Fire nearly destroys Hitler's 'Eagle's Nest' in Bavaria; suspect detained

Kehlsteinhaus in the Bavarian Alps, known as Hitler's 'Eagle's Nest,' was almost completely destroyed by fire late Friday evening. Police detained one person and are investigating possible arson.

Kehlsteinhaus, a mountaintop house built for Adolf Hitler on Mount Kehlstein near Berchtesgaden and known worldwide as the “Eagle’s Nest,” was almost completely destroyed by a fire that broke out late Friday evening.

When firefighters arrived, the building was already fully engulfed in flames. About 200 rescue workers and firefighters took part in the operation, which was complicated by the site’s elevation—1,834 meters above sea level—and its difficult accessibility. No one was injured because the building was empty when the fire started.

Mount Kehlstein and Kehlsteinhaus above Berchtesgaden

Police said one person had been detained but did not disclose further details. Bild reported that investigators were examining arson as a possible cause. The detained person was identified by German media as a motorcyclist whom emergency services encountered on the way to the fire. Traunstein criminal police are conducting the investigation under the direction of the public prosecutor’s office.

The building was constructed in 1937–1938 in the restricted Obersalzberg area, where Hitler’s residence was located. It survived the Second World War without damage, and a restaurant and an exhibition on the building’s history have operated there since 1952. Kehlsteinhaus was protected as an architectural monument.