A building where Adolf Hitler was born near the Austrian border with Germany has been converted into a police station.
The Austrian government opened a new police station in the town of Braunau am Inn on Wednesday, aiming to prevent neo-Nazis from using the site as a pilgrimage destination. The government acquired the building in 2017 and announced plans for its renovation in 2019. The renovation cost approximately 20 million euros (22.8 million dollars).
The building will serve as a base for district and local police officers. At the opening ceremony, the city’s mayor, Johannes Weidbacher, expressed hope that the transformation would demonstrate that the local community “does not avoid its history and takes responsibility for it”.
“I believe that the opening of the police station today brings clarity to the discussion, perhaps also a little peace for the residents of Braunau,” said Weidbacher at the ceremony, which was also attended by Interior Minister Gerhard Karner. About 100 people watched the orchestra perform in the courtyard, including around 30 officers in uniform. However, according to AFP, few local residents were present.
The head of the historical department of the Austrian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Stefan Mlzoh, told journalists during a tour of the building: “The goal was to prevent any associations with Adolf Hitler, to deprive it of that mystique.” He noted that the aura surrounding the building was a result of the cult of Hitler’s personality, which the Nazis actively promoted. During the Third Reich, the building was used as a museum. Adolf Hitler was born there on April 20, 1889, but his family moved out after just a few weeks.
Public Reaction and Criticism
Passersby often stop to photograph the building, but their motives are typically unclear. Local authorities reported that there are now only “isolated incidents” involving visitors, and such occurrences have decreased compared to before. Critics, however, argue that changing the building’s purpose will not erase its history or associations with the Nazi leader.
“The world will not forget where the worst mass murderer in history was born. Wikipedia will not change its records,” said Robert Eiter of the Mauthausen Committee and the Network Against Racism and Right-Wing Extremism. He added that the number of neo-Nazis making a “pilgrimage to Braunau” is unlikely to diminish.
In response to a question about public sentiment regarding the project, Mayor Weidbacher told Reuters: “I think overall the residents of Braunau have accepted this and can live with it.” However, some residents are unhappy with the building’s new purpose. “I would have preferred if they had done something else, but it is what it is,” said 74-year-old Irene, who expressed a desire to see a charity organization established there.
Weidbacher was part of the commission that recommended using the building for either charitable or administrative purposes. Ultimately, he stated that placing a charity organization there would have made it too accessible to the general public.
A stone from the Mauthausen concentration camp, inscribed with “Never again fascism,” remains near the building. Adjacent to it, a sign reading “Police” was recently installed.
Source: Al Jazeera
