A luxury hotel has been officially inaugurated on the grounds that were once part of Adolf Hitler's Obersalzberg mountain retreat. In ceremonies at the new Intercontinental Resort Berchtesgaden, Bavaria's finance minister Kurt Faltlhauser noted that it was “a place burdened by history.” But he added that the area “traditionally has always been a place of stunning natural splendor and health and recreation. It is in that tradition that this new hotel opens.” The choice of the site had drawn criticism from Jewish groups. In response, the state of Bavaria opened a museum there in 1999 dealing with the location’s Nazi past. In addition, it was determined that the hotel would cater to high-income guests, in hopes of making it inhospitable for neo-Nazis. The remaining buildings were destroyed in 1952 to discourage pro-Hitler pilgrims to come to the site. Later, Berchtesgaden was used by the US military as a resort. The hotel has been open to guests since last March.