After the abortive 1923 putsch and his early release from prison, Adolf Hitler spent some time in Obersalzberg. He bought a chalet, which he transformed into a presidential palace in 1933; other Nazi leaders subsequently purchased houses here. After the expulsion of the local inhabitants, the town became a "forbidden zone" and the most important centre of power after Berlin. A permanent exhibition, dedicated to the history of the site and the Nazi dictatorship, can be viewed in the bunkers.