The arsonist of “Hitler’s Teahouse” turned himself in to the police days before the fire

Three days after the destruction of the historically significant Kehlsteinhaus on Obersalzberg near Berchtesgaden, investigations into the background to the arson continue. The police arrested a 33-year-old man. He was taken to a closed psychiatric hospital on Saturday.

The man, who lives in Berlin - but has connections to the region - had accused himself of a crime to the police days before the fire, as a spokesman for the Upper Bavaria South Police Headquarters confirmed. The “Bild” newspaper had previously reported.

According to the public prosecutor's office, the man claims to have committed serious bodily harm in 2013. At that time, a man was seriously injured in the head with a beer bottle on St. Nicholas Day on the sidelines of the traditional Buttenmandl run in Berchtesgadener Land. Crimes of this type usually expire after ten years and can therefore no longer be prosecuted. The spokesman for the Traunstein public prosecutor's office, Rainer Vietze, said that the man's statements still had to be checked for truth.

He did not provide any information about information from the “Bild” newspaper, according to which material was found on the suspect that indicates a connection to the Antifa movement. Vietze also did not provide any information about speculation about the 33-year-old's possible drug addiction, citing the investigation that has just begun.

The building, which had been used as a mountain inn for decades, burned down almost completely on Saturday night. According to initial estimates, the damage is in the millions. The fire brigade had to advance to the Kehlsteinhaus, which is more than 1,800 meters high, with up to 200 emergency services under sometimes adverse weather conditions. The extinguishing work was completed on Sunday.

Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) had already announced on Saturday that the historic building, which is owned by the Free State of Bavaria, would be rebuilt. “We will hardly be able to leave a ruin there,” said the minister.

According to the Obersalzberg documentation, the place of learning and remembrance, which deals with the history of Obersalzberg and the Nazi dictatorship, was not affected by the fire. The head of the Obersalzberg documentation, Sven Keller, told the epd when asked that the fire would have little impact on the work of the Obersalzberg documentation. “The loss of material historical heritage is to be lamented, but setting it on fire is not a solution,” emphasized the historian. This is criminal.

The tea house on the Kehlstein was built in 1937/38 as a destination for Adolf Hitler, who, according to Keller, rarely used it. It was located in a residential and government area of ​​the National Socialist leadership that was sealed off and closed to the public at the time.

An exhibition there is dedicated to the history of the building. The building has been a freely accessible mountain restaurant since 1952. When the weather is nice, you have a wonderful view of the Alps. Internationally, today's destination is known as "Eagles Nest", which can be translated as "Eagle's Nest".

The house on Obersalzberg, not far from the border with Austria, is difficult to reach - the Kehlsteinhaus is usually reached by train buses on the so-called Kehlstein line for the many tourists from home and abroad. Visitors overcome the last 100 meters in altitude either with a lift through the mountain or via a footpath.