July 1955 School Magazine

July, 1955·

Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

July, 1955

:Brisbane Girls' Grammar School Magazine

A VISIT TO BERCHTESGADEN. Nestling among the Bavarian Alps in the south of Germany is the small town of Berchtesgaden, which is now known all .over the world because it was chosen by Hitler as his moun- tain retreat. We approached it from the little town of St. Johann-in-Tyro! ii!l Austria, where the officials at the German frontier allowed us five hours to go and come. The scenery among the moun- tains was beautiful and the roads were perfect. When we stopped in Berchtesgaden to enquire the way up the moun- tain, we were intrigued by the gay costumes worn by the people, and the brightly painted carts, which were drawn by horses wearing coloured hats to protect them from the sun. The road up the mountain being very steep, we stopped to get water for the car at a large building which was built to house Hitler's staff and is now used as an hotel. Our next stop was at the main building where Hitler held 1Jis conferences. Now, owing to the severe bombing it ex- perienced, only a shell remains, but we were able to see a good deal of it and visualize what it must have been like. It is a large stone building with a courtyard in the centre where part of a statue and a fountain still remain. Hitler had furnished this building with beautiful tapestries and furniture. The view from the very large window-now only a gaping hole-in the main room is magnificent, as it looks out over the Alps and the little town is just discernable :Celow. We were fortunate in meeting a small German boy who was very keen to practise his English; he told us what all the different houses situated nearby were, and which ones be- longed to Goering, Goebbels, Eva Braun and others. Hitler's lookout, or Eagle's Nest, is on a mountain peak immediately above the main building and is approached by a lift, still in working order, which goes up inside the mountain. About a mile away is his shooting lodge, now used as a cafe, and below the main building were the garages and barracks, now only a heap of rubble. It has been decided to remove all that remains of the buildings there, so we feel we were very fortunate in seeing v.rhat we did of this world renowned place. -Wendy Hamon, VI A. 18

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-WENDY POPE, IV E.

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