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New exhibition on two Nazi residencies

October 22, 2015

An exhibition at the Dokumentation Obersalzberg museum in Berchtesgaden tells the story of two deceptively beautiful places in Bavaria, Pullach and Obersalzberg, which were tarnished by the Nazi regime.

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Dokumentation Obersalzberg
Image: Institut für Zeitgeschichte München-Berlin / Foto: Max Köstler

Obersalzberg near the Austrian border and Pullach in southern Munich are connected by their history. In 1935, Adolf Hitler commissioned his confidant Martin Bormann to convert a chalet near Berchtesgaden into his headquarters. He was also instructed to build a housing complex called Sonnenwinkel in Pullach for the headquarters of Reich Minister Rudolf Hess.

The Organisers say the exhibition demonstrates the contrast in the architecture of the two places, and reveals the crimes planned behind the facades. It also documents the post-war era of the areas. Pullach became a focal point during the Cold War and Obersalzberg was turned into a recovery area for US troops.

The exhibition, called "Trügerische Idylle - Pullach und der Obersalzberg" (Deceptive Idyllic Locations - Pullach and Obersalzberg) opens on Friday October 23 and runs until April 3, 2016.

The area is now a popular tourist destination in the Bavarian Alps. Every year, the region of Berchtesgaden-Königssee attracts around 2.3 million overnight visitors. Some 150,000 people a year pay a visit to the Dokumentation Obersalzberg museum, whose exhibitions shed light on the history of the area and on National Socialism in general.

ey/nr (kna, epd, obersalzberg.de)