Police in the southern German state of Bavaria have detained a suspect after a fire broke out at the Kehlsteinhaus, the Alpine mountain retreat once used by Adolf Hitler and also known as the Eagle's Nest.
Dispatchers in Traunstein received a fire alarm from the building at 21:15 local time (19:15 GMT) on Friday. Firefighters found the building engulfed in flames.
Difficult terrain made it hard to put out the blaze. It was still burning early on Saturday, police said. Some 200 emergency personnel were deployed. There were no reports of injuries.
Historical background
The retreat sits above the town of Berchtesgaden. It was one of several buildings in the area used by Hitler and his entourage during World War Two.
Hitler and senior Nazi officials used his nearby Berghof residence to plan the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. The whole complex was considered one of his headquarters. He also used the area as a backdrop for propaganda films that portrayed him as a lover of animals and nature.
The Eagle's Nest was completed by the Nazis in 1938. It escaped destruction after their defeat in 1945. Since then, it has become a popular tourist destination and houses a mountain inn. Its official website describes it as “a cautionary reminder of the abysses of the inhumane Nazi dictatorship.”
Investigation
A criminal investigation is under way to determine whether the suspect is connected to the fire.
Wider debate over Hitler-linked buildings
Germany and Austria have debated whether to preserve, repurpose or demolish buildings linked to Hitler. Some argue these sites should be kept for historical reasons. Others worry they could become monuments or pilgrimage sites for neo-Nazis and far-right extremists.
In June, Berlin authorities announced they would tear down one of Hitler's bunkers, described at the time as “the power centre of Nazi Germany,” to build flats and offices on the site. Critics said the bunker had “significant historical value” and should have become a museum and memorial site with an exhibit about the end of the war.
In July, Austrian authorities refurbished the house in Braunau am Inn, the town where Hitler was born, and turned it into a police station. The move followed years of controversy.
