Hitler’s former residence burns down in German Alps
Photo: Authorities intend to restore the building (flickr.com)
On Friday, October 23, a residence built for Nazi German dictator Adolf Hitler burned down in the German Alps. A day later, authorities publicly announced the arrest of a man suspected of arson, reports the Associated Press.
According to the media, at around 9:15 p.m. on Friday, emergency services received a report of a fire in the Bavarian Alps in southeastern Germany.
Firefighters and police immediately arrived at the scene, which is located on a mountain. However, rain that turned into heavy snowfall made fighting the fire more difficult. Firefighters had to leave the scene overnight after several hours of work.
AP reports that rescuers had hoped to complete their work on Saturday, but they were unable to enter the building because of the danger posed by falling debris.
Meanwhile, law enforcement officers stopped and arrested a man on a motorcycle who was traveling in the opposite direction along the road. According to a statement from the prosecutor's office, the 33-year-old man, who is a German citizen and has ties to the Berchtesgaden area but does not live there, was questioned.
The prosecutor's office added that the suspect showed signs of mental illness, so he is being transferred to a psychiatric facility. Authorities will also consider the possibility of a political motive given the history of the building that burned down. Police clarified that, at this point, there are no indications that anyone else was involved.
What burned down and what happens next
The media clarified that the building that caught fire is known in Germany as the Kehlsteinhaus, or the "Eagle's Nest." It was a former residence of the German dictator that was used for Adolf Hitler's meetings from 1938 to 1945.
The building is located on a rocky outcrop at an altitude of 1,834 meters (6,017 feet) above sea level. It can be reached by an elevator built into the rock near the end of a mountain road. The road is closed to regular vehicle traffic, but buses operate along it during the day to transport visitors.
The residence suffered virtually no damage during World War II, and since 1952, the building has operated as a café and restaurant. It is also presented as an exhibition dedicated to the site's history.
Hitler himself rarely visited the Kehlsteinhaus, unlike the Berghof residence, which is also located in the Berchtesgaden area. The ruins of the latter were demolished in 1952.
Returning to the "Eagle's Nest," officials said the building would be restored, although they did not specify how this would be done following the fire.
Meanwhile, the Obersalzberg Documentation Center, located farther down the mountain and housing the region's main historical exhibition, was not affected by the fire.
What else you need to know
Earlier this summer, a police station officially began operating in the house in Braunau am Inn, Austria, where Adolf Hitler was born. Authorities aim to permanently erase the building's ideological associations.
