Hitler’s Birthplace in Austria Transformed into Police Station

The birthplace of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler in Braunau am Inn, Austria, has been officially converted into a police station.

The move aims to prevent the site from becoming a pilgrimage destination for far-right extremists. Austrian authorities hope this decision will also put an end to the long-standing debate over the building’s future.

The 17th-century building, located in the center of Braunau am Inn, has undergone a two-year renovation costing around 20 million euros. The renovation transformed the building’s appearance, changing its original yellow color to white and adding a police station sign at the entrance.

Historical Significance

Hitler was born in the house on April 20, 1889. After Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938, around 65,000 Austrian Jews were killed, and over 130,000 were deported. Austria has faced criticism for not fully acknowledging its historical responsibility for the Holocaust.

The building was privately owned from 1912 until the Austrian government rented it in 1972 to use as a center for people with disabilities. The final private owner, Gerlinde Pommer, opposed various proposals for the building’s reuse.

Conversion into Police Station

In 2016, the Austrian parliament passed a special law to expropriate the building, which was approved by the Supreme Court. After lengthy discussions on whether to demolish the building, turn it into a museum, or use it for other purposes, a commission of experts recommended converting it into a police station.

The government believes that a permanent police presence will send a clear message that there is no tolerance for Nazi ideology and will make the building politically neutral. However, Robert Eiter, a spokesperson for the Mauthausen Committee Austria, which represents survivors of the Mauthausen concentration camp, expressed doubts that changing the building’s purpose would stop neo-Nazi pilgrimages.

Eiter stated that it is impossible to erase the historical identity of the birthplace of one of history’s most notorious mass murderers.