The first known record of the area, from 1102, mentions the area's rich
salt deposits.
Salt mining began in the area in 1517, and subsequently produced much of Berchtesgaden's wealth. monastery The town and its surroundings belonged to the
Berchtesgaden Provostry, an independent state of the
Holy Roman Empire (called
Fürstpropstei Berchtesgaden) and was ruled by the
Prince-provost of the
Augustinian monastery in the town. It remained independent until the
Reichsdeputationshauptschluss in 1803. During the
Napoleonic Wars, Berchtesgaden changed hands a few times, such as in 1805 under the
Treaty of Pressburg, when the area was ceded to Austria. Berchtesgaden came under the rule of the
Kingdom of Bavaria in 1810. It soon became popular with the Bavarian royal family, the
House of Wittelsbach, who often visited
Königssee and maintained a hunting residence in the former Augustinian monastery (still used today by
Franz, Duke of Bavaria). Tourism began to evolve, and several artists came to the area, which reportedly gave rise to
Malereck ("painters' corner") on the shore of the Königssee in nearby
Schönau am Königssee. The most famous author who lived in Berchtesgaden was
Ludwig Ganghofer.
Nazi era Adolf Hitler began vacationing in the Berchtesgaden area in the 1920s. He purchased a home in the
Obersalzberg above the town on the flank of the
Hoher Goll and began extensive renovations on his
Berghof in the following years. As other top
Third Reich figures, such as
Hermann Göring,
Joseph Goebbels,
Martin Bormann,
Heinrich Himmler, and
Albert Speer, began to frequent the area, the Nazi Party began to purchase and requisition land in the Obersalzberg. To serve as an outpost of the German
Reichskanzlei (Imperial Chancellery), Berchtesgaden and its environs (
Stanggass) saw substantial expansion of offices, security, and support services, mainly on the Obersalzberg. Included in the town were a
new railway station, with a reception area for Hitler and his guests, and an adjacent post office. The Berchtesgadener Hof Hotel, where famous visitors such as
Neville Chamberlain and
David Lloyd George stayed, was substantially upgraded. Berchtesgaden was where
Hitler met Chamberlain in 1938 before the
Munich Agreement. Even though a feared
Alpine Fortress last stand of the Nazi regime in the Alps failed to materialize late in World War II, the Allies launched a devastating air raid on the Berchtesgaden area in the spring of 1945. The April 25
bombing of Obersalzberg did not damage the town. On 4 May 1945, forward elements of the
7th Infantry Regiment of the
3rd Infantry Division arrived and received the town's surrender.
Post–World War II After the war, Berchtesgaden became a military zone and most of its buildings were requisitioned by the
U.S. Army. Hotel Platterhof was rebuilt and renamed the
General Walker Hotel in 1952. It served as a
U.S. Armed Forces Recreation Center through the
Cold War and beyond. Remnants of homes of former Nazi leaders were demolished in the early postwar years, though traces of some remained. In 1995, fifty years after the end of World War II and five years after
German reunification, the AFRC Berchtesgaden was turned over to Bavarian authorities to facilitate military spending reductions mandated within the
Base Realignment and Closure program by the U.S.
Congress and
Pentagon during the administration of
President Bill Clinton.
Berchtesgaden today The Hotel Türken, which was near the Nazi buildings and was often used by the SS and then by the
Generalmajor of the Police, was badly damaged in 1945. It was rebuilt in 1950 and reopened as a hotel before Christmas. Visitors can still explore the historic underground hallways and tunnels that had been used by the Nazis. In 1972, local government reform united the then-independent municipalities of Salzberg, Maria Gern, and Au (consisting of Oberau and Unterau) under the administration of the town of Berchtesgaden. Another suggested reform uniting all remaining five municipalities in the Berchtesgaden valley (Bischofswiesen, Ramsau,
Marktschellenberg, and
Schönau am Königssee) failed to gain enough popular support; it passed in Berchtesgaden but failed elsewhere. The Berchtesgaden National Park was established in 1978 and has gradually become one of Berchtesgaden's largest draws. Mass tourism is confined to a few popular spots, leaving the rest to nature-seekers. Other tourist draws are the
Königssee, the
salt mine, the
Kehlsteinhaus, open seasonally as a restaurant, and the
Dokumentationszentrum Obersalzberg museum about the area's history, operated by the Munich
Institut für Zeitgeschichte since 1999. Recreational and competitive sports have grown in importance. The town's
ski slope is popular. The
Königssee bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track has hosted ski-running and several international events and competitions. Berchtesgaden's most famous sports personality is
Georg Hackl, a multiple Olympic medal winner. The city is home to the
International Luge Federation (FIL). Unlike the northern part of Berchtesgadener Land and the Salzburg area, Berchtesgaden has virtually no manufacturing industry.
Berchtesgaden Central Station is connected by the
Salzburg–Berchtesgaden railway to the
Rosenheim–Salzburg railway at
Freilassing. The Bavarian state government facilitated the erection of a hotel, which opened in 2005 and is operated by the
InterContinental Hotels Group. ==Geography==