Schloss Klesshem

[Marc Garlasco]

I can see you guys walking around with a huge ground-penetrating radar apparatus and everyone wondering what the hell is going on. Who carried the shovels?

[Brian S]

Very nice.

[Douglas 5]

Hi Pieter ;
Interesting pictures as it looks today .
If I had known someone was going there to Salzburg and Schloss Klessheim - I could have added a few interesting WWII places for all of you to look at .
I lived there almost 20 years when I was growing up . A lot of stuff - sites and bunckers - I could have pointed out to visit , that the local do not mention and are not advertized .
Schloss Klessheim - facing it - off the right - in the hill -on the back side going down to a small creek - has a few more hidden bunckers , some finished ( one to house a number of Hitlers motercade vehicles) and some others started .
As this was going to be the ' Alpenvorland ' work residence -for the Fu'hrer - that was generaly better accessable by road than Berchtisgaden . The new Autobahn was built close up to it and already had its own off ramp to the Schloss . Due to the progression of the war the project was put on hold and subsequently never finished , which completed would have seen a rail road spur to the Schloss that was being built underground with a connecting tunnel to the Schloss itself !!! The rail right of way still exists to a good part with already pre built bridge heads over a creek .
Because of the closeness to the Schloss the Americans did not blow them all up on site . The first explosion broke a window , so the entrances and the rest was filled in with conrete debree and dirt . Dad was at the writing a book on local railways around Salzburg and came across some once classified railway blue prints - at the Mu'nchen Rail Archives as I remember -that show the location of the tracks ending under ground beside the Schloss . As young boys my brother and I liked to throw rocks down the old airshaft vents as dad was surveying the old site . The city did not know that much about this project either . From all people it would be the local grounds keeper of the Schloss that was the one that showed dad the airvents and old road access . The grounds keeper did warn to stay off the hill side as he did come across live Flak rounds ! At the time of construction no trees were there which have come up there on the site since 45 .
On the other end of this spur , where it meets the rail road main line is also a fair size air -raid The bunker . We lived right next to it . When I left it was being used as a oil and fuel storage facility .
The other main and quite large air-raid bunker is in Mo'nchsberg . In the late 7os it was finaly reused and turned into a huge under ground park-garage . On the west side - as the pedestriate walk way entrance is one of the few remaining class 2 WWII madespecial re-inforced monster buncker doors with original label . ( 42 or 43 as I can remember) . As far as I know it opens by hydrolics nowadays but was opend by hand when I lived there . Two people neede to push it open , because it was so heavy !
And to mention quickly ; .. the bridge headers of the Autobahn all have the reichs eagle and wreath on them . The swastika was chizeled out . The locals would constantly plant shrubs and trees in front of these to hide them . During the 80s this practice was finaly stopped and the tress and such removed .
Just a bit of unknown history ,
Douglas

[Stephane]

Hello Pieter,

Could you give us a preview of what we will find at Jason`s table at the Max? I will attend and I was planning on buying a nice navy or Luft badge from him.

Stéphane

[Kevin V.]

Pieter finally you made it to the Schloss.
Nice pics!

Thanks for showing.

Best regards
Kevin

[rkdek]

It was a fine trip indeed! Thanks André for the time you spent organising it.

After Klessheim, we headed for Berchtesgaden and the Eagle's Nest.

[Ludwig]

How big was the treasur found there? How many KCs and so on...

[patrice]

Very interesting story !
I was in Salzburg just last spring and never knew about the Schloss Klessheim.
If only I would've known !
Did visit the Eagle's Nest though, just a few miles west of Salzburg.

[Darrell]

It was a fine trip indeed! Thanks André for the time you spent organising it.

After Klessheim, we headed for Berchtesgaden and the Eagle's Nest.

Was this 2 1/2 years ago? Or is someone's clock whacked on the camera?

[Douglas 5]

Autobahn Eagles :

Here is one of those bridge heads in Salzburg ; not the best picture ( taken around 1975 just after the intentionaly planted brush was finaly removed )... the Eagle is there , unfortunatly just hard to see from that angle bright sun and the conglomerat rock it is on . The Swastika were chizled out of all of them . In 1989/90 this one was still there .
The Autobahn system had started in Germany a few years earlier and continued on through Austria after 1938 take over . Most Autobahn bridges have up to 4 of these . Possiibly 1000 or more between Munich and Vienna ?
Over time some were lost to vandelizm or citizen cleanup groups .

Douglas

[PABLO_Teale]

That's very interesting Doug, just to think that even today there are Nazi emblems on bridges that people drive past every day all across Germany and Austria! A constant reminder. I never knew that. Amazing. It is suprising that they haven't removed all traces?!

[Robert T.]

That's very interesting Doug, just to think that even today there are Nazi emblems on bridges that people drive past every day all across Germany and Austria! A constant reminder. I never knew that. Amazing. It is suprising that they haven't removed all traces?!

http://www.thirdreichruins.com/reichsadler.htm

There are plenty of them.
____________
Robert

[PABLO_Teale]

Thanks for the link Robert, I never knew so much stuff still existed. The last time I was in Germany (about 10 years since now) I didn't really keep an eye out. Next time I will.

[Thomas Durante]

Very nice Pieter, thanks for sharing your trip.

Looking forward to seeing you guys at the MAX in a few weeks.

Tom

[Douglas 5]

Great link Robert !

The fasad and structual/monumental Eagles are many around in Germany .
Not too many Reichs Eagles remain in Austria , as most Eagles already existed from previous Monachie Eras Kaisers etc . ! Those added were removed quickly after the war ... a country that realy did not want to be part of the Reich .

Douglas