False fire alarm evacuates Eagle's Nest

Yesterday evening a fire alarm triggered a full-scale rescue operation to begin evacuation of up to 500 visitors to Hitler's fortified Eagle's Nest, also known as the Kehlsteinhaus. The false alarm caused a shutdown of the lift that provides access to the building, leaving visitors with no way down the mountain with darkness approaching. 15 visitors were evacuated by helicopter, before the mountain rescue could clear a path through 1.5m snow cover, allowing a further 85 visitors to make their way down the mountain.

After the all-clear had been given, the remaining visitors were able to make the journey down with the lift.

Traunstein detectives are investigating what caused the alert, as no signs of fire were discovered.

Source: Münchner Merkur

I Guess it was the ghost of the guy himself?

Any tourist who wants to visit that place deserves to be inconvenienced.

I don't know what you're getting at, it's quite spectacular up there.

I'm just surprised that there is still 1.5m of snow on the ground!

There are plenty of spectacular views out there. I don't think anyone needs to go on a Hitler pilgrimage to see one.

Hitler was only there a couple of times.

The way they built the place is amazing, it's definitely worth a visit.

@ Lorelei

I frankly don't share your point of view. Hitler and the Nazis are an essential part of german history, so why should anyone be blamed for wanting to know more about it? E. g. visiting such a site? Is it only politically correct to visit the old concentration camps?
Please explain to me why you think that way, i honestly don't get it. It seems to me like you're accusing everyone going there to be a Nazi, or at least sympathizing with them.

Although I'm sure that they're not all Nazis, the possibility that they might be Nazi sympathisers certainly would cross my mind if someone said they wanted to go there. Just as I would tend to think that anyone choosing to visit a former concentration camp would most likely sympathize with the victims.

I've been to the area a few times and each time there have been large amounts of elderly Americans milling around the bus station there. Haven't seen too many of the jack boot brigade.

We went to the excellent documentary centre nearby, but didn't go up purely because the timing wasn't convenient for us. Plenty of people are interested in history, and this an inescapable part of German, European and world history - as indeed the documentary centre reflects.

Or anyone choosing to live in Germany may be a Nazi sympathizer? Maybe you?

Get a grip.

I went up there with a bunch of my fellow soldiers, and we definitley aren't Nazis. Views are nice, but the 101st stole most of the good stuff when they occupied the area at the end of the war. I thought the weirdest part about the whole tour is that the only guided tour offered was in English, with a poor German history student tasked to explain that Eva Braun was basically Marie Antoinette, sitting in her nice house at the top of the mountain eating tea and cakes while they poor working-class Bavarians below her starved to death. Considering that Berchesgarten was like Beverly Hills for the Nazi Party, I find that hard to believe.

Woud love to visit Kehlsteinhaus and no, I'm not a Nazi supporter. I am a British woman married to a wonderful German guy. The war happened before our time, there is nothing wrong with visiting historical sites. I also loved the German uniforms, thought they were amazing - again, I am not a Nazi supporter. I would also like to visit the concentration camps as that is a part of history too.

There are so many beautiful and interesting places to visit in Germany. My husband wants to take me to Nurenberg, also famous during the war where Hitler's soldiers lined up (it's shown in many films).

At some stage I would like to visit the famous Tempelhof airport in Berlin which was built by Hitler - it's supposed to be amazing.

Many historical sites have a sad history, but it is history and people should not be criticized for wanting to visit these sites.

Better get a move on. Tempelhof to close in 2008