Austrian govt' turns Hitler's birth house into police station to deter Nazi pilgrimages

The Austrian government started reconstruction works on October 2 after having finally resolved a long-standing issue regarding the birth house of its most notorious countryman, Adolf Hitler. 

Construction work has commenced on the house in Braunau am Inn, Austria, where Adolf Hitler was born in 1889 as Die Presse reported. The project aims to transform the building into a police station, with the intention of deterring individuals who may seek to glorify the Nazi dictator by visiting the site.

The decision to repurpose the house was made in late 2019, and the plans include establishing a police station, district police headquarters, and a branch of the security academy where police officers will receive human rights training. Workers began the construction work on October 2, and the police are expected to occupy the premises by early 2026.

There had been a prolonged dispute over the ownership and use of the building. In 2017, Austria's highest court ruled that the government had the right to expropriate the property after the owner refused to sell it. The idea of demolishing the building was eventually abandoned.

The building had been leased by Austria's Interior Ministry since 1972 to prevent any misuse, and it had been sublet to various charitable organizations. However, it remained vacant after a care center for adults with disabilities relocated in 2011.

Historians have criticized the lack of historical context in the project, emphasizing the importance of demystification,  proposing that instead an exhibition on individuals who saved Jews during Nazi rule should be displayed in the building as part of its transformation.