Kehlsteinhaus fire puts regional tourism and jobs at risk

The fire that destroyed the Kehlsteinhaus mountain inn has put a major regional tourist attraction out of action, threatening local income and jobs as well as affecting remembrance culture, BR reports. A 33-year-old man is under strong suspicion of starting the fire, police said.

Photos circulating on Facebook on Monday show a badly damaged roof and a charred interior. Police in Traunstein said the images appeared to be genuine and confirmed that only the building’s foundations remained. Experts must assess whether they are stable, need to be removed or could be incorporated into a reconstruction.

Police are also investigating who took the photographs. The building and access road had been closed since the night of the fire, and taking the images could constitute an administrative offence or a crime, police said. Bavaria’s interior minister, Joachim Herrmann, had said over the weekend that rebuilding was a possibility.

The financial damage has not yet been established. Bartl Wimmer, head of the Bergerlebnis Berchtesgaden special-purpose association, estimated on Saturday that it would run into millions of euros. The association’s insurer will determine what costs and lost income are covered.

The state of Bavaria legally owns the Kehlsteinhaus. Since 1960, however, the Berchtesgadener Landesstiftung has held usufruct rights to the building and its access road, allowing it to use them and earn revenue. The foundation receives about 1.2 million euros a year, mainly from leasing the property, and uses the proceeds to support charitable work, particularly in health, education, schools and local heritage.

The Bergerlebnis Berchtesgaden association leases the inn and is responsible for tourism development and marketing in the region. It earns money from tickets for the buses and historic lift that carry visitors to the building. Wimmer said that revenue totals a high single-digit million-euro sum each year.

The association sublets the inn to a restaurant operator. The RVO, a Deutsche Bahn subsidiary, runs the buses on the association’s behalf. Nine buses and about 15 employees served the route; staff will be reassigned for the final two weeks of the season.

For innkeeper Norbert Eder, who has run the Kehlsteinhaus for 37 years, the fire has destroyed much of his life’s work. “The majority of my work has gone up in smoke,” he told BR on Monday. Furniture, event photographs, guestbooks, brochures and important records were also lost.

Eder has not yet been allowed into the building because of the risk from embers and potentially unstable beams. His daughter had been due to take over the business in two years. The family also ran a souvenir shop, and up to 36 people worked at the inn during the peak season, some for decades. Although the season was due to end on November 8, many long-serving employees may need to find new jobs for the next season.

Tags: Kehlsteinhaus, Berchtesgadener Land, tourism