Berchtesgaden

I think Berchtesgaden is one of the most beautiful places on earth. The famous German writer, Ludwig Ganghofer once wrote of Berchtesgaden, “He whom God loves, He drops into this land” which is a translation of the original German. Unfortunately for Berchtesgaden, Hitler was in total agreement and when God didn’t love him enough to drop him there Adolf took matters into his own hands; went to Berchtesgaden and eventually took over the whole country. Now when ever the name Berchtesgaden is mentioned nearly everyone thinks of Hitler. Most of Berchtesgaden’s pre-Nazi history is totally unknown. So feast your eyes on the 50th anniversary badge of the Berchtesgaden Military and War Veterans Association illustrated below. This badge has a view of the Stiftskirche’s twin towers and the older Pfarrkirche tower as seen from high up on the Lockstein Strasse. In the background is the famous Watzmann mountain. Below is a WWI helmet on crossed swords and since this is a 1925 dated badge, no swastika.