On the night of 24 October, a major fire broke out at the historic Kehlsteinhaus guesthouse in the Bavarian Alps. During the Nazi regime, this site was used by Adolf Hitler and other high-ranking officials of the Third Reich.
Police arrested a suspect near the scene of the fire. The Bavarian police reported that investigators are looking into whether he may have been involved in a possible arson attack.
According to law enforcement authorities, the fire was reported at around 9.15 pm on Friday, 23 October. By the time the fire brigade arrived, the building was already completely engulfed in flames.
Around 200 emergency service personnel were deployed to tackle the blaze. The rescue workers’ efforts were hampered by the building’s location in a remote mountainous area. No one was injured.
The motive for the possible arson is as yet unknown. The German newspaper *Bild* reported that the suspect was travelling on a motorbike.
What is the ‘Eagle’s Nest’ known for?
The guesthouse is situated on Mount Kelstein, at an altitude of 1,834 metres above sea level, in the Berchtesgaden area of the Bavarian Alps. It was built in 1937–1938 as a gift from the Nazi Party (NSDAP) to mark Hitler’s 50th birthday.
The Führer’s residence, the ‘Berghof’, was situated nearby. Hitler himself rarely visited the ‘Eagle’s Nest’, as he found the thin mountain air difficult to tolerate. However, he would invite high-ranking foreign guests there to impress them with the building’s architecture and the views of the Alps.
After the end of the Second World War, American troops occupied the Obersalzberg area, and the building housed a military headquarters. In 1951, it was handed over to the Bavarian government. Initially, the authorities planned to demolish the building, but a court blocked this decision.
In 1960, control of the building was transferred to a special trust, which channels the proceeds to charity. Later, the ‘Eagle’s Nest’ became a popular tourist attraction with restaurants and views of the Alps. The building has also been used as a film location, including for Alexander Sokurov’s film *Moloch* (1999).