Barely a year ago the suggestion of even a tourist attraction there, much less a museum, was prohibited. Photographs of Hitler were taken here, depicting him as a lover of nature, children and animals. The exhibition covers how military leaders commanded their forces from the mountain retreat, the resistance, foreign policy, the Holocaust and Hitler's hold over the German population. The centre also said that experts from the United States and Israel should have been involved in making sure that such a sensitive subject was approached with the utmost care. The area attracts 350,000 visitors a year.
Most visitors are simply curious.
FOUR hundred British and Commonwealth veterans of the Second World War North Africa campaign defied the German government yesterday to take part in a tribute at Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's grave. The ceremony in Herrlingen, southern Germany, was part of a weekend of events marking the fighting and honouring Rommel, called the Desert Fox by respectful Allied troops, who committed suicide on Oct 14, 1944. The ceremonies went ahead as planned, however. It is not easy to strike a balance between outlawing offensive statements whilst ensuring that freedom of speech is not unduly restricted. The government is therefore listening to all the arguments.