Man, 33, Arrested After Fire Destroys Most of Hitler's Eagle's Nest Retreat in Bavaria
A German citizen with signs of mental illness is in custody after a blaze left the Kehlsteinhaus, a protected landmark of the Nazi era, largely destroyed.
By News Media House Staff ·
Police in Bavaria have arrested a 33-year-old German citizen following a fire that left Adolf Hitler's former mountain retreat, known as the Eagle's Nest, largely destroyed. The blaze hit the protected Kehlsteinhaus, which stands on the peak of Obersalzberg in southern Germany.
About 200 firefighters were sent to the remote building on Friday night. Police said crews arrived to find it "completely ablaze," and nobody was injured. Firefighters found no one inside.
The alarm was raised at about 9.15pm, when a smoke detector triggered a fire alert. By the time crews reached the site at about 9.50pm, flames had engulfed the whole structure. Fire departments from six municipalities responded, along with the Bavarian Red Cross, the local mountain rescue service and police.
The location made the job extremely difficult. Police spokesperson Lisa Maier said the building sits at an altitude of 1,834 metres (6,000ft) and could only be reached with "heavy breathing apparatus." Strong wind and rain, which later turned into the year's first snow, further hampered the effort, and firefighters had to withdraw overnight after several hours.
The fire was reportedly still burning at 7am on Saturday and appeared to be out later in the morning, though smoke kept rising from the building. A police spokesperson told the tabloid Bild: "It is damaged to a large extent. The house is unlikely to be saved." Officers closed the road leading to the retreat.
German media reported that investigators suspected arson, though no official cause was given. The suspect has ties to the area but does not live there. Prosecutors said he showed signs of mental illness and, after questioning, was being sent to a psychiatric facility. Police said a political motive would be examined, but nothing indicated that anyone else was involved. Maier said a news conference would be held on Saturday.
The Eagle's Nest was built between 1937 and 1938 and formally inaugurated by Hitler on his birthday in 1939. It was one of the few undamaged monuments of the Hitler era. Visitors reach it through a road cut into the mountain across previously impassable terrain, then a tunnel and a 124-metre brass lift buried in the rock.
The site became legendary after the war and was often portrayed in US war films as an essential meeting place, although Hitler in reality rarely visited. Since 1952 it has housed a restaurant and an exhibition by the Institute for Contemporary History on its Nazi past. Its website describes it as preserved as a monument to "the insanity of the regime."
The building belongs to Bavaria's state government, and officials indicated it would be restored after talks with local officials, historians and conservators. "We're not going to leave a ruin there," Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann told reporters, adding that it was important to continue "the work of remembrance."
Originally published by News Media House · Source: The Guardian
