rarely used the Kehlsteinhaus - unlike the Berghof residence, also in the Berchtesgaden area, the ruins of which were blown up in 1952.

The Obersalzberg Documentation Center, further down the mountain, is home to the area's main historical exhibition and was unaffected by the fire.

Officials indicated that the Eagle's Nest would be restored, though they were vague so soon after the blaze about how exactly that would be done.

 We're not going to leave a ruin there,  Bavaria's interior minister, Joachim Herrmann, told reporters in Berchtesgaden. But what the site will look like in the future will be a matter for discussions with local officials, historians, preservationists and others.

 I think we will be able to find a sensible solution,  Herrmann added. Bavaria's state government owns the building.

The minister stressed that  it is important that we continue to do the work of remembrance.