Suspect arrested after fire at Nazis' WWII 'Eagle's Nest' mountain retreat

Police have detained a suspect after a fire erupted at a historic Nazi mountain retreat known as "Eagle's Nest" in Germany.

About 200 firefighters battled the blaze after the building, which Adolf Hitler is believed to have visited more than a dozen times between the late 1930s and 1940, caught alight late on Friday.

Investigators are probing if a suspect detained close to the scene was connected to the fire, police said.

There was no immediate indication of a possible motive.

Built in ⁠1938 as a guest ​house for Nazi officials and ​their guests, the building known as ⁠the Kehlsteinhaus, offered Hitler and his high-ranking supporters a bolt hole.

It is separate to Hitler's nearby summer residence, known as the Berghof.

Now owned by the ⁠state of Bavaria, the ​Kehlsteinhaus was classified after the war ​as a historical monument recalling the Nazi period.

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The site is now a mountain inn and houses a restaurant.

The building now serves as a "cautionary reminder of the abysses of the inhumane Nazi dictatorship", according to its website.

Contrary to popular belief, the Kehlsteinhaus was not a gift for Hitler's 50th birthday in 1939, the inn's website said.

The site, which is about 16 miles (26km) south of Salzburg, Austria, is known for its spectacular mountain views.

(c) Sky News 2026: Suspect arrested after fire at Nazis' WWII 'Eagle's Nest' mountain retreat