The visit of the information center in the Haus der Berge is free of charge. Our house offers you a variety of possibilities: Interactive information about the National Park, a cinema in the foyer with a film about the Berchtesgaden Alps, changing exhibitions on two levels, the special exhibition "Man & Mountain" with listening stations and a themed library. Around the house you can experience materials and plants of the four habitats water, forest, alpine pasture and rock on the panorama path and enjoy great views of Watzmann, Hochkalter and Jenner. Benches in the outdoor area invite you to linger.
But a visit to the National Park Center in Berchtesgaden is also recommended on beautiful days. The unique panoramic view far into Germany's only Alpine National Park is particularly impressive. Unfortunately, we cannot offer you this experience in fog and rain!
The team at Haus der Berge looks forward to welcoming you - whatever the weather!
Information for your visit
Allow a good 3 hours for a relaxed and eventful visit.
For admission to the permanent exhibition “Vertical Wilderness”, which is subject to a charge, we recommend avoiding the core times between 10 am and 2 pm, especially on rainy days in the high season - or you can be prepared for a wait.
Permanent exhibition «Vertical Wilderness»
The exhibition "Vertical Wilderness" is located in a room of about 1,000 m². Here you will learn about the entire range of life in Berchtesgaden National Park on a steadily ascending hike: The journey begins at the bottom of Lake Königsee and leads through the habitats of water, forest, alpine meadows and rock all the way up to the peaks of the Berchtesgaden Alps.
Once inside the rock habitat, you will experience the highlight of the exhibition: a 12-minute nature film projected on an 11 × 15 meter screen inside the mountain showcase.
No two visits are the same - different spatial impressions and changing light and sound stagings depending on the season make each walk through the exhibition unique.
Audio guide | Audioguide:
For the visit of the exhibition "Vertical Wilderness" we will gladly provide you with an audio guide free of charge upon request. Currently you can choose between three different routes:
Route 1: Mysterious mountain people:
Is the deer the wife of the stag? What lives in the depths of the Königsee? Is the chamois beard really the beard of the chamois? And are raven parents really bad parents? Learn interesting and curious stories about the animal inhabitants of the Berchtesgaden National Park.
Route 2: Man and nature:
At the heart of this audio route are the questions:
How much nature does man need?
How much man can nature take?
Man uses nature and he needs it to recover.
But how does nature recover from man?
Route 3: Interactive children's tour:
An audio route by children for children: In short audio plays, children learn exciting stories about the national park. For example, the mystery of Hansi the ibex is revealed. You can find out what happened to him in the ibex detective story. In addition, a secret smuggler tour, an adventurous mountain hike and much more await you.
Age: 6-12 years, 12 stations, duration: approx. 30 min.
Audio samples:
Lake trout:
The water:
The golden eagle:
Groundhog:
Visually Impaired | Blind Guide:
The blind-friendly guidance system through the main exhibition “Vertical Wilderness” is multifaceted. A system for the cane is located directly on the floor and guides visitors through the entire exhibition. There are also audio guides especially for blind people (blind guide). This guides you through the entire exhibition, including the staircase to the summit and the route from the ticket office to the exhibition and back. This means that the entire exhibition is barrier-free. It can be borrowed free of charge on request from the ticket office in the foyer. This guide for the blind explains the device independently shortly after switching it on. You can then start the “guided tour” through the exhibition with a total of 33 chapters at various stations. Everything is well explained and described at these stations. You can also touch and even smell some of the attractions in the exhibition. The chapters can be paused, rewound or even skipped at any time.
The foyer
The “House of Mountains” experience begins in the spacious foyer. The exhibition provides an overview of national parks worldwide and prepares visitors for their visit to the National Park Center. It explains the Berchtesgaden National Park, its role in national and international networks and provides information about the Berchtesgadener Land biosphere region.
In addition, interactive stations provide useful information about your stay in Germany's only high mountain national park.
Cinema
You can watch films on various nature topics in the free movie theater in the foyer. Our highlight is a spectacular film about the interaction between man and nature within the national park.
The cinema can accommodate up to 80 people and five wheelchair users. The cinema can be booked by groups for individual screenings or events.
Permanent exhibition »Man & Mountain«
In this small special exhibition, the focus is on man and his connection with the local mountains.
You will find the following topics in the four “shelters”:
Legends & myths of the region
Alpinism
Clubs & Associations
as well as the history of the Berchtesgaden National Park
another "hut" to our partner national park YOSEMITE in California/USA is in the planning stage
Meeting room | Library
On the upper floor there is a conference room and a library. Here you will find a variety of literature from the fields of nature, hiking, national parks and customs.
Library and function room can be booked for events. Just contact us!
There is room for up to 120 guests, the rooms can be divided.
Stay with dogs
Your four-legged companion is very welcome in the National Park Center! However, we ask for your understanding that dogs are not allowed to enter the permanent exhibition "Vertical Wilderness", likewise the education center (for registered groups and school classes) is not suitable for pets.
In the outdoor area, areas are designated for dogs. Please keep your dog on a short leash at all times and clean up its mess. Dogs may be taken into the foyer, the temporary exhibitions and the catering area.
For the duration of your visit to the exhibition, you have the option of keeping your four-legged friend safe in one of our three extra-large dog crates at the parking lot, fresh water is available, you can get the key for a deposit at the information desk.
