Hitler's Austrian Destruction: Which Town Was Obliterated?

Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, a picturesque Austrian town on the border with Germany. Shortly after invading Austria, Hitler ordered the evacuation of Döllersheim, a village about 100km northwest of Vienna, along with several other neighbouring villages. The village was bombed as part of training exercises, and a large military training camp was built in its place.

Hitler's birthplace in Braunau am Inn

Braunau am Inn is a picturesque town in Upper Austria, on the border with Germany. It is known for being the birthplace of Adolf Hitler, who was born there on 20 April 1889.

The town is situated on the River Inn, which forms the border with the German state of Bavaria. Braunau am Inn is about 60 km (37 mi) north of Salzburg, and is connected to its Bavarian counterpart, Simbach am Inn, by bridges over the Inn.

The town received its town rights in 1260, one of the first in present-day Austria. It became a prosperous fortress town and an important trading route junction, dealing in the salt trade and ship traffic on the Inn.

Hitler's father, Alois, was a customs official who had been posted to Braunau in 1875. He married Klara Plötzl in 1885, and they had six children together. The family lived in a flat above what was the Pommer Inn, at Salzburger Vorstadt 15. Their first three children died as infants, and their fourth child was Adolf. The family moved to Passau in 1892, when Adolf was three years old.

In the years since Hitler's birth, the house has been a school, a bank, a Gasthaus (inn), a public library, and a centre for the disabled. It has been vacant since 2011.

In 1972, the Austrian government took over the main lease on the building to prevent it from becoming a pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis. A memorial stone was installed in front of the building in 1989, two weeks before Hitler's centenary. The stone, made of granite from the Mauthausen concentration camp, is inscribed with the words: "For peace, freedom and democracy. Never again fascism. Millions of dead remind us."

In 2016, the Austrian government expropriated the house, with plans to demolish it. However, this decision was met with opposition, with critics arguing that it would send the wrong message about Austria's willingness to engage with its history.

As of 2023, the plan is to remodel the house and turn it into a police station and training centre, with construction expected to be completed in 2025. The exterior will be redesigned, but the building will be "architecturally integrated" into the existing buildings of the area. The interior will also be significantly altered.

Hitler's hometown's unwanted association

Braunau am Inn, a picturesque town in Upper Austria on the border with Germany, is known for being the birthplace of Adolf Hitler. The town, with its cobblestoned town square and pretty medieval architecture, would like to be known for more than its infamous native son. However, its association with Hitler continues to attract neo-Nazis and those curious about his early life.

A Controversial Landmark

The three-story neoclassical building where Hitler was born sits near the centre of town. After World War II, it was used as a public library and later a social services agency. Today, it stands vacant and closed to the public. In the 1930s, during Hitler's rule, the building became a shrine to his cult of personality. German schools would recite his date and place of birth, ensuring that Braunau's name was burned into the memory of a generation of children.

The continued interest in Hitler's birthplace has caused discomfort for the town's residents, who are not fans of the dictator. They have tried to keep neo-Nazis away by installing a block of stone from the Mauthausen concentration camp in front of the building, with an inscription honouring the victims of fascism. Despite these efforts, neo-Nazis continue to be drawn to the site, leaving flowers and candles, and the town remains forever associated with Hitler.

Erasing the Past?

In an attempt to break free from its association with Hitler, the Austrian government considered razing the building to the ground. However, the town rejected this idea, recognising that destroying the building would not erase the memory of its connection to Hitler. Instead, Braunau plans to remodel the house and turn it back into a centre for the disabled.

By acknowledging and confronting its history, Braunau aims to shape the narrative surrounding Hitler's birthplace and encourage reflection and re-evaluation of prejudices. This approach aligns with the town's efforts to put up an exhibit about the house and its links to Hitler in the local museum and to foster a culture of transparency and historical reflection among its residents.

A Complicated Legacy

Braunau am Inn carries a heavy legacy as the birthplace of one of history's most notorious dictators. While the town strives to move forward and shape a positive image, it continues to grapple with the complexities of its past. The challenge of balancing remembrance and repudiation is a constant reminder of the impact of Hitler's ideology and the importance of ongoing efforts to prevent the resurgence of such extreme ideologies.

Hitler's birthplace becomes a centre for the disabled

In 1938, Adolf Hitler invaded Austria and ordered the village of Döllersheim, along with several neighbouring villages, to be evacuated. Over two thousand residents were forcibly resettled, and their houses were bombed as part of military training exercises. The village of Döllersheim was the birthplace of Hitler's father, Alois Hitler, and the destruction of the village was an attempt to erase the disreputable origins of his family.

Hitler was reportedly furious about rumours circulating about his ancestry, particularly the unproven theory that his paternal grandfather was a Jew named Leopold Frankenberger. In 1931, Hitler ordered the SS to investigate these rumours and, despite finding no evidence of any Jewish ancestors, he remained unsatisfied. He then commissioned a genealogist to prepare an illustrated genealogical tree, which he published in the book *Die Ahnentafel des Fuehrers* in 1937.

However, Hitler's efforts to suppress these rumours did not end there. In 1938, he ordered the destruction of Döllersheim, the village where his father was born and where sceptics continued to make enquiries. The village was wiped off the map, with over two thousand residents forcibly evicted and their houses bombed. The land was transformed into a large military training camp.

After World War II, the training ground was seized by the Soviet Army and it remains a military exclusion zone today, operated by the Austrian Armed Forces. Despite this, since 1981, the main square, the ruins of the Romanesque parish church of Saints Peter and Paul, and its surrounding graveyard have been accessible to visitors.

Hitler's father's birthplace, Döllersheim, is wiped off the map

Hitler's father's birthplace, Döllersheim, was wiped off the map. Located about 100 km northwest of Vienna, in northern Austria, Döllersheim was the village where Hitler's father, Alois Schicklgruber, was born in 1837. Alois was the illegitimate child of Maria Schicklgruber, a forty-two-year-old unmarried serving woman. The identity of his biological father was never officially confirmed, and this uncertainty fuelled rumours about Hitler's ancestry, enraging him.

Hitler went to great lengths to suppress these rumours, ordering the SS to investigate and commissioning a genealogist to prepare an illustrated genealogical tree showing his Aryan pedigree, which he published in a book in 1937. However, these efforts were not enough to satisfy Hitler, and he allegedly decided to take more drastic action. Shortly after invading Austria, Hitler ordered the evacuation of Döllersheim and several neighbouring villages, purportedly to build a large military training camp. Over two thousand residents were forcibly resettled, and their houses were bombed as part of the training exercises.

After World War II, the training ground was seized by the Soviet Army, and it remains a military exclusion zone today, operated by the Austrian Armed Forces. While the main square, the ruins of the Romanesque parish church, and its surrounding graveyard have been accessible to visitors since 1981, the village of Döllersheim itself no longer exists, erased from the map by Hitler's attempts to hide the truth about his family's origins.

Hitler's actions in Döllersheim reflect his obsession with maintaining an Aryan image and his willingness to go to extreme lengths to suppress any information that contradicted his desired narrative. The destruction of the village also serves as a reminder of the far-reaching consequences of Hitler's rise to power and the devastating impact his regime had on countless communities and individuals across Austria and beyond.

Today, visitors to the area can explore the remnants of the parish church and the main square, serving as a somber reminder of the village that once stood there and the lives that were forever changed by Hitler's destructive actions.

Hitler's birthplace is to become a police station

Hitler's birthplace in the Austrian town of Braunau am Inn is set to become a police station. The house, with the address Salzburger Vorstadt 15, has been empty for years due to legal issues and has become a site of neo-Nazi pilgrimage. The decision to repurpose the building was made after years of political and legal debate.

The corner house, described as an inconspicuous stone house painted in friendly beige, will be converted into a state-of-the-art police station with a €20 million ($21.2 million) budget. The plans include a training room where police officers will be educated about human rights.

The decision to turn the house into a police station has sparked controversy. Some critics say the police played a questionable role during the Nazi era, while others argue that it sends the wrong signal and is a "slap in the face of the victims". However, supporters of the decision believe it will help to combat neo-Nazism and reduce the number of people making pilgrimages to the site.

Interior Minister Wolfgang Peschorn stated that the house's "future use by the police should send an unmistakable signal that this building will never again evoke the memory of National Socialism." The discussion about the future of Hitler's birthplace is likely to continue, but construction work on the police station is set to begin in October.

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