Hitler's birthplace becomes police station in Austria
The house in Austria where Adolf Hitler was born has officially been converted into a police station after years of political and legal debate over its future.
The building, located in the town of Braunau am Inn, was expropriated by the Austrian government in 2017 after decades in private ownership. It had previously been used by a charity supporting people with disabilities.
Authorities announced plans in 2019 to transform the property into a police station. Following the renovation, the building's exterior remained largely unchanged, with only the word "Police" added to its white façade.
A memorial stone from the Mauthausen concentration camp remains outside the building, bearing the inscription "Never again fascism." The monument does not mention Hitler by name.
Stephan Mlczoch, head of the History Department at Austria's Interior Ministry, said the project was designed to remove the building's symbolic association with Hitler.
"Our goal was to prevent the building from being associated with Adolf Hitler and to eliminate the myth surrounding it," he said.
Officials also noted that Hitler, who was born there in 1889, lived in the house for only a few weeks after his birth.
From museum to police station
During the Nazi era, the building was promoted as the "Führer's birthplace" and served as an art museum linked to Hitler's personality cult.
Today, while tourists continue to stop to photograph the site, local authorities say visits by neo-Nazis have declined significantly in recent years.
Austria maintains strict laws prohibiting the Nazi salute and the display of Nazi symbols.
Source:AA
