Nuremberg: The Dark Heart of Nazi Germany (1933-1945)

 In his self-serving autobiography 'Inside the Third Reich', Albert Speer devotes a whole chapter to 'architectural megalomania'. Nowhere was this more evident in the era of Nazi Germany, than in Nuremberg. Indeed, much remains to be seen and explored.

The temptation of diverting to the city during a family road trip down Bavaria's famous 'Romantic Road' was to much, so I booked a hotel and planned an overnight stay. "Is the hotel conveniently located” asked my wife. I  replied in the affirmative quietly noting that aside from easy access to what is left of the old city, the Hilton had been built in close proximity to the so-called Zeppelin Field where the Nazi party had held huge rallies in the pre-war days. Indeed, two of the rallies (1936 & 37) were distilled into one of the greatest works of Nazi propaganda, the 1938 film 'Triumph of the Will'. 

The Focal Point - Rally Grounds, Nuremberg

Many of the structures in the Rally Grounds have been destroyed, but the speakers rostrum and vestiges of the towers marking out the perimeter remain. The vast area within the perimeter is now a windswept expanse of tarmac and scrub. Albert Speer was, of course, known as 'Hitler's architect' (though he progressed to take on less benign roles as the war progressed). In his book 'Inside the Third Reich' (Macmillan, 1970) Speer wrote about his vision for the Zeppelin Field site.

'Early in 1934 Hitler surprised with my first commission. The temporary bleachers on the Zeppelin Field in Nurember were to be replaced by a permanent installation. I struggled over the first sketches until, in an inspired moment, an idea came to me. A mighty flight of stairs topped and enclosed by a long callonade, flanked at both ends by stone abutments. Undoubtedly it was influenced by the Pergamum Altar'. 

The colonnade and most of the more prominent features were destroyed in two phases after the Second World War in Europe had ended. During the first phase, by the American Army of Occupation in 1945 and in the second, by the Bundeswehr in 1966/67.

Perimeter wall of the Zeppelin Field

Nazi eagle on repurposed transformer station

Virtually all Nazi iconography has been removed - either looted or intentionally destroyed. However, A Nazi eagle emblem can still be seen on the building that housed the transformer station which served power to the Rally Grounds. Rather incongruously, the building is now a Burger King fast food restaurant.

Of the monumental structures planned for Nuremberg, one other remains today - albeit partly completed. Unlike all of the others, the Congress Hall was not designed by Speer. The architect Ludwig Ruff conceived the design in 1933 and the project was one of Hitler's favourites. The building was never completed and what remains today looks much as it did when work stopped in the winter of 1942-43. The Hall was to be larger (by an almost 50% margin) than the Colosseum in Rome and would seat 40,000 spectators with a further 8,000 standing.

The Congress Hall - External

The Congress Hall - Internal

The scale is impressive and there is an excellent interpretation centre in part of the restored space. The roof, the second storey, the interior and the stage are all incomplete and - as can be seen above - parts of the structure are used for commercial purposes.

Given the importance of the city to the Nazi cause, it was entirely appropriate that the most prominent German war criminals should face justice there. The city had been repeatedly smashed by Allied bombing but remarkably, the Palace of Justice survived. It was here, in Courtroom 600, that the Nuremberg Trials (1945-49) took place. The Palace stopped hosting court hearings about twenty years ago but visitors are able to access Room 600 which is largely unchanged from when the trials took place.

Courtroom 600, Palace of Justice, Nuremberg

contemporary photograph

Visitors stand in what was the press gallery. During the trial, the defendants were seated in the enclosed seating area on the left. There is a door directly behind the dock which enabled prisoners to be brought up, via an elevator, directly from their cells. In his memoir, Speer recalls his first appearance.

'After a last inspection by Colonel Andrus, on November 19, 1945, we were led into the still empty courtroom, each of us escorted by a soldier, but without handcuffs. Seats were formally assigned. At the head were Goering, Hess and Ribbentrop. I was placed third from last on the second bench, in agreeable company: Seyss-Inquart on my right, von Neurath on my left. Streicher and Funk sat right in front of me.'

Speer, of course, received a custodial sentence only - despite the protestations of the Soviet judge. The persona and accompanying narrative of being a 'good Nazi' which he had assiduously worked on during the pre-trial period paid off - he escaped the noose. Nowadays, notwithstanding the contents of his memoir, Speer is seen for what he was - a war criminal of the highest order.

For my portfolio of images from Nuremberg click here. 

The Obersalzberg (1935-45)

 In 1981 my (now) wife and I took a trip down to Salzburg in Austria to visit sites associated with what was (and still is!) one our favourite films - The Sound of Music. Forty years later we revisited the same places at the end of a wonderful car journey following Germany's 'Romantic Road'. This second time around, we decided to include the Obersalzberg on our itinerary. 

The area, despite its' breathtaking beauty, has a very dark history. It was designated a secure military zone in 1935. The local population were bought out or forced to move and the area was taken over by the Nazi leadership, supported by sophisticated infrastructure and a huge number of personnel - mostly SS. Hitler's house 'The Berghof' was surrounded by properties built for other Nazi luminaries and the mountain on which the buildings stood were criss-crossed by deep tunnels allowing protection from air raids and facilitating discreet movement - particularly between the Berghof and the Platterhof (both destroyed post-war, the latter in 2001). 

The view from the site of the Berghof

Almost all of the wartime buildings have been destroyed but some interesting features remain - notably the Tea House on Kehlstein Mountain (The Eagle's Nest) which was built for Hitler under the direction of his private secretary Martin Bormann. The construction was a major feat of engineering. A road to the summit of the mountain had to be blasted our of the rock. From the parking area at the top of the road a ten-foot high tunnel runs 150 yards into the mountain. A lift then took visitors (still does!) up 350 feet into the interior of the tea house. The cost of RM 30 million included an independent generator, a hot air heating system. copper and bronze doors and a lift with brass fittings. The nine rooms of the tea house were lined with stone or pine. Cararic marble was used in the lounge, with a fireplace marked out with bronze tiles.

The access tunnel - Eagle's Nest

The Eagle's Nest - on a cloudy day

Hitler only visited the Tea House five times, and it was used more by Bormann. Nowadays it is a popular visitor attraction and on the day we visited the terrace was full, though we had the interior to ourselves and were able to take a few 'then and now' comparison shots, some of which can be viewed here. 

Upon his release from the Landsberg Prison, Hitler took refuge in the Obersalzberg - staying in a small cottage called the Kampfhaus (of which there is no trace today). With the royalties from his book 'Mein Kampf' Hitler was able to buy to buy the nearby Haus Wachenfeld which was renamed 'The Berghof' and was substantially remodelled and extended over the subsequent few years. 

The Berghof became a place of pilgrimage in the late 1930s, though this was somewhat curtailed once the country went to war in 1939. From then on, the house and the surrounding area were subject to strict access controls by the Reich State Security Service. Bormann was clear that 'a uniform is no authorisation to pass the gates'. The house was used extensively by Hitler until July 1944 after which his time was spent in East Prussia, and latterly in the bunker under the Reich Chancellery, Berlin. 

The Obersalzberg was bombed heavily by the RAF on 25 April 1945 and most of the buildings, including the Berghof, were severely damaged. Most of those that remained were methodically destroyed in in 1952 on the orders of the Free State of Bavaria. The Hotel Zum Turken (just below the Berghof) and the Platterhof survived, though - as mentioned above - the latter was demolished in 2001 having enjoyed a post war life as the 'Hotel General Walker'. 

On our visit, I spent some considerable time exploring the site of the Berghof. The access path remains but the house has gone. All that remains is the backwall of the garage and spots of asphalt for parking at the front of the property (photos here). I did find strips of green camouflage scrim of the sort I'd also found at the site of the Wolf's Lair in Poland (more info here).

Path to the Berghof

Admirers queuing for a glimpse of the Fuhrer

During the post war destruction many of the tunnels Branch to the Left - Site of Berghof the Obersalzberg were blocked off but it is possible to explore some of the underground passages and rooms today. The first and most easily accessed are via an entrance at the foot of the mountain. These have been modified for safe use and recently interpreted through the Dokumentationszentrum Obersalzberg organisation. I particularly liked the way in which glass panels are used to provide information about the site. The example below shows the layout of part of the tunnel network using a map which I'm pretty sure was created from information gathered by the US Engineering Section, Berchtesgaden Recreation Area in March 1964 (After the Battle, Volume 9). 

Tunnel and Mapped Layout - Obersalzberg

The second access point is underneath the Hotel Zum Tuerken which is reached from a side road about one hundred metres below the site of the Berghof. This building was commandeered from the Schuster family in 1933 and was used by the RSD Criminal Police until 1945. The tunnels are accessed via a circular staircase within the hotel. Unlike the 'officially' accessible tunnels these are virtually untouched since 1945 and care is therefore required in navigating the various underground spaces. Visitors are met by machine gun ports guarding the main entrance, and there is severe damage to the internal blast walls caused by bazooka fire during the final assault on what some called Hitler's 'Alpine Redoubt'. The capture of Berchtesgaden was assigned to the U.S. 101st Airborne Division, but it was the 7th Infantry Regiment of the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division who pipped the paratroopers to the post on 4 May 1945.

Entrance stairs to the Tuerken tunnel complex

Blocked entrance to the Berkhof cellars and bunkers

Whilst many of the tunnels are available for exploration, some of been blocked off. The photo directly above shows the closed off entry to Hitler's private quarters. The text on the wall to the right reads 'Behind bricked wall - access to Hitler's House and private rooms. Rooms not accessible - risk of accident'. There are similar bricked off entrances, some of which are marked with clues as to where they might lead (photos here). 

Whilst many Nazi leaders kept elaborate houses in proximity to the Berghof, Heinrich Himmler based himself in nearby Salzburg at the Villa Von Trapp. As immortalised in the film The Sound of Music, Georg Von Trapp, a staunch opponent of a union between Austria and Nazi Germany, fled the family home in 1938 along with his wife Marie, and their nine children. Von Trapp had gifted the property to the Catholic Missionary of the First Blood, but the SS took it over thus providing Himmler with suitable accommodation when visiting the Obersalzberg just a few miles away.

Entrance to air raid shelter - Villa Von Trapp, Salzburg

The only evidence of Himmler's occupation of this lovely building are the high white wall that was build around the perimeter for security in 1938, and an underground bunker (or air raid shelter). The latter can be found in the rear garden, but without a decent torch and not wishing to distract my wife from the Sound of Music connections, I did not venture down the steps. 

For my photo album covering Berchtesgaden, click here.