Suspicion of arson: Hitler's “tea house” on Obersalzberg burned down

dpa | The Kehlsteinhaus on Obersalzberg in Berchtesgaden, built by the National Socialists, was largely destroyed by fire on Saturday night. The police believe arson was the possible cause. One person was arrested. The criminal police in Traunstein took over the investigation.

According to dpa information, the investigative authorities in Bavaria assume that they have caught the suspected cause of the major fire on Obersalzberg. The German Press Agency learned from investigators that there are clear indications that a motorcyclist who was caught after the fire broke out in the area around the Kehlsteinhaus started the fire. The “Bild” newspaper first reported that the driver of a motorcycle was arrested.

After the major fire in the Kehlsteinhaus, Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) is assuming a reconstruction. “We will hardly be able to leave a ruin there,” he told the German Press Agency on the sidelines of the CSU party conference in Munich. The house belongs to the Free State of Bavaria under the jurisdiction of Herrmann's ministry. The Berchtesgaden State Foundation was given the right of usufruct.

The Kehlsteinhaus was built by the National Socialists in the 1930s as part of the complex on Obersalzberg used by Adolf Hitler and is now used as a freely accessible mountain restaurant. Internationally, the destination is known as “Eagles Nest,” which can be translated as “eagle’s nest.”

However, the restaurant was not open on Friday. According to initial findings from the police and fire brigade, no people were injured. However, even in the morning it was only possible to enter the area with heavy respiratory protection, which made the search more difficult.

The extinguishing work that began on Friday evening continued in the morning. According to the Upper Bavaria South Police Headquarters, the first rescue workers arrived on Friday evening at 9:52 p.m. and discovered a major fire.

The house on Obersalzberg, located at 1,838 meters above sea level, is difficult to reach - the house is normally reached by train buses on the so-called Kehlsteinline. According to Deutsche Bahn, the ascent takes 20 minutes and runs through five tunnels. The area was largely cordoned off.

The building has been a mountain restaurant since 1952. It was completed in 1938 and was located in a residential and government area of ​​the National Socialist leadership that was sealed off and closed to the public. An exhibition there is dedicated to the history of the building.

The Berchtesgaden Mountain Experience Association writes on its website about the house: "Built in 1937/38, the then so-called tea house was intended to serve as a political representation place away from the public during the Nazi era. In fact, the importance of the Kehlsteinhaus remained low." The house was often used by the Nazi entourage gathered at Obersalzberg for relaxation and private celebrations.