Suspect Detained as Fire Hits Hitler's Eagle's Nest
Bavarian police detained a suspect while about 200 emergency workers fought a blaze at the Kehlsteinhaus mountain retreat.
Police in the southern German state of Bavaria detained a suspect during a fire at the Kehlsteinhaus, Adolf Hitler's Alpine mountain retreat, also known as the Eagle's Nest. A criminal investigation is under way to determine whether the suspect is connected to the fire.
Dispatchers in Traunstein received a fire alarm from the building at 21:15 local time (19:15 GMT) on Friday. Firefighters found it engulfed in flames. Difficult terrain hindered efforts to put the fire out, and it was still burning early on Saturday, police said. About 200 emergency personnel were deployed, and no injuries were reported.
The building
The retreat stands above the town of Berchtesgaden at an elevation of around 1,800m (5,900ft). It was one of several buildings in the area used by Hitler and his entourage during World War Two. He and top Nazi officials used the nearby Berghof residence to plan the 1941 invasion of the USSR, and the whole complex was regarded as 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 Nazis completed the Eagle's Nest in 1938. It escaped destruction after their defeat in 1945 and has since become a popular tourist destination with a mountain inn. Its official website describes it as "a cautionary reminder of the abysses of the inhumane Nazi dictatorship".
Debate over Hitler-linked sites
Germany and Austria have argued over whether to preserve, repurpose or demolish buildings tied to Hitler. Some say they should be kept for historical reasons, while others worry they could become monuments or places of pilgrimage 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. Critics said the bunker had "significant historical value" and should have become a museum and memorial. In July, Austrian authorities refurbished the house in Braunau am Inn where Hitler was born and turned it into a police station.
Source: BBC News