Hitler's Austrian Roots: Did He Live There?

Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria, in 1889. His family moved to Passau in 1892, when he was three years old. In 1908, Hitler moved to Vienna, where he lived for several years before relocating to Munich in 1913 to avoid conscription into the Austrian army. In 1938, Hitler briefly returned to Austria, annexing the country to Nazi Germany.

Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria, in 1889

Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria, in 1889. Braunau am Inn is a town in Upper Austria on the border with Germany. The town is on the lower river Inn, which forms the border with the German state of Bavaria. Hitler was born in an apartment in a 17th-century building, which also housed a craft brewery and several rental flats. His father, Alois Hitler, had been posted to Braunau am Inn for his job as a customs official. Hitler's family rented rooms upstairs.

Hitler only lived in Braunau am Inn for a few weeks after his birth, before his family moved to another address in the area. They left the town for good when Hitler was three years old. The family moved to Passau in 1892, when Hitler's father was transferred there for work.

Hitler returned to Braunau am Inn briefly in 1938, on his way to Vienna, after he annexed Austria to Nazi Germany. The building where Hitler was born has been the subject of controversy and debate. It has been rented by the Austrian government since 1972 to prevent it from becoming a pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis. The building has been used for various purposes over the years, including as a library, a technical college, and a day-care centre for disabled people. There have been proposals to turn it into apartments, a museum, or a centre for charity work or reconciliation. In 2020, it was announced that the building would be restored and used as a police station and training centre, with completion expected in 2025.

He lived there until he was three years old

Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria, on 20 April 1889. His father, Alois Hitler, had been posted to the town for work as a customs official. Hitler was born in an apartment in a modest guest house, where his family rented rooms. The family lived in the building for only a few weeks after his birth before moving to another address in the area. They left Braunau am Inn for good when Hitler was three years old, moving to Passau after his father was transferred there for work.

Hitler's birth house in Braunau am Inn has since become a site of controversy and debate. The Austrian government has gone to great lengths to prevent the site from becoming a pilgrimage destination for neo-Nazis and far-right tourists. For many years, the government rented the property from its owner to prevent its misuse. During this time, the building was used for various purposes, including as a day-care centre for disabled people and a technical college. However, the owner, Gerlinde Pommer, objected to some of the government's plans and refused all offers to buy or renovate the property.

In 2016, the Austrian government took possession of the house through a compulsory purchase order. There was widespread debate in Austria over the fate of the building, with some calling for its demolition and others suggesting it be used for charitable work or as a house of reconciliation. Ultimately, it was decided that the building would be turned into a police station, sending a clear signal that the property does not commemorate Nazism. The restoration of the house is expected to be completed by 2025, and it will serve as a police station and district police headquarters.

Hitler's early life in Austria laid the foundation for his extreme ideologies and his rise to power as the Führer of Nazi Germany. His time in Braunau am Inn, though brief, played a role in shaping his future actions and the course of history.

Hitler returned to Braunau in 1938, after annexing Austria to Nazi Germany

Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria, in 1889. His father, Alois, worked as a customs official in the town. Hitler and his family left Braunau and moved to Passau in 1892, when Hitler was three years old.

Hitler accompanied German troops into Austria on March 12, where they were met with enthusiastic crowds. He appointed a new Nazi government, and on March 13, the annexation was officially proclaimed. Austria became a province of Nazi Germany and was referred to as the Ostmark. The Nazis wanted to erase any traces of a separate Austrian identity.

Hitler's return to Braunau in 1938 was part of this process of consolidating Nazi control over Austria and erasing its independent identity. The town of Braunau has struggled to come to terms with its association with Hitler and has taken steps to discourage "Hitler tourism." The house where Hitler was born has been the subject of controversy, with the Austrian government trying to prevent it from becoming a pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis.

The house where Hitler was born has been rented by the Austrian government to prevent it from becoming a pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis

Adolf Hitler was born in 1889 in Braunau am Inn, a town in Upper Austria on the border with Germany. His family rented rooms in an apartment building at Salzburger Vorstadt 15, where Hitler lived for only a few weeks before they moved to another address in Braunau. They left the town for good when Hitler was three years old.

The house where Hitler was born has been a source of controversy for both the local village and the Austrian government. In 1972, the Austrian Ministry of the Interior began renting the property from its owner, Gerlinde Pommer, to prevent it from becoming a pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis. The government has been paying around €4,800-€5,000 ($5,300-$6,140) per month in rent.

The building has had various uses over the years, including as a day-care centre for disabled people and workshops for disabled people. However, it has been empty since 2011 due to the owner's refusal to agree to any plans for its future use. Mrs Pommer has rejected proposals to turn the house into flats, a centre for adult education, or a museum. She has also refused offers from the state to purchase the property.

In 2016, the Austrian government moved to seize the house and passed a law to take ownership. The government's decision was motivated by its desire to prevent the property from becoming a 'cult site' for neo-Nazis. There were disagreements over the building's fate, with some calling for its demolition, while others suggested repurposing it as a museum or a supermarket to "depoliticise" it.

As of 2020, it was announced that the house would be restored and used as a police station and training centre, with completion expected in 2025.

The house will be turned into a police station

The house where Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria, will be turned into a police station. The fate of the property has been the subject of a lengthy dispute. For decades, the government rented it from its former owner to prevent misuse by neo-Nazis and to stop far-right tourism. The house was once a day-care centre for disabled people, but this ended when the owner objected to plans to make it more wheelchair-friendly and then refused all government offers to buy it or carry out renovations.

There has been widespread debate and disagreement in Austria over the fate of the building. Some have called for it to be torn down, while others argued it should be used for charity work or as a house of reconciliation. In 2016, the government took possession of the house under a compulsory purchase order, and it was announced that the building would be changed to the extent that it "will not be recognisable." The house will be restored to its 1790 configuration with a double-gable roof, and all Nazi-era additions will be removed.

The decision to turn the house into a police station has been supported by Interior Minister Wolfgang Peschorn, who stated that it would send an "unmistakable signal" that the property does not commemorate Nazism. The restoration is expected to be completed in 2025, with the police station and district police headquarters moving in the following year.

The house, located in the town of Braunau am Inn on the border with Germany, was where Hitler spent the first few weeks of his life in 1889. His father, Alois Hitler, had been posted there for work as a customs official. The family stayed in an apartment in the building for a few weeks after Hitler's birth before moving to another address in the area. They left Braunau am Inn for good when Hitler was three years old.

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