A German neo-Nazi fell to his death while climbing what is known as Adolf Hitler’s “favourite mountain” on September 29. Andreas Munzhuber, a senior member of the Bavarian faction of the neo-Nazi group The Third Way, was part of a climbing group of 30 when he slipped on a wet root and plummeted 196 feet down rocky terrain, according to reports from German news outlets.
Andreas Munzhuber’s friends, along with two other climbers on the 1,972-metre mountain, quickly called emergency services after the fall. However, he was pronounced dead at the scene. An emergency rescue helicopter was dispatched, and a medical doctor was lowered to the site, but Munzhuber was already dead, according to the German publication Merkur.
Hitler had a fondness for Untersberg mountain, having chosen the area to build his Eagle’s Nest retreat nearby, reported the Telegraph. This mountain has become a site of pilgrimage for fascist groups over the years. In 2017, a group was spotted performing Nazi salutes and shouting “Sieg Heil” at passersby. The following morning, the owners of the guest house where the group had stayed discovered beer mats decorated with swastikas.
Andreas Munzhuber was the treasurer and assessor of the regional association of the small right-wing extremist party known as The Third Way. He is said to have left behind a partner and a baby born in June.
The Prisoner Aid Friends Circle, a group that supports imprisoned neo-Nazis, along with other right-wing groups, said, “His death hits us all hard. I ask you to support a little girl who will never know her father,” as per the NY Post.
Right-wing extremist groups are now raising donations to support Munzhuber’s wife and child, and to erect a memorial stone at the site of his death, according to German news reports. A tribute on a fundraising page seeking donations for his funeral said, “Munzi, as everyone called him, was only 37 years old and still had many plans in life. His death hits us all hard.” It continued,” But the biggest gap has emerged at the dinner table at home. His wife now has to raise their daughter alone.”
“She is not yet four months old and was the sunshine of Munzi’s life. She is the spitting image of Munzi. He will live on in her and in our hearts.” As of Friday afternoon, around £10,000 (around Rs 11 lakh) had been donated to the page.
Andreas Munzhuber was described as a “senior board member” of the neo-Nazi group Der III Weg (The Third Way), according to German news outlet T-Online. The Third Way (Der Dritte Weg) was founded in the southwestern city of Heidelberg in September 2013 as an offshoot of the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD).
