Representative building of the Nazis: Major fire in the Kehlsteinhaus on Obersalzberg

A fire broke out in the Kehlsteinhaus on Obersalzberg in Berchtesgaden, which was built by the Nazis. Arson is suspected.

The police temporarily arrested a suspect. Police said they were investigating whether the person arrested near the scene of the fire was connected to the fire.

Around 200 firefighters and rescue services are deployed to fight the flames. The firefighting work was “in full swing,” the Upper Bavaria South Police Headquarters said in the morning

Difficult to reach for fire brigade

According to the Upper Bavaria South Police Headquarters, the first rescue workers arrived at the mountain restaurant at an altitude of over 1,800 meters at 9:52 p.m. on Friday evening.

Getting to the Kehlsteinhaus with the fire engines was difficult because of the location of the building. According to current knowledge, no one was staying in the Kehlsteinhaus.

According to the website of the Berchtesgaden Mountain Experience Association, the Kehlsteinhaus - dubbed the Eagle's Nest by the Allies - should be open this season until November 8th.

The building served as Hitler's place of representation

The building at an altitude of 1,834 meters has been a mountain restaurant since 1952. It was completed in 1938 and was located in a sealed-off residential and government area of ​​the National Socialist leadership that was closed to the public.

An exhibition there is dedicated to the history of the building. The Berchtesgaden Mountain Experience Association writes about the house on its website: "Built in 1937/38, the so-called tea house at the time was intended to serve as a place of political representation away from the public during the Nazi era. In fact, the importance of the Kehlsteinhaus remained low." Adolf Hitler received diplomats and other foreign guests there.