Dokumentation Obersalzberg (Documentation Obersalzberg)
Obersalzberg is a historic place. It was here that Adolf Hitler established his mountain residence, the Berghof. The surrounding area was off-limits to all but a chosen few. The Obersalzberg Documentation Center opened in 1999 to inform visitors about the history of the site and the Nazi era. After considerable enlargement it reopened in 2023 with a new permanent exhibition founded on a completely new concept.
Between 1933 and 1945 Obersalzberg was a power center of the Nazi regime. Adolf Hitler spent more than a quarter of his time in office here. Among a circle of close associates at the Berghof he took decisions about persecution, war and genocide. At the same time Obersalzberg formed the backdrop to the Führer cult. Hitler used “his” mountains as a stage to project an image of himself as an approachable and congenial “chancellor of the people.” This illusionist propaganda was disseminated in countless photographs and film footage. Its impact can still be felt today.
At Obersalzberg the idyllic setting of the mountain residence is contrasted with the horrors of the Nazi regime – with the places all over Europe where atrocities were committed and where millions fell victim to the murderous policies driven from here. This apparent dichotomy — and its dissolution — forms the central focus of the exhibition Idyll and Atrocity. Some 350 objects, documents, photographs and multimedia elements are used to explain the history of the location and to tell of the fates of those who fell victim to the Nazis. The largest exhibit is the historic bunker complex, which can be accessed as part of a visit to the permanent exhibition.
Last edited on 27.03.2025
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