The Building
Construction of the Tunnel and Elevator
Although he was constantly being pressed by Bormann, the planning carried out by Fick and his team of engineers was meticulous. Numerous site inspections were to take place during the Summer of 1937, the main area of discussion being the building of a tunnel and elevator. This was initially opposed by Bormann, who wanted the road to continue all the way to the actual summit and the doorsteps of the house itself. Eventually, chief state engineer Hans Haupner was to persuade the intransigent official, and the tunnel and elevator projects were given the official go-ahead.
With the basics now decided, the next logistical problem that faced the engineering team was the problem of transporting the building materials to the summit. This was eventually accomplished with a cable system, which spanned a total length of 1270 metres over an elevation of 670 metres. The building of the cable system was in itself a major construction project; fifty men were employed to carry out this onerous task, which involved carrying a substantial amount of heavy equipment, including eight support towers, up to the 1834 metre high summit along the winding Dalsenwinkel Road.
Bormann's demands and the sheer size of the project were to force the two companies involved to reassess their plans, which was to lead to the recruitment of more workers who could cope with not only the harsh Alpine conditions but also being away from their families for extended periods of time. Indeed, a number of barrack huts were erected in the Obere Kehlalm area at a height of 1630 metres, housing almost eight hundred men.
On September 27th 1937, work began on the tunnel (left) that was to lead to the elevator which would provide the connection to the summit. Supervision was initially conducted by the state engineers, but during the first two weeks on October the responsibility was handed over to Professor Fick and his office. This was to change again after Reichsleiter Bormann once more observed that work was not progressing as it should, and in January 1938 responsibility passed to Dr. Alfred Reinhardt, the leading engineer involved with the Teehaus itself. Reinhardt, not surprisingly, was to stick to his task like glue, which only meant that even more pressure was placed on the work crews. By May 1938, both the 126 metre-long main tunnel and 130m high elevator shaft were complete, and the installation of the Professor Fick's massive brass elevator, carried out by the Flohr concern, began in earnest.
The striking elevator waiting room was constructed from a number of native marbles; the ceiling was made of marble from nearby Ruhpolding, the tunnel itself was lined with Kälberstein marble, while the outside walls at the tunnel exit consisted of embossed Untersberger marble. The summer and latter part of 1938 was to see the installation of the ventilation, heating and electrical systems for the elevator shaft.