A police station now occupies the building where Adolf Hitler was born, in the town of Braunau am Inn near Austria’s border with Germany. The conversion followed years of public debate and government decisions aimed at preventing any form of neo-Nazi exploitation of the site.

The Austrian government forced the purchase of the property in 2017; until then it had been privately owned and had housed a charity for people with disabilities. Two years later, officials announced the building would be renovated for use by police services.

Today the only reminder of the building’s history is a stone from the Mauthausen concentration camp placed on the sidewalk out front, inscribed “Never again fascism.” The facade itself now displays only the word “police.”

From art museum to public office

Under the Nazi regime, the so-called “Führer’s birth house” operated as an art museum, part of the personality cult built around Hitler. Austrian authorities note, however, that Hitler himself lived there only a few weeks after his 1889 birth before his family moved away.

Local reaction

While passersby still occasionally stop to photograph the building, local authorities say incidents involving visits from neo-Nazis have dropped noticeably in recent years.

It is worth noting that Nazi salutes and related symbols are strictly banned by law in Austria.

Braunau am Inn’s mayor, Johannes Waidbacher, told Reuters the local community has largely accepted the building’s new use. He said proposals for charitable or other public uses had been considered, but housing police services was ultimately chosen as the option that would limit public access and prevent the site from becoming a tourist attraction.