Austrian Police Station Established at Hitler’s Birthplace to Prevent Neo-Nazi Pilgrimages

Austria has transformed the birthplace of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler into a police station to prevent it from becoming a pilgrimage site for far-right extremists. The historic building located in the town of Braunau am Inn has been renovated and opened as a police headquarters at a cost of approximately 20 million euros. Robert Iter, spokesperson for the Mauthausen Committee, stated that despite the building’s transformation, its historical identity cannot be erased.

On July 22, in Braunau am Inn, Austria – to stop far-right supporters from making Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s birthplace a pilgrimage destination, Austria has officially converted the building into a police station. After lengthy controversies and legal procedures, the new police office was inaugurated on Wednesday. Austrian officials expressed confidence that repurposing Hitler’s birth home as a police station would prevent the site from being used as a symbol of Nazi ideology.

The 17th-century building located in the center of Braunau am Inn underwent reconstruction costing roughly 20 million euros. Although completed three years later than planned, the building’s appearance was completely altered during the renovation. Situated near the German border, it is the house where Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889. Previously painted yellow, the building now features white paint with a police emblem displayed at the entrance.

When Nazi Germany annexed Austria in 1938, approximately 65,000 Austrian Jews were murdered and over 130,000 were deported. However, Austria has often faced criticism for not fully acknowledging its historical responsibility for the Holocaust. The building had been privately owned by a single family since 1912. Since 1972, the Austrian government had used it as a center providing services for people with disabilities. The last private owner, Gerlinde Pommer, opposed various proposals for repurposing the building.

In 2016, the Austrian parliament passed a law authorizing the government to acquire the property, which the Supreme Court later approved for nearly 810,000 euros. There were extensive discussions about demolition, conversion into a museum, or other uses. However, historians advised against destroying the building. Ultimately, based on the recommendations of an expert commission, it was decided to convert the site into a police station. The government expressed confidence that a permanent police presence would demonstrate zero tolerance for Nazi ideology and politically neutralize the building.

Robert Iter, spokesperson for the Mauthausen Committee of survivors of the concentration camps, voiced skepticism that transforming the building’s use alone would deter neo-Nazi pilgrimages. He stated, “As the birthplace of one of history’s most notorious mass murderers, its historical identity cannot be erased.”