The best documentary about Hitlers house Obersalzberg

[Geoff Walden]

Hi,

the story of the documentary is interesting : this is due to a contact with another journalist that Isabelle contacted me, and the first thing i did is to advice her to go to Geof website and check his book (she bought it almost immediately).
Then i adviced her books, ideas and contacts, amongst them a few other WAF members and guys like Xavier Aiolfi.
We also provided some period documentation (postcards, books etc) that was used in her research.

See You

Vince

Why, thank you, Vince! Thibaut and Isabelle didn't tell me how they knew of my webpage or book, so I didn't know I owed the reference to you!
Was it you who referred them also to Robert Brandner?

Geoff

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hello Geof,

well, actually anyone interested in the Third Reich must know your website and work anyway, it is mandatory ! ^_^

Here is basically the content of the email i sent on January 18, 2016 to her after the first contact by phone : people to contact/read and ideas.

- Geof (website + book + "live" visits)
- various period books (incl. Hoffmann)
- various books on HQ (Hoffmann, Seidler) + "Foxley" report book
- story of the looting of the Berghof area (artefacts in French museums given by 2e DB, amongst them the War Museum in the Invalides)
- business of "relics" of Berghof area (+ fakes/wrongly identified items), Aiolfi
- 2e DB French veteran still alive (Balembois)
- WAF & Alsatian collectors specialized on Berghof items (amongst them specialist CPB, postcards collection of Franck incl. Berghof piggy bank & "AH Wahlheimat" book etc)
- Degrelle ashes scandal (finally dispersed at the Berghof by Vermeire)

I don't thing i gave the name of Robert. Isabelle told me that she heard of you first of a National Geographic documentary you worked on (?).

The first thing Isabelle did was to order your book. ^_^

Then i meet her & her coworkers a few times in Paris to give her books and other stuff.

Actually i think that the most essential work i did was to "confirm" which people could be interesting to contact/read due to my own personal work on the subject.

We talked of other "ideas of documentaries", i tried my best to promote some on "the business of real/fake Third Reich militaria items", "Operation Reinhard" and "Unit 731" (vomit alert)...

See You

Vince

[Macca47]

Historical vandalism

Very interesting documentary. Quite extraordinary demonstration of German technical prowess. I rather wonder though whether historians of the future will look upon the current fashion of destroying anything to do with the Third Reich as little more than vandalism. As an analogy, it is estimated that more than a million people died horrific deaths in the Colosseum in Rome. Yet if anyone suggests bulldozing the building as affront to humanity, all hell would break lose. Further, our understanding of the Roman state would have been badly affected by its destruction. I rather think that historians in the centuries to come will feel the same about the destruction of such buildings as the Obersalzberg.

[InfanterieSammler]

Eddie - Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Geoff - Great seeing you in the documentary. Thought you did a really nice job bringing out a lot of interesting history from the area.

As someone who has visited Berchtesgaden several times, I really enjoyed seeing an in-depth show on many of the important historical sites. The "Then/Now" approach to the area really brings the history to life. Wish their was a little more on the Hotel zum Türken. This hotel has a very interesting history of its own and is one of the few remaining structures still intact.

Best,
John

[Tan Berk]

Thank you for the recommendation, now watching it!

[CPB]

Hello Geof,

well, actually anyone interested in the Third Reich must know your website and work anyway, it is mandatory ! ^_^

Here is basically the content of the email i sent on January 18, 2016 to her after the first contact by phone : people to contact/read and ideas.

- Geof (website + book + "live" visits)
- various period books (incl. Hoffmann)
- various books on HQ (Hoffmann, Seidler) + "Foxley" report book
- story of the looting of the Berghof area (artefacts in French museums given by 2e DB, amongst them the War Museum in the Invalides)
- business of "relics" of Berghof area (+ fakes/wrongly identified items), Aiolfi
- 2e DB French veteran still alive (Balembois)
- WAF & Alsatian collectors specialized on Berghof items (amongst them specialist CPB, postcards collection of Franck incl. Berghof piggy bank & "AH Wahlheimat" book etc)
- Degrelle ashes scandal (finally dispersed at the Berghof by Vermeire)

I don't thing i gave the name of Robert. Isabelle told me that she heard of you first of a National Geographic documentary you worked on (?).

The first thing Isabelle did was to order your book. ^_^

Then i meet her & her coworkers a few times in Paris to give her books and other stuff.

Actually i think that the most essential work i did was to "confirm" which people could be interesting to contact/read due to my own personal work on the subject.

We talked of other "ideas of documentaries", i tried my best to promote some on "the business of real/fake Third Reich militaria items", "Operation Reinhard" and "Unit 731" (vomit alert)...

See You

Vince

Vince – kudos to you my friend for putting the show's creators in touch with the right people. The end result is excellent, and it's nice to see a documentary with this attention to detail and that actually tells (and shows) you something new.

Geoff, I think you did a great job!

Chris

[Geoff Walden]

Wish their was a little more on the Hotel zum Türken. This hotel has a very interesting history of its own and is one of the few remaining structures still intact.
Best,
John

Amen! Unfortunately, the Scharfenberg policy - which I cannot argue with - has long been NO FILMING. So, the fascinating history of the Türken exists on film only in illegally-made films of the Bunker and hotel interior. Frau Ingrid Scharfenberg told me that German TV used to knock on her door once a year, with flowers in hand, requesting permission to film. She ALWAYS turned them down.

[InfanterieSammler]

Amen! Unfortunately, the Scharfenberg policy - which I cannot argue with - has long been NO FILMING. So, the fascinating history of the Türken exists on film only in illegally-made films of the Bunker and hotel interior. Frau Ingrid Scharfenberg told me that German TV used to knock on her door once a year, with flowers in hand, requesting permission to film. She ALWAYS turned them down.

Hi Geoff,

Interesting - I wasn't aware of the family policy. I do miss Frau Scharfenberg, met her several times over the years. She was a very sweet and kind woman. I just met Monika for the first time in 2016. She was a wonderful host as well.

Best,
John

[Manalishi]

Berghof

Hey Guys, just saw this thread. I'd been to Berchtesgaden in 1994. There was very little left of the Berghof when that documentary was filmed. But back in 94, the terrace, garage and several basement rooms were still intact.

I visited the Hotel Zum Türken bunker system too. This is as far as one could go at the time. Hitler's section of the bunker system is beyond the brick wall. Anyone know if they've since taken it down?

[Manalishi]

Zum Türken

Nevermind, just saw part of the documentary. A film crew was given complete access in 2004.

[Geoff Walden]

Nevermind, just saw part of the documentary. A film crew was given complete access in 2004.

Just curious - what production was that in 2004? Where can we watch it? Frau Scharfenberg told me several times that she had never allowed any commercial film crews permission to film anywhere at the Tuerken. (Of course, I am aware that not EVERY thing that Frau S. said was 100% accurate, but filming did seem to be a BIG no-go with her.)

[Manalishi]

Just curious - what production was that in 2004? Where can we watch it? Frau Scharfenberg told me several times that she had never allowed any commercial film crews permission to film anywhere at the Tuerken. (Of course, I am aware that not EVERY thing that Frau S. said was 100% accurate, but filming did seem to be a BIG no-go with her.)

Hi Geoff, click the youtube link in the very first post. It was my understanding that the film crew didn't go in via the Tuerken but through the emergency exit that juts past the Berghof and passes under the road.

[Geoff Walden]

Oh, I see what you mean, thanks! - the part where Florian Beierl and company were surveying and documenting in 2001-2002 (or so). The Hidden Traces film crew did not film in the Berghof or Tuerken tunnels (not permitted), but the film crew working with Florian Beierl - yes, they went in via the only entrance that is accessible now - the emergency exit to the west-northwest of the Berghof. The other one (that goes under the road and emerges in the valley in front of the Tuerken) just leads into the Tuerken tunnel, right by the place where the bazooka (or whatever) was fired at the machine gun position.
Back when there was a big padlock on the exit door that has an internal lock today, Frau Scharfenberg had a key to that padlock, because the Tuerken property actually goes beyond where the Berghof tunnel corridors are bricked up today. Alas, those days of having that key and access to that side of the tunnel are long gone.

[Brian S]

Funny, twice I heard Scharfenburg say, "This is NOT a museum it is a hotel and my home."

Ummmm... Why do you really think people stay here...

Just there in October, saw most everything. We were lucky an historian was working on the Berghof site taking measurements etc. Gave us the this is what that is etc. Totally cool.

[Geoff Walden]

There used to be a museum display in the basement of the Tuerken, in the old Kegelbahn room, but it was for guests only. Frau S. was forced to close it in 2007 as part of the difficulties caused by a TV film crew illegally filming in the bunker. That is, she no longer granted access to it, even for guests. I've always wondered if that stuff is still down there. The current owner would not let me go see (even though I had been in the basement several times when her mother ran the Tuerken), nor would she even answer my question. The Tuerken "good old days" are truly gone ...