Austria to Transform Hitler’s Birthplace into a Police Station, Ending Years of Debate

Austria has officially decided on the fate of the controversial home where Adolf Hitler was born. The three-story yellow building located in Braunau am Inn, a small medieval town on Austria’s northern border with Germany, will be transformed into a police station. This decision, announced on Wednesday, aims to put an end to the ongoing debate surrounding the building’s purpose and to prevent it from becoming a neo-Nazi shrine.

The structure, where Hitler was born in 1889 on the second floor, has had a tumultuous history. During World War II, it served as an art gallery and library, offering a stark contrast to the horrors of the war. In the years that followed, it had various uses, including functioning as a bank, a school, and a center for people with special needs.

To deter the building from becoming a symbol of Nazism, Austrian Minister of the Interior Wolfgang Peschorn stated that converting it into a police station would send a clear message that it is permanently dissociated from the memory of Hitler’s regime.

A memorial stone, bearing the inscription “For peace, freedom and democracy. Never again fascism. Millions dead are a warning,” has been placed outside the building, serving as a poignant reminder of the atrocities committed during Hitler’s rule.

Renovations are scheduled to begin soon to prepare the building for its new role as a police station. The Austrian government also announced plans to hold an architectural competition to redesign the structure. Architects from across the European Union are eligible to participate. The competition aims to integrate the building into Braunau’s existing architectural ensemble while respecting its historical significance.

For years, the Austrian government rented the property from Gerlinde Pommer, whose family had owned the building for generations. However, in 2012, Pommer declined federal requests to carry out renovations, sparking a protracted legal battle over ownership.

In 2017, the Austrian government seized the building, a move that led Pommer to file a complaint that eventually reached Austria’s highest court. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court of Justice in Vienna ruled in favor of Pommer, awarding her 812,000 euros ($898,000) in compensation.

The decision to transform the birthplace of one of history’s most infamous figures into a police station is a step aimed at ensuring it is never used to glorify Nazism or attract extremists. It underscores Austria’s commitment to confronting its historical past and promoting a future built on peace, democracy, and freedom, while acknowledging the importance of preserving historical landmarks.