Kehlsteinhaus fire puts regional tourism and jobs at risk

The fire that destroyed much of the Kehlsteinhaus over the weekend has knocked a major tourist destination out of service, with consequences for tourism, local workers and how the region remembers its history, BR reports. A 33-year-old man is under strong suspicion of starting the fire, police said.

Photos circulating on Facebook on Monday showed a badly damaged roof and an interior largely burned out. Traunstein criminal police said the images were genuine and that only the building’s foundations remained. Experts must assess whether they are stable, need to be demolished or could be used in a reconstruction. Bavaria’s interior minister, Joachim Herrmann, had said over the weekend that rebuilding was being considered.

Police are also investigating who took the photos. The Kehlsteinhaus and its access road had been closed since the night of the fire, and entering the restricted area could amount to an administrative offence or a crime.

The financial damage has not yet been calculated. Police said the insurer would assess it, while Bartl Wimmer, head of the Bergerlebnis Berchtesgaden special-purpose association, estimated on Saturday that losses would run into millions of euros.

The building belongs to the state of Bavaria. Since 1960, the Berchtesgadener Landesstiftung has held a usufruct right to the house and its access road, allowing it to use them and earn income. The foundation receives about 1.2 million euros a year, mainly from leasing the facilities. It uses the proceeds to fund charitable work, particularly in health, education, schools and the preservation of local identity. If the income stops, the district will also lose funding.

The Bergerlebnis Berchtesgaden association leases the Kehlsteinhaus and oversees tourism development and promotion in the region. It earns revenue by renting the inn to an operator and selling tickets for the buses and historic lift that take visitors to the building. Wimmer said the association’s annual income from these activities reaches a high single-digit million-euro sum. It is insured, but the amount of costs and lost revenue the insurer will cover remains to be determined.

The RVO, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, runs the buses on behalf of the association. Nine buses and about 15 employees worked on the route. They will be reassigned for the remaining two weeks of the season, which was due to end on November 8.

The fire has also hit innkeeper Norbert Eder, who has run the Kehlsteinhaus for 37 years. “Most of my work has gone up in smoke,” he told BR on Monday. The fire destroyed furnishings, photographs of events held there over the years, guest books, brochures and important records. He has not yet been allowed inside because of the risk from smouldering embers and potentially collapsing beams.

Eder’s daughter had been due to take over the business in two years. The family also ran a souvenir shop, and the inn employed up to 36 people during the peak season, some of them for decades. Eder said most employment contracts would have ended soon anyway, with the season nearing its close.