By JOSHUA HAINING, NEWS REPORTER and OLIVIA ALLHUSEN, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER
Published: | Updated:
This is the fire damage to Adolf Hitler's Eagle's Nest mountain retreat in Bavaria after an arson suspect was caught fleeing the flames on a motorbike.
Around 200 firefighters were deployed to battle the blaze which ripped through the Nazi dictator's remote and difficult-to-access Kehlsteinhaus residence in southern Germany.
Crews saw flames rising high into the air as they approached the building which was 'completely ablaze' in the snow, police said on Saturday.
Authorities were alerted to the fire on Friday evening, when a smoke detector triggered a fire alarm at around 9:15 pm (19.15 GMT).
New aerial pictures from the aftermath show the charred building standing atop the snow-covered Alpine peak as grey smoke billows into the sky.
After the fire erupted, a 33-year-old man was stopped and arrested by police as he drove away from the residence.
The suspect, who is a German citizen with ties to the area, was then taken into custody.
Following questioning, police said the man displayed signs of mental illness and was being sent to a psychiatric facility.
The smoldering Kehlsteinhaus on the Obersalzberg near Berchtesgaden, which was severely damaged by a fire
The mountain guesthouse Kehlsteinhaus, known as the Eagle's Nest, formerly Adolf Hitler's mountain retreat, ablaze early October 24, 2026
The charred remains of the residence atop the snow covered mountain on October 24
Despite this they will still be investigating for potential political motives given the building's controversial history.
There are no current indications that anyone other than the suspect arrested was involved, police said.
Police spokeswoman Lisa Maier said firefighters struggled to tackle the fire due to its location at an altitude of 1,834 metres (6,017 feet) above sea level.
Wet weather which turned into the first heavy snowfall of the season meant firefighters had to pull out overnight due to the risk of falling debris, officials said.
Fortunately, nobody was injured as firefighters searched the building having hoped to finish putting out the blaze on Saturday.
Officials have since indicated that the Eagle's Nest would be restored, but no timescale for repairs have been announced.
Bavaria's interior minister, Joachim Herrmann, told reporters that 'we're not going to leave a ruin there.'
He said: 'I think we will be able to find a sensible solution.'
Austrian-born German Nazi dictator, Adolf Hitler, in Berchtesgaden in 1935
Hitler on the terrace of his house on the Obersalzberg near Berchtesgaden – presumably 1934
Italian Foreign Minister Count Galeazzo Ciano (1903 - 1944, left) with German Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945, right) at the Kehlsteinhaus (Eagles Nest) above Berchtesgaden, Germany, 13th August 1939. Second from left is Hitler's interpreter Paul Schmidt (1899 - 1970)
The Berghof in the Obersalzberg near Berchtesgaden
The minister also stressed that 'it is important that we continue to do the work of remembrance.'
Built between 1937 and 1938, the Eagle's Nest forms part of the toxic legacy of Hitler's Third Reich, which was responsible for the deaths of millions of Jews along with Roma, LGBTQ people and Communists in the Holocaust.
It was designed to serve as a monument to Hitler's rule, though the dictator himself rarely visited the complex.
Built of stone and granite, the residence offers an exceptional view of the picturesque Bavarian Alpine landscape and was designed to impress foreign diplomats.
It survived the Second World War undamaged.
Since 1952, it has operated as a cafe and restaurant and also an exhibition recounting the house's Nazi history.
The building is reachable by an elevator built inside the rock from the end of the mountain road.