Police provisionally detained a suspect after flames engulfed the Nazi-era building, now a restaurant. Investigators were examining whether the person had any connection to the fire.
A fire engulfed the Kehlsteinhaus, also known as the Eagle’s Nest, in Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, in southern Germany on the evening of 23 October, Bavarian police said. Bavaria’s interior minister Joachim Herrmann says the state intends to restore the historic building, the Guardian reported on 24 October.
The protected building was a mountain retreat of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler and survived World War II bombing unscathed. Before the fire, it housed a restaurant and an Institute for Contemporary History exhibition recounting its Nazi history, uses dating to 1952. A police spokesperson told Bild that the building was extensively damaged and unlikely to be saved, according to the Guardian.
Bavaria’s state government owns the Kehlsteinhaus. Officials indicated that restoration would follow discussions with local officials, historians and conservators—specialists who preserve historic buildings and objects—the Guardian reported.
“We’re not going to leave a ruin there,” Herrmann told reporters. He said it was important to continue “the work of remembrance”, linking the restoration commitment to the site’s role in explaining its Nazi past.
By the morning of 24 October, the blaze appeared to be out, although smoke continued to rise, the Guardian reported. Nobody was injured, and firefighters found no one inside. Police blocked the road leading to the retreat.
The alarm reached the emergency control centre at about 9:15 p.m. local time on 23 October. Crews saw flames as they approached, but getting engines to the site, about 1,834 metres above sea level, was difficult. About 200 firefighters from six municipalities took part. Police said heavy-duty breathing equipment was needed to enter the building or its immediate surroundings.
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Police provisionally detained a person shortly after the fire began while investigating a possible connection to it. The Guardian, citing Bild, reported that the detainee was a motorcyclist officers encountered on their way to the scene. The Guardian subsequently identified the suspect as a 33-year-old German citizen. Prosecutors said he showed signs of mental illness and was being sent to a psychiatric facility after questioning.
German media reported that investigators suspected arson, according to the Guardian. Traunstein Criminal Police continued investigating the cause under the direction of the Traunstein public prosecutor’s office. The Guardian reported that investigators would examine a possible political motive. Police said there was nothing to indicate anyone else was involved.
Police spokesperson Lisa Maier said a news conference was planned for 24 October, according to the Guardian.
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