To destroy or preserve? The battle over one of Hitler's last symbols

A heated debate is raging in Germany: should the remains of Hitler's 'Eagle's Nest', which was burned down under suspicion of arson, be demolished or restored? Some call for returning the site to nature, while others fear it becoming a pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis.

The charred remains of the 'Eagle's Nest', Adolf Hitler's alpine retreat that was completely destroyed by fire last month under suspicion of arson, have ignited a fierce public debate in Germany. On one side, voices like Professor Richard Evans of Cambridge University call for demolishing the site and returning it to its natural state, similar to the Berlin bunker. On the other, Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann and Sven Keller from the nearby documentation center warn that demolition could turn the location into a pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis, as happened with Hitler's last residence, the Berghof. A middle-ground solution is proposed: integrating the ruins into a modern design that tells the site's story, without taxpayer funding. The dilemma reflects Germany's ongoing struggle with its Nazi legacy, against the backdrop of a rising far-right.