Photo by: Tonderayi Prosper Mageza
On January 11th, the Afro-Asiatisches Institut organized an educational excursion for its
scholarship holders and staff to the Obersalzberg Documentation Center. The Documentation Center is located in Berchtesgaden, a small town in Germany, surrounded by the Alps just near
the Austrian border. Obersalzberg, a mountainside retreat with a scenic view of the Alps, served
as an important meeting point during the National Socialism time in Germany and as a
propaganda tool to convey messages of peace and leadership.
Our excursion began in the early morning, at Salzburg HBF, where our scholarship holders met
with the AAI staff and took the bus to Berchtesgaden. During our journey, which lasted around
an hour and included one bus change, some of us had the chance to catch up with each other
while others were meeting for the first time.
Obersalzberg Documentation Center
In the early hours of the day, our group arrived in Obersalzberg. The view at Obersalzberg is
stunning and very peaceful. During January, the mountains are all covered in snow, and you
can see from far away beautiful views of villages and forests spread out. Being there, it was
easy to understand why this place would be chosen as a retreat place. However, it was an
unsettling feeling looking at that stunning nature and connecting it with a dark history that
changed the course of world events forever.
Photo by: Tonderayi Prosper Mageza
Idyll and Atrocity
The Documentation Center was easily accessible to reach from the bus stop. We went inside as
a group and prepared to spend the next one and a half hours exploring the exhibition. Idyll and Atrocity (German: Idyll und Verbrechen) is the name of the permanent exhibition that the Center hosts to inform visitors about the atrocities of the Nazi rule and the historic importance of the location. The tour guide walked us through different chapters of the Nazi rule starting from the early 20s, the first time Hitler stepped into Obersalzberg. First, he was visiting the place as a guest and then over the years he and his friends proceeded to take over the whole village. The idyllic landscapes of Obersalzberg were used strategically as a propaganda tool to create the image of Hitler as a likable and approachable leader who welcomed thousands of ordinary people into his house during the day and greeted them each.
Photos by: Tonderayi Prosper Mageza
Between 1933 and 1945, Hitler together with his associates used this area to carefully plan the
strategies of crime and genocide that led to World War II. The tour included the early plans of
Hitler to take over Austria and Poland, the military strategies and actions while also revealing
some touching individual stories of people who suffered during this time.
The Bunkers: Paranoia in Concrete
The last part of the exhibition concluded with visiting the bunkers. The Bunkers were built during 1943-1945 in less than two years and connected Hitler’s residence with the other residential locations used by the Nazi officials. As visitors, we were allowed to see only around 5% of the bunkers, since the rest is not open to visitors. These underground structures cover around 6 km in length and, although we could not see them, the tour guide explained to us that fully equipped rooms with food and drinks were found afterward. Hitler himself did not use the bunkers since he was staying in Berlin at the time. However, he built them out of fear and paranoia since by the end of 1943 he had started to lose the war. The insides of the bunkers were filled with inscriptions and some graffiti done by the foreign workers who worked non-stop in inhumane conditions to build it.
Berchtesgaden (DE), Dokumentation Obersalzberg, Bunker Photo by Anil Östaz: CC BY 4.0
Photo by: AAI
Reflections and Takeaways
By the end of the tour guide, our students had many questions about the events that ended the
World War. We discussed them further with our tour guide and then we had to leave for the bus
back to Salzburg. In our journey to Salzburg, we shared our impressions of the exhibition, the
stories and the lessons we learned. The visit was a moving and very thought-provoking
experience among the students. Although uncomfortable, the history of the Nazi regime and the Holocaust must be learned and remembered so that we as a society remain vigilant of the
future. During these times when there is a clear rise of the extreme right in the political sphere,
we should be careful in holding our representatives accountable so that any misuse of power
and hate spreading is identified right from the start.
For more information on the Obersalzberg Documentation Center: https://obersalzberg.de/en/
Written by: Erleta Rrmoku
