The building where Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria, has been converted into a police station. The move aims to prevent the site from becoming a place of pilgrimage for neo-Nazis. The building was previously a charity for handicapped people and had been in private ownership before Austria made a compulsory purchase in 2017.

Background

Hitler only lived in the building for a few weeks in 1889 before his family moved out. The Nazis had previously used the building as an art museum, and it had become a site of fascination for some. However, local officials have reported a decrease in incidents involving visitors, with only isolated incidents occurring.

The conversion of the building into a police station is seen as a way to strip it of its historical significance and prevent it from being used as a symbol of neo-Nazi ideology. The head of the Austrian interior ministry’s history department, Stephan Mlczoch, stated that the aim was to prevent any association with Adolf Hitler and to remove the mystique surrounding the site.

Reactions

While some have opposed the conversion, including the Mauthausen Committee, Austria’s main Holocaust survivors’ group, others have welcomed the move. Mayor Johannes Waidbacher stated that the people of Braunau have accepted the change and can live with it. The police station is expected to help prevent neo-Nazis from visiting the site and to promote a more positive image of the town.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.