There are few buildings in the world that would have the dubious honor of being renovated and actually readjusted to become less attractive. This is what is happening these days to a three-story building at 15 Salzburger Street, in the town of Braunau am Inn, and the reason? This is the building where Adolf Hitler was born.
Today, extensive work began on the building, which is supposed to turn it into a police station, in order to keep neo-Nazis and other admirers of the enemy away from it. In the morning, construction workers were spotted fenced off and began to take measurements. The police station is scheduled to enter the building in early 2026.
Work begins to turn Hitler's birthplace into a police station | Reuters
The Austrian government purchased the historic building in 2016 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 poll conducted earlier this year, 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, a special committee of experts decided: it would be transferred to the police.
Hitler as a baby, 1889, 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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