Elevator to "The Eagle's
Nest"
Waiting room outside
the elevator
The photo above shows the circular anteroom,
lined with Ruhpolding marble, which is at the end of the tunnel
that leads to the elevator. The elevator, which can carry 53
passengers at one time, is shown through the open door. It rises
407 feet to the top.
Shown in the photo below is the interior
of the elevator. It is lined with polished brass and has round
Venetian mirrors on the walls. On the right side of the photo,
you can see one of the mirrors in which there is a reflection
of two passengers who are exiting the elevator. When Hitler rode
in this elevator, it had green leather-covered benches on three
sides. Note that the bottom half of the walls are covered with
green leather but the benches are now gone.
A corner of the elevator
which is completely lined with mirrors
The engine and the wire cable used to
lift the elevator are in the Windenstube (Winch chamber) in a
tower above the building. Hitler rarely visited the Eagle's Nest
because he was worried that the Windenstube might be hit by lightning.
Protective measures against lightning have been taken to make
sure that any lightning will be safely conducted into the mountain.
Originally, the elevator had another
cabin below it in which supplies for the house were transported.
Hitler's guards rode in the bottom cabin while Hitler and his
important guests rode above them in the brass-lined cabin, sitting
on leather benches. The exit from the elevator is inside the
house while the bottom cabin had its own exit in the basement.
The lower cabin of the elevator has long since been removed,
along with the leather benches
Elevator operator sits
in the front of the elevator
The elevator at the Eagle's Nest has
never failed since it was built in 1938. But what if it does,
what then? Not to worry. There is another rescue elevator which
has room for three persons. It can be reached through a door
in the cabin of the elevator. The rescue lift has a separate
engine, so if the engine for the elevator ever fails, there is
a back-up engine. It has never been necessary to use the rescue
elevator. If both engines fail, there are staff members in the
Winch Chamber, ready to lift the cabin manually in case of an
emergency.
Dotted line shows where
elevator goes up 124 meters to the top
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