Der Führerbunker
This is where Hitler spent his final few days, determined to take as many with him as possible. Hitler ended up in ashes, and the bunker was destroyed, in order to not make it a shrine for any remaining Nazis. Today the ground is occupied by a parking lot, the Holocaust Memorial is about a stone's throw away, and the bunker is perhaps best known for being the place where Hitler finds out about his stolen car[a]. For those who haven't seen it, I can't recommend the movie "Downfall"[b] ("Das Untergang") enough. While known most for the sequence where Hitler realizes that the war is lost, it is one of the best movies I've seen. Bruno Ganz is great as Hitler, and manages to deliver a convincing portrait throughout. Not just mad ravings, but also the tic-filled spaces inbetween as Hitler descends into self-delusion. For a shorter version, see this computer-generated synopsis of the last days in the bunker[c].
2011-04-09 14:55