A large fire broke out on the evening of Friday 23 October at the Eagle’s Nest, the historic refuge in the Bavarian Alps built for Adolf Hitler and used by the leaders of the Nazi regime. Flames engulfed the Kehlsteinhaus, at 1,834 meters above sea level, near Berchtesgaden, in southern Germany.
Rescuers arrived at 9.52pm, finding the building completely engulfed in flames. Around 200 operators, including firefighters, police and emergency personnel, have been mobilised. The extinguishing operations were particularly difficult due to the isolated position of the building and the need to use respiratory protection equipment.
The Bavarian police announced that they had arrested a suspicious person, but did not confirm his involvement in the fire. The investigations are entrusted to the Traunstein criminal police. At the moment there are no injuries and, according to initial reconstructions, no one was inside the building.
What is the Eagle’s Nest?
Built between 1937 and 1938, the Kehlsteinhaus was a representative building of the Nazi regime, intended to welcome foreign guests and diplomats. It should not be confused with the Berghof, Hitler’s real mountain residence, which was located in the same area as the Obersalzberg. The dictator frequented the Eagle’s Nest only occasionally. It was used most often by Eva Braun and other members of the Nazi circle. Having survived the Second World War, the building became a panoramic restaurant in 1952 and one of the main tourist attractions in the region. A permanent exhibition tells of its role during National Socialism.