A fire on the evening of October 23 badly damaged the Kehlsteinhaus, known as the Eagle's Nest, atop a mountain near Berchtesgaden in southeastern Germany. Police arrested a 33-year-old German man riding a motorcycle down the access road and are also examining whether there was a political motive.
According to AP and Fox News, an alarm sounded at about 9:15 p.m. on Friday, October 23, at the Kehlsteinhaus in the Bavarian Alps. The building stands on a cliff about 1,834 meters above sea level and was built for Hitler in the Nazi era. The fire spread through the structure, and no injuries were reported.
광고 문의 · 300×250Rain turning to snow and strong wind made firefighting difficult. Crews fought the blaze for several hours before withdrawing overnight, and AP reported they could not enter because of the danger of falling debris, hoping to finish on Saturday, October 24. Photos showed the building still burning in the early hours of the 24th.
Arrest of a man on a motorcycle
Police stopped a 33-year-old German citizen riding a motorcycle down the access road and arrested him on suspicion of arson. He has ties to the area but does not live there. Prosecutors said he showed signs of mental illness and was taken to a psychiatric facility.
Prosecutors said that, given the site's history, they would also check for a political motive. Police said there are currently no indications that anyone else was involved. The motive and the exact sequence of events await the investigation, and this paper has not been able to confirm them.
Restoration plans and the question of memory
The building is owned by the Bavarian state government and has operated since 1952 as a cafe and restaurant with an exhibition on its history. Visitors ride an elevator cut into the rock, and buses use the closed mountain road by day. Hitler rarely used it and preferred the Berghof in the same area, which was left in ruins after the war and later demolished.
Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said, ‘We're not going to leave a ruin there.’ He said a sensible solution could be found and stressed the importance of continuing the work of remembrance. The building's future appearance will be discussed with local officials, historians and preservationists. The Obersalzberg Documentation Center farther down the mountain was not affected.