He freed a builder from Dachau to make fireplaces for his retreat

WHEN Hitler decided to have his mountain retreat expanded, he asked the architect to install nine fireplaces — just in case the central heating ever broke down, recalled Hitler’s housekeeper, Herbert dohring.

They were going to be green, which was Hitler’s favourite colour. His sofa suite was green, his desk was covered in green leather, his favourite soap (Palmolive) was green, his leather coats were green, his tablecloth and napkins were green.

Even his signet ring had the initials AH and a swastika embossed in green.

Anyway, all the green fireplace tiles were going to be designed to represent the different regions of Germany.

‘Well, do you know of a good fireplace builder?’ Hitler asked his architect.

‘Yes, I know of a very good one’, the architect replied, ‘but some four or five weeks ago you put him into the Dachau concentration camp.’

Hitler asked: ‘But why? What on earth did he do?’

‘He was distributing some flyers for the Communist Party,’ answered the architect. ‘They caught him and immediately locked him up.’

Hitler became quite agitated. ‘The man should be released at once!’ Turning to his chief aide, he ordered: ‘Make sure that he’s here within a few hours.’

Barely four hours later, the fireplace builder arrived at the Berghof. He was a small man and seemed rather intimidated.

Can you imagine — he’s come directly from the Dachau concentration camp, and there he is, facing the Fuhrer himself!

After he’d been told what was required, Hitler asked him bluntly: ‘Can you take care of this job for me?’

The guy’s whole body was trembling now. But he replied: ‘If I may, I will gladly do it.’

‘First of all, I will make sure that you and your firm will be compensated for your stay at Dachau,’ Hitler said to him. ‘Do you have a particular request?

The fireplace builder replied: ‘Yes, I do have a request, seeing that you had me locked up. May I have permission to make one tile with a picture of me on it? It would also depict bars, to represent my imprisonment.’

It was a daring request, but Hitler said: ‘Yes, that will be done immediately.’ And he told his architect: ‘Make sure this happens.’

The tile was duly manufactured. It was the same green shade as the others, but it showed this man’s face behind bars. As you stood in front of the fireplace, it was on the left.