Purchased (and renamed) by the Nazis in 1936, The Berchtesgadener Hof hotel housed VIPs and other dignitaries visiting the area to meet Hitler at the Berghof. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor stayed here during their tour of Germany in 1937, and other guests of note included Josef Goebbels, Heinrich Himmler and Erwin Rommel. Eva Braun also lived here before eventually moving into the Berghof.
At the end of the war, US and allied troops looted the building – and the hotel’s guest book since achieved near-mythical status after featuring in HBO’s Band of Brothers. Its whereabouts is lost to time, but this blotter set comes a close second.
It was removed from the hotel reception desk by a GI called Anthony B. Brucia from New York City. His unit is currently unknown but research is ongoing.
Along with various signatures and other ink scribbles, it is possible to decipher approximate names addresses of guests – most likely the last paying residents to ever stay there before the hotel became part of the US Armed Forces Recreation Center.
The hotel was eventually torn down in 2006.
