Austria opens police station in Hitlers birthplace to deter neo-Nazis

Austria has officially converted the house where Adolf Hitler was born into a police station. The building, located at Salzburger Vorstadt 15 in Braunau am Inn, was transformed to prevent it from becoming a pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis.
The conversion follows years of debate and legal battles over the fate of the property. The Austrian government expropriated the building in 2017 after the owner, Gerlinde Pommer, refused to sell it. The government paid Pommer €812,000 in compensation, according to the BBC.
The building has been extensively renovated, with changes made to its facade to make it less recognizable as Hitler's birthplace. The interior has been modernized to accommodate the police station, which will house around 50 officers, as reported by HVG.
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner stated that the building would now be a place of democracy, rule of law, security, freedom, and human dignity, according to the BBC. The opening ceremony was attended by local dignitaries and featured a blessing by a Catholic police chaplain.
The decision to convert the building into a police station was made after considering various options, including demolishing the building or turning it into a museum. Experts advised against a museum, as it could still attract extremists. Demolition was also rejected to avoid accusations of erasing history, as reported by La Vanguardia.
The building has a complex history. Hitler was born there on April 20, 1889, but his family moved out when he was three years old. The building was later used as a day center for people with disabilities until 2011, when the owner blocked renovations, according to the BBC.
Local residents have mixed feelings about the conversion. Some believe it will help neutralize the site, while others think more should be done to address the building's historical significance, as reported by Der Spiegel.
The Austrian government hopes that the new police station will deter neo-Nazis from visiting the site. The building is now under video surveillance, and police will monitor anyone who appears suspicious near the property, according to HVG.
The conversion cost approximately €20 million. The government also took measures to ensure that construction debris did not become relics for neo-Nazis. The debris was ground up and disposed of in a secret location, as reported by El Diario.
A memorial stone from the Mauthausen concentration camp remains in front of the building, serving as a reminder of the atrocities committed during the Nazi era. The stone bears the inscription: "Peace, freedom, and democracy. Never again fascism. Millions of dead remind us," according to HVL.
The building was rented by the government for many years to prevent it from being used as a site for extreme right-wing tourism, as reported by the BBC. It was used by a local charity as a day center and workshop for people with special needs until 2011, when the owner blocked renovations.
The building was confiscated and converted into a museum dedicated to Hitler after the annexation of Austria to Nazi Germany in 1938, according to La Vanguardia. It was returned to the Pommer family after World War II.
The building's history includes being used as a posada (inn) and a brewery, as reported by El Diario. It was empty for several years while the authorities and the owner argued over terms.
The opening ceremony for the police station featured police musicians playing a tuba and other brass instruments, according to the BBC. Hitler only lived in the building for a few weeks before his family moved to another address in Braunau.
Hitler returned briefly to Braunau in 1938 on his way to Vienna after he annexed Austria to Nazi Germany, according to the BBC.
The building is located at Salzburger Vorstadt 15 in Braunau am Inn, as reported by La Vanguardia.
Follow us for live European news
- 4
- 3
- 2
- 2
- 2
- 2
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1





