Berchtesgaden

Berchtesgaden is a market municipality in the Berchtesgadener Land district of southeastern Bavaria, close to the Austrian border. The settlement spreads across a valley at roughly 520 meters (1,706 feet) elevation, framed by steep mountain slopes and forested ridges.

The settlement rose through salt mining from 1517 onward, which provided income and growth over centuries. After the secularization decrees of 1803 and the Napoleonic period, the town joined Bavaria permanently in 1810.

The salt mine shapes local identity and guides still show old extraction chambers and wooden equipment below ground. Visitors walk through tunnels where miners once harvested salt crystals from layered rock formations over many generations.

Regular trains run from Munich and Salzburg to the center, where footpaths lead toward hiking routes and main sights. Many trails climb steeply and require sturdy footwear, while lower paths suit visitors looking for gentler walks.

The Kehlsteinhaus sits on a rocky ledge high above the town and can only be reached through a tunnel and a brass-lined elevator carved inside the mountain. This elevator was blasted through rock in the 1930s and rises straight to the summit plateau.

Location: Berchtesgadener Land

Elevation above the sea: 572 m

Shares border with: Bischofswiesen, Marktschellenberg, Schellenberger Forst

Website: https://gemeinde.berchtesgaden.de

GPS coordinates: 47.63139,13.00417

Latest update: December 15, 2025 03:44