Obersalzberg Documentation Centre

The Obersalzberg Documentation Centre is a place of learning and remembrance at a perpetrators' site: here above Berchtesgaden, from the 1930s, lay the restricted "Führer zone" with Hitler's Berghof and the houses of other Nazi leaders. The exhibition links the history of this place with that of the entire Nazi dictatorship and finally leads you into the surviving bunker system. If you are heading up to the Kehlsteinhaus, set aside time for this visit.

History of the site

From 1923 Adolf Hitler often holidayed on the Obersalzberg. From 1928 he rented Haus Wachenfeld, bought it in 1933 and had it rebuilt as the Berghof. Local residents were driven out and the resort became a sealed-off zone. After the war the US forces used the area as a recreation centre from 1953 to 1996. During that time kiosks sold souvenirs and brochures that glorified the Nazi era. After the Americans left, the State of Bavaria decided to set up a documentation centre alongside a hotel.

The Documentation Centre

The building stands on the foundations of the former Hoher Göll guest house, part of the Platterhof hotel complex. It opened on 20 October 1999, designed for no more than 40,000 visitors a year. Because far more came, a new building with twice the exhibition space was built and opened in September 2023. During construction in 2017 an excavator hit an unexploded aerial bomb, which is now on display. In 2025 more than 213,000 people visited. Scholarly responsibility lies with the Institute of Contemporary History Munich–Berlin.

What to see

• Permanent exhibition "Idyll and Crime": it shows how propaganda staged the Obersalzberg as an alpine idyll and contrasts this with persecution, war and mass murder. In 2025 it received the Luigi Micheletti Award of the European Museum Academy.
• Bunker system: open during opening hours as part of the exhibition, with tunnels that stay cool even in summer.
• Local history: how residents were expelled or drawn in, and how the site was used after 1945.

Opening hours and prices (as of October 2026)

• Open: daily 9:00–17:00, last entry 16:00.
• Admission: adults €4.50, with a guest card €3.50, children and young people up to 18 free.
• Public guided tour: Wednesdays and Saturdays at 11:00, 90 minutes, €5 extra, maximum 20 people, no booking.
• Media guide: a short tour of about 40 minutes in many languages, including Easy German and sign language, plus a children's tour from age 8.

Good to know

Allow 1.5 to 2 hours. The exhibition avoids explicit images but deals with persecution and mass murder; it is recommended from age 12. Backpacks and large bags are not allowed inside. In the bunker the ground is partly uneven with metal grating walkways, so wear sturdy shoes.

Getting there

From Berchtesgaden main station, bus 838 runs to the stop "Dokumentation Obersalzberg". Drivers use the paid car parks P1 or P2. Spaces fill up in summer, and in winter expect snow and ice. The buses to the Kehlsteinhaus leave close by.