Hitler’s mountain retreat in Bavarian Alps ‘completely ablaze’, German police detain suspect

A video grab from the webcam of the Kehlsteinhaus, known as the Eagle’s Nest and formerly Adolf Hitler’s mountain retreat, shows a large fire at the site, 1,834 metres up in the mountains over Berchtesgaden in Bavaria, early on October 24, 2026. — AFP pic

First Published: Saturday, 24 Oct 2026 1:16 PM MYT

BERLIN, Oct 24 — German police said Saturday they had detained a suspect following a fire at Adolf Hitler’s mountain retreat, known as the Eagle’s Nest, in the state of Bavaria.

“A suspicious person was taken into temporary custody,” police said, following an earlier statement which said firefighters had found the building “completely ablaze”.

The site once housed the Nazi leader’s heavily fortified country residence where he relaxed with his companion Eva Braun and wrote part of his book Mein Kampf.

Emergency services arrived on site at 9:52 pm (1952 GMT) on Friday and found a large fire, the Upper Bavaria South police headquarters said.

Police spokeswoman Lisa Maier said firefighters were struggling to extinguish the blaze due to its remote location, at an altitude of 1,834 metres (6,000 feet).

“The criminal police investigation is ongoing,” she said. — AFP