Hitler's Austrian Home: A Place For Tourism Or Reflection?

The house where Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria, has been a source of controversy and debate for years. The three-story yellow house has stood vacant since 2011 and its fate remains uncertain. While some have suggested turning it into a museum or an international meeting place for peace, others have called for its complete demolition to prevent it from becoming a neo-Nazi shrine. The Austrian government has seized the building and plans to renovate it into a police station, aiming to 'neutralize' its history and symbolism. However, locals in Braunau am Inn are divided, with some believing that downplaying the house's history is a mistake, and others feeling left out of the decision-making process. The challenge of what to do with Hitler's Austrian home continues to raise difficult questions about Austria's complex relationship with its past and the legacy of Nazism.

Hitler's Austrian home was seized by the Austrian government to prevent it from becoming a neo-Nazi meeting place

Hitler's Austrian home, a three-story building in Braunau am Inn, was seized by the Austrian government in December 2020 to prevent it from becoming a neo-Nazi meeting place. The house, where Hitler was born in 1889, has been rented by the Austrian interior ministry since 1972 to prevent misuse by neo-Nazis. The government had been leaseholder of the property for decades, except for a few interruptions, but the owner, Gerlinde Pommer-Angloher, terminated the rental agreement in 2011 when they wanted to renovate it for wheelchair access.

Pommer-Angloher's grandparents purchased the building in 1913 but were forced to sell it in 1938 to the Nazi state. Her mother bought it back after World War II. The Austrian government had made several offers to buy the building from Pommer-Angloher, but she refused. The government ultimately seized the building, with Austria's constitutional court ruling that the seizure was "carried out in the public interest, proportionately and not without [financial] compensation, so it was not unconstitutional."

The house has been used for various purposes over the years, including as a school, a bank, and a center for the disabled. There have been suggestions to turn the building into a museum or an international meeting place dedicated to peace, while others have called for it to be demolished. The Austrian government has decided to renovate and turn the building into a police station, with construction slated to be completed by early 2023. The government's main priority is to reduce the building's appeal to neo-Nazis, who often visit the property, just a few hundred meters from the German border.

The house is located in Braunau am Inn, a town in northern Austria, near the German border

Over the years, the building has served various purposes, including a school, a bank, and a centre for the disabled. The Austrian government has struggled with the question of what to do with this site, considering options such as turning it into a museum or an international meeting place for peace, or even demolishing it entirely. The challenge has been to prevent the place from becoming a neo-Nazi pilgrimage site while also preserving historical awareness.

The house holds historical significance as the birthplace of Hitler in 1889. However, Hitler's family only lived there briefly, as they moved to Passau, Germany, when he was three years old. As an adult, Hitler had little interest in the town, and there is no further direct connection between Hitler's regime and the town of Braunau.

The Austrian government has dealt with the issue by seizing the property from its owner, Gerlinde Pommer-Angloher, through a legal process that was challenged but ultimately upheld by the country's constitutional court. The government's primary goal is to reduce the site's appeal to neo-Nazis, who have been known to gather there. There have been various proposals for the building's future, including turning it into flats, an adult education centre, or a centre for confronting the Nazi past.

The house's location in Braunau am Inn, so close to the German border, adds a layer of complexity to the situation. The town's name, containing the word "braun," which translates to "brown," further reinforces the association with Nazism. The town has struggled to shake off this stigma and move beyond being primarily identified as Hitler's birthplace.

The house was rented by the Austrian interior ministry to prevent misuse by neo-Nazis

The house where Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria, has been rented by the Austrian interior ministry since 1972 to prevent misuse by neo-Nazis. The building, located just off the main square, is a 17th-century former inn where Hitler was born in 1889. However, Hitler's family only lived there for a few weeks before moving to another address in Braunau. They left the town for good when Hitler was three years old, and he only returned briefly in 1938 after annexing Austria to Nazi Germany.

The house has been a source of controversy and debate in Austria, with the government wanting to prevent it from becoming a neo-Nazi shrine or pilgrimage site. The current owner, Gerlinde Pommer, has refused various proposals for the future use of the building, including turning it into flats, an adult education centre, or a museum. Locals have also expressed mixed reactions to the government's plans, with some feeling that the history of the house should not be downplayed, while others want to move on from the negative association with Hitler.

The Austrian government has explored various options to address the issue, including renovating the house to neutralise its symbolism or even demolishing it. Ultimately, the government decided to expropriate the property and turn it into a police station, with construction planned to start in 2023. This decision was met with criticism from some locals who felt that it did not adequately address the historical significance of the site.

The challenge for Austria is to balance the need to prevent neo-Nazi misuse of the site while also acknowledging and learning from its dark history. The house serves as a reminder of the country's complicated relationship with its past and the ongoing efforts to promote a more comprehensive memory culture.

The house has been used as a daycare centre for the disabled, a school, a bank, and more

The house where Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria, has had many uses over the years. The building has been rented by the Austrian interior ministry since 1972 to prevent misuse by neo-Nazis. For many years, the house was used as a daycare centre for people with special needs. However, in 2011, they had to move out.

The house has also been a school and a bank at different points in its history. In recent years, there have been various proposals for how to use the house, including turning it into flats, a centre for adult education, a museum, or a centre for confronting the Nazi past.

One of the challenges in deciding the house's fate is the desire to reduce its appeal to neo-Nazis, who have been known to gather there. Some have suggested tearing the house down entirely, while others have proposed repurposing it in a way that acknowledges and confronts its history.

The Austrian government has considered several options and recently decided to renovate the building and turn it into a police station. This decision has been met with mixed reactions from locals, with some arguing that it downplays the history of the house and others hoping for a resolution that allows the town to move forward.

The Austrian government plans to renovate the house and turn it into a police station

The Austrian government's decision to renovate Hitler's birthplace and turn it into a police station has been a controversial one, with some locals expressing their dissatisfaction with the plan. The three-story yellow house in Braunau am Inn, where Hitler was born in 1889, has been vacant since 2011 and has served various purposes over the years, including as a school, a bank, and a center for the disabled. The building was also rented by the Austrian interior ministry for a long time to prevent its misuse by neo-Nazis as a site of pilgrimage.

The Austrian government's primary goal with the renovation is to ""neutralize" the history and symbolism of the house, preventing it from becoming a neo-Nazi "cult site." This decision comes after a protracted process to expropriate the house from its owner, Gerlinde Pommer-Angloher, who refused several offers from the government to buy it. The Austrian constitutional court ruled that the seizure of the building was lawful, stating that it was carried out in the public interest and with financial compensation.

The renovation plans include moving a memorial stone in front of the house, which was installed in 1989 as a warning about the dangers of fascism, to Vienna or elsewhere in town. However, the city council has voted against this suggestion. Locals have mixed feelings about the police station plan, with some believing that it is not the right choice to downplay the history of the house. Florian Kotanko, a local historian, suggests that the government should "somewhere show what actually happened in the house and what kind of relationship there is between Hitler and Braunau, and between Braunau and Hitler."

The debate surrounding the house's future highlights the complex nature of dealing with historical sites associated with Nazi crimes and the ongoing efforts to prevent them from becoming places of neo-Nazi worship.

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