The building, where Adolf Hitler was born, will become a training school for human rights police officers, the Austrian government announced Wednesday.
The building in the town of Braunau am Inn, near the German border, was purchased in 2016 by the government following a court order, which sought to end a years-long legal battle with its owners – as well as a dispute over how to treat the site.
In a recent survey, a majority of Austrians opposed turning the 17th-century building into a police station. 53% would prefer it to become an institution dedicated to commemorating the horrors of National Socialism, anti-fascism, and promoting peace and tolerance. About 20% said the building should be demolished, and only 6% would prefer it to be used by the authorities. However, the destruction of the building was rejected for fear that the act would be perceived as an Austrian attempt to deny its Nazi past. Finally, the fate of the building was decided by a special committee of experts.
The building, which has been empty since 2011, will begin extensive renovations this fall and will open to police in 2026.
Hitler in infancy, photo: AFP
Adolf Hitler was born in a rented room on the top floor of the building in 1889, and although he lived there for only a few months, it became a pilgrimage site for the Nazis. In the postwar years, various governments tried to prevent the place from becoming a magnet for neo-Nazis. At the entrance to the building stands a memorial stone, on which are engraved the words: "For peace, liberty and democracy – never against fascism – remember the murder of millions." The stone will remain in place even after the opening of the police station.
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