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Hitler's Eagle's Nest and other tyrants' lairs now open to all - CNN.comvar cnnCurrTime=new Date(1375105397000),cnnCurrHour=9,cnnCurrMin=43,cnnCurrDay="Mon",cnnIsIntl=true,clickID=212106,cnn_cvpAdpre="edition.",cnnCVPAdSectionT1="edition.cnn.com_travel_t1",cnnCVPAdSectionInPage="edition.cnn.com_travel_inpage",cnnShareUrl="%2F2013%2F07%2F24%2Ftravel%2Fdictators-lairs%2Findex.html",cnnShareTitle="Hitler\'s%20Eagle\'s%20Nest%20and%20other%20tyrants\'%20lairs%20open%20to%20all",cnnShareDesc="",cnnFirstPub=new Date('Wednesday Jul 24 02:15:18 EDT 2013'),cnnSectionName="travel",sectionName="travel",cnnSubSectionName="trv : news",cnnPageType="Story",cnnBrandingValue="default";cnnPartnerValue="/itravel";cnnOmniBranding="",cnnAuthor="David Whitley, for CNN",disqus_category_id=207582,disqus_identifier="/2013/07/24/travel/dictators-lairs/index.html",disqus_title="Hitler\'s Eagle\'s Nest and other tyrants\' lairs open to all",cnn_edtnswtchver="edition",cnnIsStoryPage=true,cnn_metadata = {},cnn_shareconfig = [];cnn_metadata = {section: ["travel","trv : news"],friendly_name: "Hitler\'s Eagle\'s Nest and other tyrants\' lairs open to all",template_type: "content",template_type_content: "gallery",business: {cnn: {page: {author: "David Whitley, for CNN",broadcast_franchise: "",video_embed_count: "0",publish_date: "2013/07/24",photo_gallery: "Hitler\'s Eagle\'s Nest and other tyrants\' lairs open to all"},video: {video_player: ""}}},user: {authenticated: "",segment: {age: "",zip: "",gender: ""}}};if (typeof(cnnOmniPartner) !== "undefined") {if (cnn_metadata.template_type_content === "") {cnn_metadata.template_type_content = "partner";}}var photo_gallery = "Hitler\'s Eagle\'s Nest and other tyrants\' lairs open to all";if(typeof CNN==='undefined'){var CNN=Class.create();}CNN.expandableMap=[''];function _loginOptions(){};var disqus_url=(typeof disqus_identifier!=='undefined') ? 'http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/24/travel/dictators-lairs/index.html' : 'http://www.cnn.com'+location.pathname;cnnad_newTileIDGroup(['970x66_top','300x250_rgt','300x250_rgt2','336x280_rgt','336x850_rgt','300x150_rgt','728x90_top','728x90_bot','BG_Skin','120x90_bot1','120x90_bot2','120x90_bot3']);cnnad_newTileIDGroup(['607x95_adlinks','336x280_adlinks']); 
EDITION: INTERNATIONAL U.S. MÉXICO ARABIC TV: CNNi CNN en Español Set edition preference Sign up Log in Home Video World U.S. Africa Asia Europe Latin America Middle East Business World Sport Entertainment Tech Travel iReport SHARE THISPrintEmailMore sharingRedditStumbleUponDelicious/* push in config for this share instance */cnn_shareconfig.push({"id" : "cnn_sharebar1","url" : "http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/24/travel/dictators-lairs/index.html","title" : "Hitler\'s Eagle\'s Nest and other tyrants\' lairs open to all"});Hitler's Eagle's Nest and other tyrants' lairs open to allBy David Whitley, for CNNJuly 24, 2013 -- Updated 0832 GMT (1632 HKT)if (typeof cnnArticleGallery=="undefined"){var cnnArticleGallery={};if(typeof cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList=="undefined"){cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList=[];}}var expGalleryPT00=new ArticleExpandableGallery();expGalleryPT00.setImageCount(8);expGalleryPT00.setAdsRefreshCount(3);//cnn_adbptrackpgalimg("Hitler\'s Eagle\'s Nest", 1);.cnn_html_slideshow_metadata > .cnn_html_media_utility::before{color:red;content:'>>';font-size:9px;line-height:12px;padding-right:1px}.cnnstrylccimg640{margin:0 27px 14px 0}.captionText{filter:alpha(opacity=100);opacity:1}.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a,.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a:visited,.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a:link,.captionText a,.captionText a:visited,.captiontext a:link{color:#004276;outline:medium none}.cnnVerticalGalleryPhoto{margin:0 auto;padding-right:68px;width:270px}
Adolf Hitler's former alpine retreat is reached via a 124-meter elevator drilled into the mountain. The complex -- now a restaurant and information center -- is set to get a $22.5 million upgrade.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":true,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":1,"title":"Hitler\'s Eagle\'s Nest"}Yugoslav strongman Josip Tito's personal atomic shelter, in Bosnia, was a secret until the 1990s -- now it houses a temporary art exhibition.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":2,"title":"Tito\'s nuclear shelter"}The neoclassical Villa Torlonia, in Rome, was Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's residence between 1925 and 1943 and now contains a museum and archives.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":3,"title":"Mussolini\'s Villa Torlonia"}After being booted out of Albania in 1939, the dictatorial King Zog's unlikely residence was Parmoor House, in Buckinghamshire -- it's currently a religious retreat. Here, supporters of the self-titled Zog carry his portrait at a reburial ceremony in Tirana.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":4,"title":"King Zog\'s Buckinghamshire bolthole"}Palm trees imported from California and sniper emplacements completed the murderous Stalin's favorite Black Sea summer escape. The dacha has become a cramped museum.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":5,"title":"Stalin\'s dacha"}Iron-fisted Spanish dictator Francisco Franco's former hilltop hideaway, the Palacio Real del Pardo, can be toured when foreign dignitaries aren't being put up there. Here a Spanish guardsman performs at the palace.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":6,"title":"Franco\'s palace"}Napoleon's silken briefs on show at the Château de Fontainebleau, which the French autocrat wanted to top the Palace of Versailles.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":7,"title":"Napoleon\'s grandiose chateau"}The son of Claus von Stauffenberg visits the Wolf's Lair, Hitler's Polish bolthole, where the famous failed assassination attempt against the dictator took place. There's now a hotel on the site.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":8,"title":"Hitler\'s Eastern Front HQ"}HIDE CAPTIONHitler's Eagle's NestTito's nuclear shelterMussolini's Villa TorloniaKing Zog's Buckinghamshire boltholeStalin's dachaFranco's palaceNapoleon's grandiose chateauHitler's Eastern Front HQ<<<
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Dramatic scenery is an attraction at Hitler's Eagle's Nest retreat in the Bavarian mountains.This mountain retreat near the town of Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps was originally a place where Hitler could receive visiting dignitaries.The chalet is reached via a 124-meter elevator drilled into the mountain.On the same mountain, a backup Nazi command base -- the Berghof -- was destroyed by Allied bombing.The Eagle's Nest (Kehlsteinhaus, in German), however, is still open as a restaurant and information center -- and a $22.5 million upgrade has recently been announced.Visitors reach the house by ascending through the mountain in Hitler's brass elevator carKehlsteinhaus (+49 8652 2029; €21.50/$28 per person). The official website has directions for reaching Berchtesgaden and the Eagle's Nest by car and bus.
Stalin's Black Sea retreat is now a cramped museum.Josef Stalin's Dacha, Sochi, RussiaOn the outskirts of the Russian Black Sea resort town of Sochi -- host of the 2014 Winter Olympics -- sits Joe Stalin's summer residence.Purpose built, complete with palm trees imported from California and sniper emplacements, this was Stalin's favorite escape from Moscow.It's now a small and somewhat uncomfortable museum, where a waxwork of the mass-murdering Soviet leader can be found sitting at his old desk.Tours booked via Tours By Locals.Stalin's summer dacha, Kurortnyj pr. 120, Sochi; +7 8622 970 502Benito Mussolini: Villa Torlonia, Rome
Frescos in Benito Mussolini's Rome residence, where the fascist dictator installed a tennis court and screened films.The neo-classical Villa Torlonia was Benito Mussolini's residence between 1925 and 1943.The Italian dictator installed a tennis court and hosted movie screenings here.Now home to a cluster of museums, the Documentation section in the basement shows films from the villa's time under Mussolini.Elsewhere, it's sculpture, stained glass and city archives with barely a mention of Il Duce's home comforts.Villa Torlonia Museum, Via Nomentana 70, Rome; Tuesday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; tickets from €8 ($10.50)Francisco Franco: Palacio Real del Pardo, MadridThe Spanish equivalent of Villa Torlonia is the Palacio Real del Pardo, where General Francisco Franco hunkered down for much of his iron-fisted rule.The hilltop hideaway is now used for keeping visiting heads of state out of harm's way, but when no dignitaries are in town, it can be visited as part of a guided tour.Anecdotes about Franco's home life are conspicuous by their absence.El Pardo Royal Palace, Calle Manuel Alonso, Madrid; +34 913 761 500; Monday-Sunday, 10 a.m-8 p.m. from April-September; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. from October-March; tickets €9Napoleon Bonaparte: Château de Fontainebleau, FranceIn one of his more egotistical moments, Napoleon decided to spend a fortune revamping the disheveled Château de Fontainebleau.He wanted the property, about 55 kilometers from central Paris, to top the Palace of Versailles -- which had hated royal associations.The emperor had his imperial court at Fontainebleau -- more than 1,000 people could stay in the chateau at one time -- and most of the decor and furnishing dates to Napoleon's era.Château de Fontainebleau Museum, 77300 Fontainebleau; + 33 01 60 71 50 70; open every day except Tuesday, from 9.30 a.m.-5-6 p.m.; €11Josip Tito: Facility D-0 ARK, Bosnia
Top secret until the 1990s: a bomb shelter in Yugoslav strongman Josip Tito's D-0 ARK facility, in Bosnia.Former Yugoslav strongman Josip Tito's bunker in Konjic, Bosnia, was built as a control center for military operations and an atomic shelter for the president and his family.A labyrinth of underground tunnels, meeting rooms and residential quarters, Facility D-0 ARK was kept secret until the 1990s.Now, for one summer only, it's been turned into an art project.Project Biennale has filled the gloomy corridors with dozens of art installations.D-O ARK Underground; tours on special buses only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until September 26, 2013, departing from the town of Konjic; +387 61 726 030King Zog: St. Katharine's Parmoor, EnglandAfter being kicked out of Albania in 1939, Albania's autocratic King Zog settled in London's Ritz Hotel before moving to Parmoor House in Buckinghamshire for nearly five years.The former farmhouse is now St. Katharine's Parmoor -- a religious retreat, usually booked out by groups on weekends, but letting rooms to individuals during the week.There's little regal grandeur -- just frugal, unfussy rooms and chickens running round the gardens.St. Katharine's Parmoor, Frieth, Henley-on-Thames; +44 (0)1494 881 037Adolf Hitler: Wolf's Lair, PolandDeliberately built miles from civilization in the forests of northeastern Poland, Wolf's Lair was the Nazis' 6.5-square-kilometer eastern front HQ.Hitler spent nearly three years here in total; it was also the site of the infamous Stauffenberg assassination plot -- which only failed because the meeting room was switched at the last minute.One of the buildings in the complex is now a hotel (rooms from $38) that offers dubious on-site activities such as a shooting range and tours in military vehicles.Wolf's Lair, Gierloz, 11-400 Ketrzyn; +48 89 752 44 29; sightseeing from 8 a.m until dusk, $5 per person0Comments »SHARE THISPrintEmailMore sharingRedditStumbleUponDelicious/* push in config for this share instance */cnn_shareconfig.push({"id" : "cnn_sharebar2","url" : "http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/24/travel/dictators-lairs/index.html","title" : "Hitler\'s Eagle\'s Nest and other tyrants\' lairs open to all"});var OB_permalink='http://edition.cnn.com'+location.pathname;var OB_langJS='http://widgets.outbrain.com/lang_en.js';var OB_widgetId='AR_1';var OB_Template="cnnedition";if (typeof(OB_Script)!='undefined'){OutbrainStart();}else{var OB_Script=true;var str="cnnad_createAd("102417","http://ads.cnn.com/html.ng/site=cnn_international&cnn_intl_pagetype=mmst&cnn_intl_position=607x95_adlinks&cnn_intl_rollup=travel&page.allowcompete=no¶ms.styles=fs","95","607");cnnad_registerSpace(102417,607,95);
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EDITION: INTERNATIONAL U.S. MÉXICO ARABIC TV: CNNi CNN en Español Set edition preference Sign up Log in Home Video World U.S. Africa Asia Europe Latin America Middle East Business World Sport Entertainment Tech Travel iReport SHARE THISPrintEmailMore sharingRedditStumbleUponDelicious/* push in config for this share instance */cnn_shareconfig.push({"id" : "cnn_sharebar1","url" : "http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/24/travel/dictators-lairs/index.html","title" : "Hitler\'s Eagle\'s Nest and other tyrants\' lairs open to all"});Hitler's Eagle's Nest and other tyrants' lairs open to allBy David Whitley, for CNNJuly 24, 2013 -- Updated 0832 GMT (1632 HKT)if (typeof cnnArticleGallery=="undefined"){var cnnArticleGallery={};if(typeof cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList=="undefined"){cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList=[];}}var expGalleryPT00=new ArticleExpandableGallery();expGalleryPT00.setImageCount(8);expGalleryPT00.setAdsRefreshCount(3);//cnn_adbptrackpgalimg("Hitler\'s Eagle\'s Nest", 1);.cnn_html_slideshow_metadata > .cnn_html_media_utility::before{color:red;content:'>>';font-size:9px;line-height:12px;padding-right:1px}.cnnstrylccimg640{margin:0 27px 14px 0}.captionText{filter:alpha(opacity=100);opacity:1}.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a,.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a:visited,.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a:link,.captionText a,.captionText a:visited,.captiontext a:link{color:#004276;outline:medium none}.cnnVerticalGalleryPhoto{margin:0 auto;padding-right:68px;width:270px}Adolf Hitler's former alpine retreat is reached via a 124-meter elevator drilled into the mountain. The complex -- now a restaurant and information center -- is set to get a $22.5 million upgrade.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":true,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":1,"title":"Hitler\'s Eagle\'s Nest"}Yugoslav strongman Josip Tito's personal atomic shelter, in Bosnia, was a secret until the 1990s -- now it houses a temporary art exhibition.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":2,"title":"Tito\'s nuclear shelter"}The neoclassical Villa Torlonia, in Rome, was Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's residence between 1925 and 1943 and now contains a museum and archives.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":3,"title":"Mussolini\'s Villa Torlonia"}After being booted out of Albania in 1939, the dictatorial King Zog's unlikely residence was Parmoor House, in Buckinghamshire -- it's currently a religious retreat. Here, supporters of the self-titled Zog carry his portrait at a reburial ceremony in Tirana.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":4,"title":"King Zog\'s Buckinghamshire bolthole"}Palm trees imported from California and sniper emplacements completed the murderous Stalin's favorite Black Sea summer escape. The dacha has become a cramped museum.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":5,"title":"Stalin\'s dacha"}Iron-fisted Spanish dictator Francisco Franco's former hilltop hideaway, the Palacio Real del Pardo, can be toured when foreign dignitaries aren't being put up there. Here a Spanish guardsman performs at the palace.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":6,"title":"Franco\'s palace"}Napoleon's silken briefs on show at the Château de Fontainebleau, which the French autocrat wanted to top the Palace of Versailles.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":7,"title":"Napoleon\'s grandiose chateau"}The son of Claus von Stauffenberg visits the Wolf's Lair, Hitler's Polish bolthole, where the famous failed assassination attempt against the dictator took place. There's now a hotel on the site.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":8,"title":"Hitler\'s Eastern Front HQ"}HIDE CAPTIONHitler's Eagle's NestTito's nuclear shelterMussolini's Villa TorloniaKing Zog's Buckinghamshire boltholeStalin's dachaFranco's palaceNapoleon's grandiose chateauHitler's Eastern Front HQ<<<
Yugoslav strongman Josip Tito's personal atomic shelter, in Bosnia, was a secret until the 1990s -- now it houses a temporary art exhibition.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":2,"title":"Tito\'s nuclear shelter"}
The neoclassical Villa Torlonia, in Rome, was Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's residence between 1925 and 1943 and now contains a museum and archives.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":3,"title":"Mussolini\'s Villa Torlonia"}
After being booted out of Albania in 1939, the dictatorial King Zog's unlikely residence was Parmoor House, in Buckinghamshire -- it's currently a religious retreat. Here, supporters of the self-titled Zog carry his portrait at a reburial ceremony in Tirana.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":4,"title":"King Zog\'s Buckinghamshire bolthole"}
Palm trees imported from California and sniper emplacements completed the murderous Stalin's favorite Black Sea summer escape. The dacha has become a cramped museum.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":5,"title":"Stalin\'s dacha"}
Iron-fisted Spanish dictator Francisco Franco's former hilltop hideaway, the Palacio Real del Pardo, can be toured when foreign dignitaries aren't being put up there. Here a Spanish guardsman performs at the palace.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":6,"title":"Franco\'s palace"}
Napoleon's silken briefs on show at the Château de Fontainebleau, which the French autocrat wanted to top the Palace of Versailles.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":7,"title":"Napoleon\'s grandiose chateau"}
The son of Claus von Stauffenberg visits the Wolf's Lair, Hitler's Polish bolthole, where the famous failed assassination attempt against the dictator took place. There's now a hotel on the site.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":8,"title":"Hitler\'s Eastern Front HQ"}HIDE CAPTIONHitler's Eagle's NestTito's nuclear shelterMussolini's Villa TorloniaKing Zog's Buckinghamshire boltholeStalin's dachaFranco's palaceNapoleon's grandiose chateauHitler's Eastern Front HQ<<<12345678>>>Event.observe(window,'load',function(){if(typeof(cnn_adbptrackpgalimg) == 'function' && typeof(cnnArticleGallery) != 'undefined'){cnn_adbptrackpgalimg(cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[0].image,"Hitler's Eagle's Nest and other tyrants' lairs open to all");}});STORY HIGHLIGHTSHitler's alpine bolthole getting multi-million dollar upgradeJosef Stalin's retreat is in the resort town of Sochi, host of the 2014 Winter OlympicsAfter leaving Albania in 1939, Albania's King Zog settled in Parmoor House in BuckinghamshireNapoleon's digs are on view at Château de Fontainebleau(CNN) -- With Adolf Hitler's WWII Bavarian mountain retreat set to undergo a multi-million dollar makeover, travel to the onetime lairs and luxury retreats of tyrants is in the spotlight.
Many monuments built by megalomaniacs are open to the public.From Tito's nuclear bunker to Stalin's summer house to Mussolini's villa, autocrat hideouts have become tourist attractions.Does visiting places associated with ruthless dictatorships serve as a useful history lesson? Or is it a disservice to the memories of those who suffered under brutal regimes?It can be uncomfortable posing for pictures at places where the darkest events of the Third Reich were carried out. Yet the preservation of such sites also serves as an important reminder of historic atrocities.All of these places are easy enough to get to. Whether you actually want to go is another question ...Adolf Hitler: Eagle's Nest, BavariaDramatic scenery is an attraction at Hitler's Eagle's Nest retreat in the Bavarian mountains.This mountain retreat near the town of Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps was originally a place where Hitler could receive visiting dignitaries.The chalet is reached via a 124-meter elevator drilled into the mountain.On the same mountain, a backup Nazi command base -- the Berghof -- was destroyed by Allied bombing.The Eagle's Nest (Kehlsteinhaus, in German), however, is still open as a restaurant and information center -- and a $22.5 million upgrade has recently been announced.Visitors reach the house by ascending through the mountain in Hitler's brass elevator carKehlsteinhaus (+49 8652 2029; €21.50/$28 per person). The official website has directions for reaching Berchtesgaden and the Eagle's Nest by car and bus.Stalin's Black Sea retreat is now a cramped museum.Josef Stalin's Dacha, Sochi, RussiaOn the outskirts of the Russian Black Sea resort town of Sochi -- host of the 2014 Winter Olympics -- sits Joe Stalin's summer residence.Purpose built, complete with palm trees imported from California and sniper emplacements, this was Stalin's favorite escape from Moscow.It's now a small and somewhat uncomfortable museum, where a waxwork of the mass-murdering Soviet leader can be found sitting at his old desk.Tours booked via Tours By Locals.Stalin's summer dacha, Kurortnyj pr. 120, Sochi; +7 8622 970 502Benito Mussolini: Villa Torlonia, RomeFrescos in Benito Mussolini's Rome residence, where the fascist dictator installed a tennis court and screened films.The neo-classical Villa Torlonia was Benito Mussolini's residence between 1925 and 1943.The Italian dictator installed a tennis court and hosted movie screenings here.Now home to a cluster of museums, the Documentation section in the basement shows films from the villa's time under Mussolini.Elsewhere, it's sculpture, stained glass and city archives with barely a mention of Il Duce's home comforts.Villa Torlonia Museum, Via Nomentana 70, Rome; Tuesday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; tickets from €8 ($10.50)Francisco Franco: Palacio Real del Pardo, MadridThe Spanish equivalent of Villa Torlonia is the Palacio Real del Pardo, where General Francisco Franco hunkered down for much of his iron-fisted rule.The hilltop hideaway is now used for keeping visiting heads of state out of harm's way, but when no dignitaries are in town, it can be visited as part of a guided tour.Anecdotes about Franco's home life are conspicuous by their absence.El Pardo Royal Palace, Calle Manuel Alonso, Madrid; +34 913 761 500; Monday-Sunday, 10 a.m-8 p.m. from April-September; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. from October-March; tickets €9Napoleon Bonaparte: Château de Fontainebleau, FranceIn one of his more egotistical moments, Napoleon decided to spend a fortune revamping the disheveled Château de Fontainebleau.He wanted the property, about 55 kilometers from central Paris, to top the Palace of Versailles -- which had hated royal associations.The emperor had his imperial court at Fontainebleau -- more than 1,000 people could stay in the chateau at one time -- and most of the decor and furnishing dates to Napoleon's era.Château de Fontainebleau Museum, 77300 Fontainebleau; + 33 01 60 71 50 70; open every day except Tuesday, from 9.30 a.m.-5-6 p.m.; €11Josip Tito: Facility D-0 ARK, BosniaTop secret until the 1990s: a bomb shelter in Yugoslav strongman Josip Tito's D-0 ARK facility, in Bosnia.Former Yugoslav strongman Josip Tito's bunker in Konjic, Bosnia, was built as a control center for military operations and an atomic shelter for the president and his family.A labyrinth of underground tunnels, meeting rooms and residential quarters, Facility D-0 ARK was kept secret until the 1990s.Now, for one summer only, it's been turned into an art project.Project Biennale has filled the gloomy corridors with dozens of art installations.D-O ARK Underground; tours on special buses only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until September 26, 2013, departing from the town of Konjic; +387 61 726 030King Zog: St. Katharine's Parmoor, EnglandAfter being kicked out of Albania in 1939, Albania's autocratic King Zog settled in London's Ritz Hotel before moving to Parmoor House in Buckinghamshire for nearly five years.The former farmhouse is now St. Katharine's Parmoor -- a religious retreat, usually booked out by groups on weekends, but letting rooms to individuals during the week.There's little regal grandeur -- just frugal, unfussy rooms and chickens running round the gardens.St. Katharine's Parmoor, Frieth, Henley-on-Thames; +44 (0)1494 881 037Adolf Hitler: Wolf's Lair, PolandDeliberately built miles from civilization in the forests of northeastern Poland, Wolf's Lair was the Nazis' 6.5-square-kilometer eastern front HQ.Hitler spent nearly three years here in total; it was also the site of the infamous Stauffenberg assassination plot -- which only failed because the meeting room was switched at the last minute.One of the buildings in the complex is now a hotel (rooms from $38) that offers dubious on-site activities such as a shooting range and tours in military vehicles.Wolf's Lair, Gierloz, 11-400 Ketrzyn; +48 89 752 44 29; sightseeing from 8 a.m until dusk, $5 per person0Comments »SHARE THISPrintEmailMore sharingRedditStumbleUponDelicious/* push in config for this share instance */cnn_shareconfig.push({"id" : "cnn_sharebar2","url" : "http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/24/travel/dictators-lairs/index.html","title" : "Hitler\'s Eagle\'s Nest and other tyrants\' lairs open to all"});var OB_permalink='http://edition.cnn.com'+location.pathname;var OB_langJS='http://widgets.outbrain.com/lang_en.js';var OB_widgetId='AR_1';var OB_Template="cnnedition";if (typeof(OB_Script)!='undefined'){OutbrainStart();}else{var OB_Script=true;var str="cnnad_createAd("102417","http://ads.cnn.com/html.ng/site=cnn_international&cnn_intl_pagetype=mmst&cnn_intl_position=607x95_adlinks&cnn_intl_rollup=travel&page.allowcompete=no¶ms.styles=fs","95","607");cnnad_registerSpace(102417,607,95);Part of complete coverage on CNN Travel25 greatest engineering featsJuly 5, 2013 -- Updated 2325 GMT (0725 HKT)Big, bold, beautiful -- the bridges, skyscrapers and other impressive projects that showcase human achievement. 10 things to know about BrazilJuly 24, 2013 -- Updated 1515 GMT (2315 HKT)It's probably the biggest country most of the world doesn't know a heckuva a lot about. 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Pros Easy-to-understand upgrade for existing QuickBooks users. Generous data capacity. Can work in two company files simultaneously. Pre-defined user roles. Enhanced customizability.Cons Remote access limited; uses WebEx. No revenue recognition management. Reporting, inventory lacking. Limited global capabilities. Bottom Line QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions represents the top of the QuickBooks desktop software product line. It adds data capacity, more sophisticated inventory management, support for multiple entities, and consolidation to the same feature set, navigational scheme and user interface that's offered in Intuit's other products.By Kathy Yakal 
Anyone who has investigated small business accounting software at all knows the name "QuickBooks." Long the market leader, QuickBooks has won numerous Editors' Choice awards from us, thanks to its usability and a smart set of accounting tools. The software family has been around since the early 90s, when QuickBooks for DOS was launched.
Over the years, the line has grown. QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions is the newest (though it's at least a decade old) member, and the most sophisticated. It looks and works exactly like the more junior versions of QuickBooks, which means it uses simplified language and a clean, attractive user interface and straightforward navigational tools to make accounting more understandable for non-accountants.
QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions, being the very top of the Intuit food chain, adds complexity and capacity in many areas. It's superior to the rest of the line in areas like pricing flexibility, inventory management and reporting. It can track tens of thousands of people, items, accounts, etc., and up to 30 employees can access it simultaneously.
That would imply that QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions can be used by companies large enough to have 30 people working on the financial books at the same time. It's unlikely that the application would be used by such a sizable business, given that it's not scalable; it's rooted to the desktop (unless it's hosted) without the benefit of a lot of comparable add-ons (it can integrate with options in the Intuit App Center, but they're not built to take advantage of midrange solutions, except for Salesforce) and it lacks some of the automation and depth offered by the midrange solutions I reviewed.
Bases Covered
Like Sage 50 Quantum, QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions touches the low end of midrange accounting applications (though it doesn't have inventory management muscle to rival Sage 50 Quantum unless you pay for the Advanced Inventory module). It's gone about as far as it can go in terms of meeting small business bookkeeping needs without overwhelming its target market with too much.
Intuit has, therefore, for the past few years focused on giving users better access to their existing data and streamlining the interface. Its core is a solid double-entry, GAAP-compliant accounting solution, but as it faces the user, it replicates the tasks they were previously doing manually. It maintains a general ledger and provides record and transaction forms for managing accounts payable and receivable, inventory and payroll, and reports.
Because it's a desktop software product, though, it makes those financial chores faster and easier, and the results more accurate. Once you create a customer record using the templates provided, for example, you can insert that data anywhere it's needed—on an invoice, in a collection letter, in a report, etc., without ever having to type it in again. All of the program's individual elements are integrated, and they're designed to accelerate the daily workflow and ensure that accounting rules are followed, warning the user when something isn't being done correctly.
Above and Beyond
QuickBooks Pro and Premier do all of those things. But Enterprise Solutions adds functionality and flexibility to every part of the product. Forms have more custom fields. You can work in two company files simultaneously and create consolidated financial statements. You can do more tasks on a global and/or multi-user level, like change price levels or set defaults, and adjust inventory or change sales tax rates. Pricing levels are far more flexible: You can establish hundreds of them.
Inventory management –always the weakest area in Pro and Premier – is much stronger. You can manage multiple warehouses and always know where your stock is down to the bin level. Bar code scanning and serial or lot tracking are also available. It supports two costing methods: average cost and FIFO (Sage 50 Quantum and true midrange solutions offer more). QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions also supports connections to ODBC-compliant applications for custom report creation.
The Weather Channel (for Windows Phone)
Pros Trusted source of weather info. Simple, clear, touch-friendly design. Animated weather maps. Hourly and 10-day forecasts. TV video weathercasts. Cons Live tile doesn't update frequently enough by default. No lock screen entry. Premium features only available for Nokia phones. Bottom Line You need a weather app for your Windows Phone, and this one does the trick.
By Michael Muchmore
By Michael Muchmore Every morning, before heading out the door to work, I pick up my smart phone or tablet (whichever is closer to hand) and run the Weather Channel app to see whether I'll need to tote along my bumbershoot in case of the advent of inclement precipitation. In the cooler seasons I'll do the same to see which jacket I'll need to don. Sure, all the mobile platforms come with built-in weather apps, but those can't hold a candle in the wind to Weather.com's free, in-depth, up-to-the-minute, deep yet concise coverage.
There are actually two versions of the app: One for any Windows Phone user, and a Nokia version that adds a few more features, which I'll discuss later. For now, let's take a walk through setting up and using the Weather Channel app available to all Windows Phone users.
As you'd expect, the app requires access to your location to be worth much, so at install you'd probably better accept the privacy warning prompt. Next, so that there's no confusion over whether 30 degrees is cold or hot, if you're in one of the three countries on earth that don't use the metric system—the Burma, Liberia, and the United States—you can choose Imperial measurements, as opposed to the Celsius units used by the rest of the developed and undeveloped world.
Interface
The first run of the app has a small delay, but if you've allowed location sharing, after a few seconds, you'll see your local temperature, the next three day's forecast, and any alerts about severe conditions. When I tested the app on my Nokia Lumia 928, I saw two such alerts—a Heat Advisory and an Air Quality Alert. Tapping the orange notification opened a page with more info on these conditions.
Tapping on the weekday entry below the big temperature number opens an hourly table of upcoming conditions, showing projected temperature, precipitation, and wind. This is very useful if you know you'll be outside during the day. Swiping right show the 36-hour forecast, and swiping again opens a table for the next 10 day's weather, including a graph showing the rise and fall of high and low temperatures and each day's percent chance of rain. It's a really clear and nifty view, especially when it's fixing to cool off, as it finally is at testing time.
You can swipe through three more sections in the app in addition to the current conditions page: radar map, video, and menu. You can select a number of map overlays—radar, clouds, both, UV, temperature, feels like, dew point, and wind speed, as well as the past 24 hours precipitation. You can pan and zoom around the map to see conditions in other areas, and just hit the location button to get back to where you currently are.
Though I've read comments in the Windows Phone app store claiming that the animated weather maps were too many hours old to be useful, that was not my experience in testing the maps. I saw a radar map for Pittsburgh that ended just 4 minutes prior to the testing time.
Canon EOS-1D X
Pros Full-frame image sensor. 14fps burst capability. 61-point autofocus system. Excellent images at very high ISO settings. Built like a tank. Loads of controls. Dual CF card slots. 1080p video capture.Cons Very expensive. Heavy. No built-in flash. No headphone jack. Uncompressed HDMI video output not possible. Switching between still and video live view mode is cumbersome. Bottom Line The Canon EOS-1D X is a great choice for sports shooters and photojournalists, but is likely an overkill for most shooters.By Jim Fisher 
The Canon EOS-1D X ($6,799 direct) is a camera that just screams professional. It's physically imposing, with a big design that incorporates portrait and landscape shooting controls and loads of control buttons. The 18-megapixel full-frame image sensor is impressive in low light, and the autofocus system features 61 selectable points. Its banner feature is the ability to shoot at an impressive 14 frames per second, a figure that is sure to please photographers who make a living capturing fast action. If you need this type of camera, you know it, but it's not perfect. For non-pros, another Canon full-frame camera, the EOS 6D, is a better choice. It's a comparative bargain and our Editors' Choice for full-frame D-SLRs, but its burst shooting capabilities and its autofocus system pale in comparison.
Design and Features
Like its closest competitor, the Nikon D4 the 1D X features a design that incorporates vertical shooting controls in addition to the standard horizontal ones. Other enthusiast-oriented D-SLRs, including the APS-C Pentax K-5 IIs and every full-frame D-SLR on the market, offer a vertical shooting grip as an add-on accessory. The grip houses a huge battery—it's rated for more than 1,110 shots using the viewfinder, though extensive use of live view will reduce that figure. The 1D X measures 6.4 by 6.2 by 3.3 inches (HWD) and weighs 3.4 pounds. Like other top-end cameras it features a magnesium alloy chassis, covered in hard polycarbonate and a grippy textured leatherette. The body is protected against dust and moisture, and the image sensor features a self-cleaning mechanism to help reduce the occurrence of dust spots.
The viewfinder is a pleasure to use. It's a pentaprism design that covers 100 percent of the frame and offers 0.76x magnification. That's slightly larger than the 0.7x finder found in the Nikon D800. The difference doesn't sound like much on paper, but the 1D X shows a noticeably larger image in its finder than the Nikon when viewing the same subject through a lens of identical focal length, focused at the same distance. The default focusing screen is clear and bright, but you can change it out to one that best suits your purposes. Canon offers screens that are ideal for macro photography, as well as one with a split-image focusing aid.
There are more controls than you can shake a stick at strewn across the camera's ample body. Two pairs of control buttons surround the lens mount—by default one activates the depth of field preview function and the other resets the active focus point to its default location. Like most of the controls on the camera, these can be customized to your liking.
There are three buttons on the top to the left of the viewfinder. The Mode button lets you toggle between aperture priority, shutter priority, manual, and other shooting modes; just press it once, use either the rear or top control wheel to change the setting, and press it again to set it. The AF-Drive button serves two purposes—press it and the top control wheel adjust the autofocus mode, while the rear wheel sets the continuous shooting mode. The third button operates in a similar fashion, giving you control over the metering pattern and the flash compensation. (There's no flash built-in; this function only applies when using the 1D X with an E-TTL Speedlite.)
To the right of the finder you'll find a button to active the backlight for the top-mounted information LCD, and others to adjust white balance, exposure compensation, and ISO. On the grip there's the standard shutter release, a programmable M-Fn button, and a control wheel. These, along with the AF-ON, exposure lock, and autofocus point select controls that live on the top right corner of the camera, are duplicated on the vertical shooting grip. Rear shooting controls are limited to a control wheel, a button to switch between the optical finder and live view, the Q button, and two directional controllers that serve the same function.
The Q button brings up a menu of shooting settings on the rear LCD, and it's also the easiest place to go if you want to customize the 1D X's controls. From its Custom Controls submenu you'll be able to adjust the behavior of the shutter release, the AF-ON button, both directional controllers, both control wheels, the exposure lock button, the depth of field preview button, both M-Fn controls, and the Set button. With a little bit of effort you're able to configure the 1D X to best suit your tastes.
The rear LCD is big at 3.2 inches, but it looks small when framed by the 1D X's body. Its resolution is an impressive 1,040k-dots. It's a bit sharper than the 920k-dot display found on the Nikon D800, but even looking at them side-by-side it's hard to notice the difference. There are some additional controls underneath the rear LCD. Four buttons control image playback and allow you to add voice notes to images. There's also a monochrome LCD on the back of the camera; it shows you which card slot is active and shows the selected file format.
New Super Luigi U. (for Nintendo Wii U )
Pros Tons of new levels. Great to see Luigi get his own action.Cons Timer makes things unnecessarily stressful. Little room to breathe when playing. Bottom Line New Super Luigi U gives the unsung Mario brother his own side-scrolling action, but it's a lot harder than New Super Mario Bros. U, the game on which this DLC is based..By Will Greenwald 
Luigi has it rough. While his brother Mario is the headliner in Nintendo's biggest games, Luigi is the sidekick at best and absent at worst. While Mario got swarms of gold coins to swim through in New Super Mario Bros. 2, Luigi got haunted houses to creep through in Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon. He's always getting the short end of the stick, which is why New Super Luigi U is so promising. This full-game DLC for New Super Mario Bros. U puts Luigi in center stage and takes Mario out of the picture for 80 new levels. The downloadable version offers effectively a full game for $19.99 over the Nintendo Wii U eShop, as long as you already own New Super Mario Bros. U, and a standalone disc-based version in a special Luigi green case will be released in August for $29.99. Unfortunately, once again the path Luigi treads is more difficult and less rewarding than his brother's.
The Challenge
New Super Luigi U. is a challenge game. Compare it to the original Super Mario Bros. 2 (not the American version) as a sequel or expansion to Super Mario Bros. The levels have the same elements but are much harder, and Luigi jumps higher and is much more difficult to control thanks to his "floatiness," an aspect introduced in Super Mario Bros. 2. While the design elements are clever just like New Super Mario Bros. U, every level in New Super Luigi U just feels like a remixed and shortened version of the game it expands upon. As DLC, this isn't exactly a con, but if you were hoping for the full, open New Super Mario Bros. U experience expanded by another game's length, you're going to be disappointed.
Each level has a 100-second time limit, a fraction of the amount of time New Super Mario Bros. U gave to get through its longer levels. You can get more time in certain situations like going into boss fights, but generally you're constrained to those 100 seconds to get from the start of the level to the end. Considering these levels are often densely designed and have several secrets, including the same three well-hidden star coins in each that the levels in New Super Mario Bros. U had, this turns an otherwise pleasant obstacle course into a stressful ordeal. With the 100-second time, there's no time to breathe, nevermind actively poking at every corner of the level. This makes the game feel more difficult, but it's a cheap difficulty that focuses on making you frantic rather than thoughtful.
Same as Mario
The DLC's structure is identical to New Super Mario Bros. U, down to a world map that doesn't bother to change at all. You go from area to area, running through levels, then fortresses with a mini-boss, then more levels, then a castle with a main box, until you finally reach the end. Even changing the season on the map and making every non-frozen area look like Autumn (which would have been a fine callback to Super Mario World to boot) would have made the main campaign feel fresh.
The multiplayer mode is slightly changed, because Mario has been replaced by Nabbit, the rabbit thief introduced in New Super Mario Bros. U. Nabbit can't be hurt by enemies, only environmental hazards, but he can't use items. He can only be played in the single player mode with a cheat, and considering the (admittedly hilarious) chaos of the multiplayer mode makes pits and players bigger dangers than enemies, he's not a big addition.
Nintendo doesn't do DLC often, but it delivered a full, satisfying expansion to New Super Mario Bros. U with New Super Luigi U. It has tons of levels, loads of challenge, and features Luigi as the star. Unfortunately, its time limit and the cheap, stressful sort of challenge it brings holds the otherwise clever levels back, and makes it feel like once again Luigi has gotten the harder, more thankless job than his brother. Luigi walks the same path as Mario, but his steps are much trickier.
The iPod Touch Gets Thinner
Good news for those sick of dropped signals and sluggish iMessage delivery: The iPhone 5 has chips that support additional bands and frequencies. It can handle HSPA+, DC-HSDPA and most importantly LTE, capable of delivering up to 100 Mbps per second. Mr. Schiller is detailing the carrier partners for the new iPhone: AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, Telefonica, to name a few, in Europe, Australia, Asia.
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