Fire Engulfs Hitler's 'Eagle's Nest' Retreat in Germany: About 200 Firefighters Respond, Suspect Detained
In Berchtesgaden, in the German state of Bavaria, fire engulfed the historic mountain guest house known as the 'Eagle's Nest' on Friday night, German police said on Saturday, October 24. Police detained a suspect near the scene shortly after the fire broke out and are investigating whether the person was connected to the blaze. (GSM, reporting from Reuters)
According to a Bavarian police statement, firefighters were alerted at about 9:15 p.m. on Friday and found the mountain building completely ablaze on arrival; around 200 firefighters and emergency personnel were battling the flames. The Kehlsteinhaus stands at 1,834 metres (6,017 feet) atop the Kehlstein mountain, and its remote location and local conditions made access difficult for fire engines. Police said no one was found inside the building and there were no reports of injuries. The cause of the fire is under criminal investigation, police planned a news conference later on Saturday, and no possible motive has been announced. German media reported that investigators suspected arson.
The Kehlsteinhaus was built in 1938 as a guest house for Nazi officials and their guests and became known as Hitler's 'Eagle's Nest'; it is a separate building from Hitler's nearby summer residence, the Berghof, which was demolished after the war. The Kehlsteinhaus survived the Second World War largely undamaged, was classified after the war as a historical monument recalling the Nazi period, and is now owned by the state of Bavaria. It has operated as a restaurant since 1952 and also houses an exhibition examining its Nazi history, making it one of Germany's best-known historic sites.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 位于德国巴伐利亚州 Berchtesgaden 上方 Kehlstein 山顶的「鹰巢」Kehlsteinhaus（火灾前资料图）。照片：Florian S.，CC BY-SA 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The Kehlsteinhaus, known as the Eagle's Nest, atop the Kehlstein above Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, Germany (file photo from before the fire). Photo: Florian S., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
