Fire damage to Adolf Hitler's Eagle's Nest mountain retreat in Bavaria has been revealed after an arson suspect was caught fleeing the flames on a motorbike. Around 200 firefighters were deployed to the remote, hard-to-reach Kehlsteinhaus in southern Germany.
Crews saw flames rising high into the air as they approached the building, which police said on Saturday was completely ablaze in the snow. Authorities were alerted on Friday evening when a smoke detector triggered an alarm at about 9:15 pm (19:15 GMT). Aerial pictures from the aftermath show the charred building on the snow-covered Alpine peak with grey smoke rising into the sky.
After the fire started, police stopped and arrested a 33-year-old man as he drove away from the residence. The suspect, a German citizen with ties to the area, was taken into custody. After questioning, police said he showed signs of mental illness and was being sent to a psychiatric facility. They said they would still investigate possible political motives because of the building's controversial history. Police said there were no current indications that anyone other than the arrested suspect was involved.
Police spokeswoman Lisa Maier said firefighters struggled because the site stands 1,834 metres (6,017 feet) above sea level. Wet weather that turned into the season's first heavy snowfall forced crews to pull out overnight because of the risk of falling debris. Nobody was injured as firefighters searched the building; they had hoped to finish putting out the blaze on Saturday.
Officials have indicated that the Eagle's Nest would be restored, though no repair timetable has been announced. Bavaria's interior minister, Joachim Herrmann, told reporters: "we're not going to leave a ruin there." He said: "I think we will be able to find a sensible solution." He also stressed that "it is important that we continue to do the work of remembrance."
Built between 1937 and 1938, the Eagle's Nest is part of the legacy of Hitler's Third Reich, which was responsible for the deaths of millions of Jews along with Roma, LGBTQ people and Communists in the Holocaust. It was designed as a monument to Hitler's rule, though he rarely visited. Built of stone and granite, it overlooks the Bavarian Alps and was meant to impress foreign diplomats. It survived the Second World War undamaged. Since 1952 it has operated as a cafe and restaurant and as an exhibition on the house's Nazi history. Visitors reach it by an elevator built inside the rock from the end of the mountain road.