The Berchtesgadener Hof hotel

The famous hotel.The Berchtesgadener Hof hotel had strong associations with the Third Reich. It had previously been a "Grand Hotel" popular with visiting royalty. Martin Bormann took it over about 1936, renamed it the Berchtesgadener Hof, and used it to house visiting dignitaries to Hitler's Berghof, such as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, and David Lloyd George. High-ranking Nazis such as Josef Goebbels, Heinrich Himmler, and Joachin von Ribbentrop also stayed here, as did visiting military officers such as Erwin Rommel. Eva Braun lived at the Berchtesgadener Hof when she first came to Berchtesgaden, before moving into the Berghof. Later, Obersalzberg functionaries such as Bormann's brother Alfred lived here, as did Hitler's sister Paula (incognito, as Paula Wolf). After the U.S. Army occupied the area in May 1945, the Berchtesgadener Hof was the scene of several high-ranking surrenders, including that of Field Marshal Kesselring.

The U.S. Army took over the Berchtesgadener Hof in 1945, and it was one of the show-pieces of the Armed Forces. The rear balconies and sun terrace were justly famed for their view of the mountains.