German national park with a dark past

The first holiday-makers came to Berchtesgaden in the mid-19th century. Little has changed about its attractions since then. What may be Germany's most beautiful mountain, the Watzmann, and Lake Königsee, with the rocky crags surrounding it, provide a unique backdrop. Both the mountain and the lake are part of Berchtesgaden National Park. Despite or perhaps because of its idyllic location, Berchtesgaden has a dreadful chapter in its past. Adolf Hitler, who discovered Berchtesgarden as a retreat in the 1920s, had the neighboring mountain village of Obersalzberg turned into his most important center of power after Berlin. Nowadays a documentation center focuses on that history.