey up was another big problem they had to find another way to heat it upon arrival they then laid the tar over the concrete road which was then covered with fine gravel [Music] after 12 months of hard work interrupted by the winter it was now August of 1938 the road was completed an amazing feat of Engineering which must also pay tribute to the ten men who lost their lives during its construction six of them died during the road construction itself three died during the tunnel construction and one was stabbed to death at his accommodation due to a bet he lost the whole project cost around 30 million Reichsmark on final inspection the chief engineer's confirmed that the construction met with original plans [Music] [Music] [Music] the kill Stein house was now completely finished the massive concrete building has a Sun terrace on its west side which is today used in addition to the rear Sun terrace for visitors [Music] the center of the house is a toggle in shape and was built with massive square sandstones you used to be able to see Hermann göring's house from the large windows here at the bottom of the small round hill there used to be a greenhouse and borman's house was also visible from a relatively simple hallway where the lift is situated you can walk through into the dining area this could seat around 28 people with its beautiful oak paneling this is by far the most comfortable room in the house it was only used twice out of Hitler's personal study which was lavishly decorated is immediately next to this room the kitchen was situated next to Hitler's study the kitchen equipment was supplied by the crafts company and it was considered state-of-the-art for its time the lounge for the security staff was situated opposite the kitchen on the other side of the hallway beside the toilets also just off from the hall you will find the room now referred to as the Eva Braun room set lower down yet again expensively decorated it is covered with a wood that can only be found in this particular Bavarian region the view from this room is a spectacular one over the mountain range this room along with the Great Hall had Pressly's tapestries plus other expensive decoration which then cost 56,000 Reichsmark today that is roughly two hundred and fifty thousand euros the Magnificent fireplace was a gift from Mussolini to Hitler upon his 50th birthday unfortunately over the years souvenir hunters have broken pieces of marble off to take home on September the 16th six months before the official presentation from Borman on behalf of the Nazi Party Hitler made his first visit here the following piece of film is from an original taken by Hitler's chief adjutant William Britnie especially for this occasion Hitler and Eva Braun sit on the right on the sofa there dr. Fritz Todt was also a guest and received personal congratulations from Hitler Hitler was extremely impressed with the workmanship but had problems with the altitude hence the fact he only made 14 official visits to the Calais Tyne how often he was there unofficially is still not known even today [Music] most believe he used the drive up to help impress his diplomatic guests for example here is Hitler with the French ambassador Andre Francois pol say Mussolini's son-in-law foreign minister count cha know also enjoyed the spectacular views from the sun terrace dr. robert lay the leader of the german abides front can be seen on hitler's left along with his wife and two collider vogner julius Schaub Hitler's personal adjutant can be seen on the right we can just about recognize Martin Bormann at the side of the house there were permanent guards posted on the Kel Stein in both summer and winter no easy task considering the area they had to cover ensuring that sabotage would be impossible a fence surrounded the Kelston area again closely guarded by SS soldiers Hitler's longtime girlfriend Eva Braun used the house quite often bringing her sister Gretel along and other friends spending time together in a private room and also on the Sun Terrace this is Eva's longtime friend Ann - Schneider with her husband Colonel Evans Neider one would only take a trip to quell Stein when the weather was good Eva Braun enjoyed the privilege of freedom around the whole Obersalzberg area being Hitler's secret life companion she and her friends would often take a trip to the Kelston at short notice when the weather was favorable here are Eva's parents Francisca and Fritz brown [Music] [Music] Eva Braun met Hitler 1930 while he was visiting his personal photographer heinrich hoffmann at his studio in munich Hoffmann is to be seen on the left of this picture [Music] the film the running mountain was shot in 1940 in the Baptist garden Alps the brown sisters visited the set at him to say and invited the crew to come and visit them at the kehlsteinhaus [Music] on the right side of this picture is Hanseatic and beside her Paul Richter [Music] Peter Auster Meyer the producer was also a guest at the Cal Stein [Music] for our Borman often visited the eagle's nest with her children the Kel Steiner was a world of its own even in June 3rd 1944 when fighting on all fronts were their toughest the reason for this was Gradle Browns an SS general hermann fegelein wedding party Heinrich Himmler and Martin Bormann were the official witnesses following the wedding the ceremony in mirabell palace in salzburg the newly married couple drove to Hitler's Berghof to be personally congratulated by him [Music] part of the wedding festivities took place here Borman then suggested that the guests should drive up to the Cal Stein and continue the party there Hitler did not join them at the kehlsteinhaus but decided to remain at the Berghof the kitchen at the kehlsteinhaus was not used on this occasion the kitchen staff from the platter hall were called upon to transport warm food up to the kehlsteinhaus [Applause] the air raids in 1943 were getting worse with the Allies growing in strength and gaining ground and due to this an anti-aircraft gun was installed at the Kel Stein in 1944 a plan had already been made by the Allies a plan to be carried out by air attack to destroy the Obersalzberg in the assumption that Hitler's war command center was inside the mountain the Kelsch Tina Luong with the van Gogh were declared the main and most important targets on April the 25th 1945 at 9:35 a.m. 318 Lancaster bombers from the RAF took part in a three-hour air raid on the Obersalzberg the first attack wave was relatively harmless the second was not on the right of the picture is the side of the bear golf house and in the background borman's house [Music] the SS barracks Obersalzberg were badly damaged during the bombing as was the platter HOF which had in fact been renovated in 1941 to a luxurious hotel by Borman in the last few years of the war it had been used as a hospital for wounded soldiers during the air attacks there were no prominent Nazi officials on the Obersalzberg except for Hermann Goering who was being held by SS guards in his bunker the so-called Alpine fortress had been abandoned looters then came and took whatever had not been destroyed nothing remained [Music] Vectis garden and the urban salzburg surrendered quietly to the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army on may the 5th 1945 the original orders were to take the over Salzburg and arrest any prominent Nazis making their way up the steep mountain road US troops had no idea as to what would lay and wait for them as they reached the top after taking the over Salzburg they continued by forming a colony of cars that proceeded to take them up to the cow stein this original film clip was taken by an American soldier and documents the occupation of the Alpine fortress [Music] [Music] [Music] upon arrival the Americas discovered the entrance to the elevator tunnel was blocked by snow German prisoners of war were made to clear the way at that time the elevator could not be used as the interest to the underground engine room was also hidden beneath the snow had it been discovered it most probably would have been destroyed fortunately it still remains in its original working condition [Music] meanwhile the American soldiers realized they could not possibly meet with any further resistance the kehlsteinhaus had also been deserted [Music] the very first visitor to the Kelston was general Maxwell Taylor who commanded the one hundred and first Airborne Division [Music] the US delegation meets in the grand hall with appreciation in not meeting any resistance during the occupation of the eagle's nest they can be observed here relaxing [Music] due to its impregnable location the house had not been looted up to now however things were soon to change the entire contents of the building were taken by the American soldiers [Music] the Kel Stein renamed Eagle's Nest by the Americans was now a popular attraction for generals and political leaders of the Allies [Music] the supreme Allied general dwight d eisenhower visited the eagle's nest in the autumn of 1945 [Music] the house was not open to the public in the years immediately following the war the kehlsteinhaus was handed back to the German state in 1951 from that time on a bus service came into operation on the Kelston Road in 1952 the Kelston was handed back to the Bavarian government who then rented the house to the Alpine Association it was opened to the public then after a few successful years as a tourist attraction in 1960 the German government founded the Berchtesgaden County Foundation a committee who allocated the profits from the Kel Stein to Bavarian charities and nonprofit organizations fifty years after the occupation the Americans are long gone from Mikkel Stein yet the fascination goes on not only for the historical buildings but also the breathtaking views they offer to the millions who have already shared the experience through all this time the house has survived the extremities of the weather conditions with German forethought in using massive granite blocks to build with Borman commissioned many buildings in the Obersalzberg area however apart from the Gulf and the kehlsteinhaus no others remain today dealing with this controversial past is difficult some of the Third Reich buildings are of architectural value and should be accepted as a part of our history and as a constant reminder for generations to come you

Channel: BEGAFILM - HISTORY IN MOTION

Views: 535,829

Keywords: Eagles Nest, Project Kehlstein, Documentary Kehlstein, Documentary Eagles Nest, hitler documentary, hitler, hitler speech, adolf hitler redet, hitler speaks, secret hitler, eagles nest germany, begafilm, eagles nest visit, eagles nest building, eagles nest map, obersalzberg, obersalzberg map, obersalzberg eagles nest

Id: 3YYYxnVYte8

Length: 58min 14sec (3494 seconds)

Published: Wed May 06 2020