Sunday, October 25, 2026

Plantations and the Eagles Nest.

I heard about this on the news about the same way I did about Nottoway Plantation. And while I have never visited either one, my feelings about both are pretty much the same.

Their loss is a tragedy.

And while no one in my family was a slave, at least not within the last millenia or so, my father lived through the Second World War. He had a front row seat in it. And could probably be called a participant even though he was 16-17 when it ended. It was a war where the civilian populations were displaced, or interned, by the war. Civilians were bombed and their cities and towns were battlefields.  

Despite that, the Kehlsteinhaus, commonly known in English as the Eagle's Nest, is more of a mountain chalet than a war relic for me. True, it's more interesting than some of the ones I've been in, but it's more civilianised than politicised these days. Yes, one can remember that it was built by the Nazis.

But, are you going to stop driving a Volkswagen because the Volkswagen Type 1 (AKA the "beetle") was designed by the Nazis?

I would add that this building has a lot more history to it. It wasn't used by Hitler very much since he was an acrophobe, but the Allies did occupy it. Here's the clip from Band of Brothers where Easy Company captures it.


US troops did a job of de-Nazifying the building, and the general area, by grabbing bits of it as war trophies!

And the area was used by US occupation forces for "R&R" up until 1995.

Given one of my great-grandfathers came from Meerane,  Both of us don't (didn't) have a lot of love for the Nazis,or Bavarians. He was a draft-dodger avoiding service in the Kaiser's Army. He volunteered for service during the 14-18 War, but was too old.

But, the bottom line is some of my relatives lived through Nazisim and Communism. So... 

Anyway, despite its history,  the Kehlsteinhaus is probably more of a tourist site for its mountain view than the other bits. But, I do understand US vets come through on tours.

Rebuild it for its economic benefits.

I would add that destroying history leads to its being forgotten, which is why both 
the Kehlsteinhaus and Nottoway Plantation should be rebuilt.

Unless, you want to forget these events only to repeat them again?

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