Albert Speer's House & Studio 2023

Hitler's architect and armaments minister Albert Speer had two properties at Obersalzberg close to Hitler's Berghof - a huge house and a specially-designed studio. Both still survive intact today, and recently I visited both.

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Credits: The National Archives; Library of Congress; Phaeton1

[MarkFeltonProductions]

ERROR - I said the Olympic Stadium in Munich when I meant to say Berlin. Apologies!

[Does_This_Look_Infected]

Am I the only one who gets sad knowing the video is about to end? I can’t get enough of Dr. Felton’s videos. It’s like a time machine. If he ever offers a tour through Germany I am so there.

[calendarpage]

I remember getting 'Inside the Third Reich' from my university library. The librarian happened to be German and looked me in the eye while saying, "Don't believe everything you read." As a professor of library and information science, I know that librarians aren't supposed to pass judgment on reader's selections, so for him to do so, in that manner, was unusual. I took it almost as a warning. For postwar interviews with Speer and his wife, read 'Albert Speer: His Battle with Truth, ' by Gitta Sereny.

[scratchsescape]

I was stationed in Germany from 1978 until 1984 and it was a great adventure. My family and I stayed in the "Evergreen Lodge" in 1979. A couple of years later along with some visiting friends I stumbled through the rubble of what was left of the Berghoff. I think it was the area below the patio where you often see the videos of Hitler and his guests. I also, at different times while I was In Germany, met the sons of Patton and Rommel. This General Patton was a deputy commander of US VII Corps and Rommel's son Manfred was mayor of Stuttgart.

[KCODacey]

I received a copy of INSIDE THE THIRD REICH as a Christmas gift from my parents shortly after its publication. It was a very tough read for a boy in high school. I was impressed with his facade of modesty and humility, so much so that I wrote him a letter through his publisher. About a month later I received his personal reply, thanking me for my interest and concern. I have the letter in a frame on my den wall. I have since learned of his bending of the facts and my pride in this document has faded considerably. However, it remains in my den, an example of how I have been able to touch history.

[GoaGary]

Thank you Dr Felton for featuring my old home which was once known as the Evergreen Lodge or Albert Speer's studio
If you look at the rear of the building you'll see a few ground floor windows. These were for the 3 staff rooms in the basement and a large commercial kitchen. You could come in through the kitchen to get to the staff quarters without going through the main entrance. The housekeeper had the larger corner room and there were two additional smaller rooms and a seperate bathroom. These were directly underneath the dining area & lounge areas. From what I remember, there were 3/4 large rooms on the first floor for guests and another seperate extra shared bathroom. I sometimes sneaked in there to take a hot bath in the Winter!
Most of the artwork in the lounge and dining areas (landscapes I seem to remember) were from the Third Reich era and had been left in situ.
I probably spent at least 3 years living here between 83' & 87' whilst working at the nearby Gutshof and Platterhof & your video confirms that the building looks exactly the same as I remember it when I left 35 years ago!

[lavrentichudakoff]

I always enjoy Mark Felton's history episodes.

[polyglot]

I lived several times in both France and Germany and took an interest in Speer for a couple of reasons. Firstly, my father was yanked out of medical school in Marseille following the collapse of Vichy and forced to work as a medic for the Organization Todt while it constructed defenses along the French Riviera. And secondly, because I worked in both the French and German automotive industries and am fascinated by the roles they played in WWII.

While Peugeot basically actively collaborated (I once played golf with Eric Peugeot LOL), François Michelin reached a deal early on in which he would supply the Nazis as long as they never entered any of his factories. Apparently, he only allowed an SS Colonel to enter the premises just to show him they they had placed dynamite at the base of all the main pillars. So Michelin delivered the tires to the gates of their own plants, where the Germans loaded them on to their trucks. It only came to light later that what Michelin was protecting was their top secret project - the radial tire - which they launched just after the war, and with a seventeen year patent, which enabled them to become the largest tire company in the world.

Anyway, in France, the conventional wisdom is that the French judges voted against the death penalty for Speer at Nuremberg, because he switched the production of non-military consumer goods (such as white goods) to France, allowing Germany to focus on armaments, while still allowing some consumer goods (made in France) to satisfy the German public. At the same time, it allowed France to become quite strong in certain product categories after the war, contributing to the post-war French economic boom (1945-1975) - known in France as "Les Trente Glorieuses." I've not seen research on this, but this is what the French believe about Speer.

[Jager-uqdc]

Dr Felton's videos are the best content on YouTube. The only work I watch every time it comes up!

[keziasarah]

Congrats on the 2M subs - Well deserved!

[brianfrommaumee]

Me and my family got to stay in Speer's studio - the Evergreen Lodge - back in the early 80s. We were booked into the General Walker Hotel just up the road but there was a mix-up and our room was not ready. For the night, the hotel management put us in the Evergreen Lodge. As a WWII history buff, I understood who the building used to belong to, and who one of its biggest visitors was, but alas, I didn't have any opportunity to explore. We had a young baby and needed to get settled into the General Walker as soon as possible, so in the morning we packed up quickly and drove off up the hill to the hotel. I always regretted not 'poking around' more inside that building.

[benclark]

I remember reading Speer’s memoir in my mid-20s and the (not unconvincing) narrative he presented is just as Dr. Felton says. Almost 20 years later I appreciate hearing this more sober take on his legacy.

[jerryjeromehawkins]

Speers designs were very respectable... especially considering the time in which they were developed.
Thank you, Dr. Felton.

[mattgeorge]

Always a great day when Dr. Felton drops a new episode! ❤

[markrhodes]

Mark Felton produces- "Lifestyles of the Rich and Fascist". Keep doing what you're doing! Your content is the best quality YouTube series ive ever seen.

[robchamberlin]

Dr. Felton actually teaches history. His videos are informative and I wish I had a history professor like him

[greglammers]

Love the picture of you on the Ski slopes. Very interesting stuff. Thank you Dr Felton.

[MikeH]

Another very insightful historical video Dr. Felton. I have watched all of your videos and purchased several of your books. I appreciate your attention to detail and always trying to get the history right no matter what. Also, your ability to put important historical events in their proper context is so important especially in the time that we live in today. Cheers!

[annehersey]

The first comprehensive WWII documentary that made a deep impression on me was from the early 70’s, the British produced the World At War. What makes that series STILL the best is that in addition to narration by Lord Laurence Olivier, is that many of the actual participants were still alive and participated. Albert Speer among them.

[leslielaverick-stovin]

My wife and I with our young son stayed in the Speer house. Our bedroom balcony looked down in to Berchtesgaden town.