Infamous Nazi-era alpine retreat mostly destroyed in deliberate fire

The Eagle's Nest, a Nazi-era chalet in southeastern Germany, was mostly destroyed in a major fire (believed arson) on Friday night, Berchtesgaden police confirmed.

The historical landmark, known in German as Kehlsteinhaus, was engulfed in flames at 9:15 p.m. local time on October 23. Police and firefighters said access to the fire site, which is located in an exposed position, was difficult, as were the subsequent firefighting operations.

Around 200 emergency personnel from fire brigades in six municipalities, the district fire inspection service, the Bavarian Red Cross, mountain rescue services and the police worked throughout the night, and residual operations are still ongoing.

According to the findings so far, no one was injured in the fire, but, for safety reasons, investigators have not yet been able to enter the burned building safely.

Shortly after the fire broke out, firefighters noticed a suspicious individual in the vicinity of the scene.

33-year-old man arrested on suspicion of arson

The 33-year-old man was subsequently arrested and is suspected of having deliberately started the fire. At the request of the public prosecutor’s office, he was brought before an investigating judge and, following a diagnosis of mental illness, was provisionally placed in a secure psychiatric hospital.

The public prosecutor’s office and criminal police are continuing to investigate the background to the incident and the suspect’s motive.

The area around the incident remains cordoned off, and a drone no-fly zone is currently in place.

Joachim Hermann, Bavaria’s Interior Minister, suggested the site will be rebuilt; “We’ll hardly be able to leave a ruin standing there,” he said during a press conference in Munich.

He also thanked the firefighters and police officers for their "courageous and determined response," and praised the "swift arrest of the suspect in the brutal arson attack."

What is the Eagle's Nest?

The Eagle's Nest is a historic mountain-top building in the Bavarian Alps near Berchtesgaden, southern Germany.

It was commissioned under senior Nazi official Martin Bormann as a reception house for Nazi leaders and their guests between 1937–38, and sits about 1,834 meters (6,017 feet) above sea level.

Hitler visited the chalet, although not frequently. It nevertheless symbolizes the Nazi era. Hitler's residence, the Berghof, was nearby.

The Eagle's Nest survived WWII and opened as a mountain restaurant in 1952 before becoming a major tourist attraction. It usually hosts a historical exhibition.

The TV miniseries War and Remembrance (1988) filmed its fictional scenes featuring Hitler inside the actual building.

Normally, access to the building involves a special bus ride up a mountain through five tunnels, then a walk through a 124-meter tunnel and a gold brass elevator ride up to the building.