Vienna: Austrian authorities have transformed the house where Adolf Hitler was born into a police station, sparking divided opinions in Braunau am Inn, a border town with Germany.
Located at Salzburger Vorstadt 15 in central Braunau am Inn, the three-storied yellow building where Hitler was born on April 20, 1889, and lived briefly, now has a renovated white facade. Workers recently finished exterior touches, with police scheduled to move in during the second quarter of 2026, according to Interior ministry sources.
Austria seized the property via a 2016 law to strip its appeal to far-right extremists. The Euro 20 million renovation will serve as district police headquarters and host human rights training for officers, aiming to prevent neo-Nazi pilgrimages.
This aligns with Austria’s Nazi past. Annexed by Hitler in 1938, the country has faced criticism for downplaying Holocaust complicity — 65,000 Austrian Jews murdered, 130,000 exiled. In 2025, Braunau renamed two Nazi-honouring streets after activist pressure.
Opinions were sharply split.
Sibylle Treiblmaier, a 53-year-old office assistant, dubbed it a ‘double-edged sword’ — it deters extremists but could have served better purposes.
Braunau-born 34-year-old shop owner Jasmin Stadler lamented the missed chance for historical context on Hitler’s birthplace and criticised the steep cost.
Electrical engineer Wolfgang Leithner, 57, endorsed it for bringing “calm” and public utility, avoiding a far-right shrine.
Holocaust advocate Ludwig Laher of the Mauthausen Committee called policing problematic, as police protect state interests regardless of regime. He favoured a prior peace-building dialogue centre that drew wide support.
Braunau’s conservative mayor refused to take a side.
