Easter, 19431. Father was relatively safe in the Breslau area, our uncle [Walter] had his home in the beautiful Berchtesgadener Land, and so we even went on a short holiday trip to Bavaria with our grandmother over Easter. It is hard to imagine what it was like on the totally overcrowded trains. There was no way we could get a seat. Ten of us were crammed into one toilet until we got to Freilassing. Air raid sirens were sounded during the journey. In such cases, the trains simply stopped in the middle of the track and we had to leave the compartments. Some people lay down under the carriages for protection, others hid behind embankments. The safest place to go was, of course, in a nearby small forest, but such a place of refuge was usually nowhere to be seen.
Our robust grandmother survived this gruelling journey just fine. In Berchtesgaden we spent an unforgettable, carefree week with her at the Dietrich Eckart Hut2, now the Hinterbrand Lodge. We hiked up the Obersalzbergstrasse3 and were already wondering what a mountaineering achievement we had achieved. Our 72-year-old grandmother also insisted on visiting the Purtschellerhaus4. There was still quite a lot of snow on the north slope, and so the old lady simply slid down the snowfield in her long skirts. Her son Walter did everything he could to make her stay as pleasant as possible, but he could not have guessed that it would be the last time he would see his mother again.
- Easter in 1943 fell on Sunday, April 25.
↩︎ - The Dietrich-Eckart-Hütte, located in the Obersalzberg area of Berchtesgaden, Germany, played a role during the Nazi era, particularly in 1943. The hut was named after Dietrich Eckart, an early member of the Nazi Party, poet, playwright, and a mentor to Adolf Hitler. Eckart was one of the key figures in the formation of Nazi ideology, and his writings and influence were significant in the early years of the movement. He died in 1923, and after his death, the Nazi regime honoured him by naming various locations and buildings after him. The Obersalzberg region was a significant site for the Nazi leadership, particularly Adolf Hitler, who had his mountain retreat, the Berghof, nearby. The entire area became a hub for the Nazi elite, with many leaders building homes or using the area as a retreat. By 1943, during World War II, the hut was part of the broader Obersalzberg complex, which had been transformed into a fortified and secluded area for Nazi officials. The hut likely served as a recreational or resting place for the Nazi leadership or their guests, given its scenic location in the mountains. The region was heavily secured and isolated from the general public, providing a retreat from the pressures of war. The hut’s proximity to the Berghof, where Hitler spent significant time, meant it was within the orbit of high-level decision-making and wartime strategy discussions.
↩︎ - Obersalzberg, located in the Bavarian Alps near Berchtesgaden, Germany, holds significant historical importance due to its association with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime. This mountainside retreat became a central hub for Nazi leadership and played a crucial role in the political and military strategies of Nazi Germany. Adolf Hitler first visited Obersalzberg in 1923 and later purchased a farmhouse, which he transformed into the Berghof, a grand alpine-style mansion. This residence served as his mountain retreat and became a symbol of his connection to the idyllic German landscape. After Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, Obersalzberg was developed into a fortified complex. It effectively became the second seat of government for the Third Reich, alongside Berlin. This included extensive SS barracks, administrative buildings, and underground bunkers.
↩︎ - The Purtschellerhaus is a mountain hut located in the Berchtesgaden Alps, situated at an altitude of 1,692 meters. It is named after the renowned mountaineer Ludwig Purtscheller and serves as a popular destination for hikers and climbers exploring the region. Heiner Schellhorn, Berta’s husband, had belonged to the Sonneberg section of the German Alpine Association. They had purchased the property and in 1899-1900 built the hut. ↩︎