Austria has officially reopened the building where Adolf Hitler was born as a police station, aiming to diminish the site’s appeal to neo-Nazis and prevent it from becoming a pilgrimage destination for extremists. The building is located in the town of Braunau am Inn near Austria’s border with Germany, an area known as a route for drug trafficking, which the new police unit specialized in combating narcotics will address.
Hitler was born in a rented flat within the terraced house on April 20, 1889, though his family moved out within a few months. The building, which dates back to the 1600s and had previously housed an inn, brewery, and residential flats, had been the subject of lengthy debate over how to handle its problematic historical significance. After a prolonged legal process, the Austrian government completed a compulsory purchase of the property in 2017.
The conversion into a police headquarters took several years and cost approximately €20 million. Authorities took measures during renovations to prevent the site from becoming a gathering spot for Nazi sympathizers, including discreet disposal of construction debris to avoid attracting visitors. An existing memorial stone taken from the former Mauthausen concentration camp remains outside the building, bearing the inscription: “For peace, freedom and democracy. Never again fascism. The millions who died serve as a warning.”
At the opening ceremony, Austria’s Interior Minister Gerhard Karner emphasized that the transformation represents a “new chapter,” asserting that the building will become a symbol of “democracy, the rule of law, security” while ensuring that “memory will not disappear.” The minister underlined the government’s commitment to confronting the “terrible heritage” associated with the site.
Previously, the building had been rented by the interior ministry to prevent misuse and was sublet to charitable organizations, including a care center for disabled people until 2011, after which the structure remained vacant. The decision to preserve rather than demolish the building was influenced by an expert commission that recommended its use for official or social purposes to avoid erasing a significant aspect of local history while preventing it from attracting extremist groups. Polls indicated public support for turning the site into a center promoting democratic values.
Local residents have long expressed frustration over the site’s notoriety, sometimes referring to it as the “house of evil” due to past incidents where skinheads and extremists laid wreaths or posed with Nazi salutes near the building. While such events have decreased, Austria maintains strict laws banning Nazi symbols and gestures.
Officials overseeing the project stressed the importance of stripping the house of any mystical allure associated with Hitler, aiming to neutralize its historical symbolism and prevent visits motivated by extremist ideology. The building now features minimal external signage besides the word “Polizei” (Police) on its facade, further distancing it from its past.
The police unit stationed there will work to combat narcotics trafficking, reflecting the site’s proximity to a known drug route connecting Austria and Germany. Authorities hope the building’s new function will help foster security and lawfulness while addressing a complex legacy.