Lexi Webster
Austrian-born German politician and Nazi Germany dictator Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria-Hungary, on April 20, 1889. The town is now a part of present-day Austria and shares a border with Germany. Hitler's birthplace has been rented by Austria's Interior Ministry since 1972 to prevent misuse, and in 2023, work began to turn the house into a police station.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Country | Austria-Hungary (present-day Austria) |
| Town | Braunau am Inn |
| Year | 1889 |
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What You'll Learn
- Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria-Hungary, in 1889
- In 1972, Austria's Interior Ministry rented Hitler's birthplace to prevent misuse
- In 2023, work began to turn the house into a police station
- Hitler's father, Alois, worked as a local customs official
- In 1892, the family moved to Passau, Germany
Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria-Hungary, in 1889
Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria-Hungary, in 1889. At the time, Braunau am Inn was a small town in Austria-Hungary, near the border with the German Empire. Today, the town is part of Austria and is located on the country's border with Germany.
Hitler was born on 20 April 1889 and was the fourth of six children born to Alois Hitler and his third wife, Klara Pölzl. Three of Hitler's siblings—Gustav, Ida, and Otto—died in infancy. In addition to these children, Alois had two children from his second marriage: Alois Jr. and Angela.
Hitler's father was a local customs official, and his mother was his father's much younger third wife. Hitler's father was harsh and distant, and he had a closer relationship with his mother. When he was 17 years old, his mother died from cancer, which was a traumatic event for him.
In 1892, when Hitler was three years old, his family moved to Passau, Germany, following his father's promotion to the custom administration there. In 1893, his father was promoted and transferred to Linz, Austria, but the rest of the family remained in Passau. It was during this time that Hitler acquired the distinctive lower Bavarian dialect that marked his speech throughout his life.
Hitler's origins in Austria and his early life in a German-speaking region of Austria-Hungary may have influenced his later fascination with German nationalism. Despite being Austrian, Hitler considered himself ethnically German and expressed loyalty only to Germany. He despised the declining Habsburg monarchy and its rule over an ethnically diverse empire.
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In 1972, Austria's Interior Ministry rented Hitler's birthplace to prevent misuse
Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria-Hungary, on 20 April 1889. The town is located near Salzburg on the German border. Hitler's family lived in the house for only three years following his birth. However, the three-storey building, painted in pale yellow, has been a subject of controversy and debate over the years.
In 1972, Austria's Interior Ministry started renting Hitler's birthplace to prevent its misuse and potential glorification of the Nazi dictator. The building was rented from its owner, a retired local woman, for around 4,800 euros ($5,332) per month. The Interior Ministry sublet the property to various charitable organisations, including a care centre for adults with disabilities, which operated until 2011.
The decision to rent the property was made to prevent it from becoming a site of pilgrimage for neo-Nazis and those who glorified Hitler. In late 2019, a plan was approved to repurpose the building as a police station, with the district police headquarters and a security academy branch. This decision was met with criticism, with historian Florian Kotanko arguing that the Interior Ministry's intention to remove the building's "recognition factor" through remodelling was "impossible to accomplish".
Despite the efforts of the Austrian government to prevent misuse, there have been challenges in deterring neo-Nazis from gathering at the site. A memorial stone with an anti-fascist inscription was placed outside the house, reflecting the country's commitment to "freedom, democracy, and liberty". Additionally, the government's decision to take ownership of the property through a law passed in parliament faced opposition from the owner, who refused to sell it to the state.
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In 2023, work began to turn the house into a police station
Adolf Hitler was born in the small Austrian town of Braunau am Inn in 1889. The house in which he was born has been rented by Austria's Interior Ministry since 1972 to prevent its misuse, and it has been sublet to various charitable organizations. In 2011, the building was left empty after a care center for adults with disabilities moved out.
However, there has been criticism of the plan. Historian Florian Kotanko, for example, has argued that there is a "total lack of historical contextualization" and that the Interior Ministry's intention to remove the building's "recognition factor" by remodeling it "is impossible to accomplish." Despite this, the project has moved forward, and the house is set to become a center for law enforcement and human rights education in the area.
The transformation of Hitler's birthplace into a site dedicated to upholding the rule of law and protecting civil liberties stands as a powerful symbol of Austria's commitment to countering the ideologies that led to the horrors of the Nazi regime. By repurposing the building in this way, the Austrian government aims to actively discourage any glorification of Hitler and the Nazis while promoting values of democracy and respect for human rights.
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Hitler's father, Alois, worked as a local customs official
Adolf Hitler was born on 20 April 1889 in Braunau am Inn, a town in Austria-Hungary (present-day Austria). Hitler was the fourth of six children born to Alois Hitler and his third wife, Klara Pölzl.
Alois Hitler, born in 1837, was an Austrian civil servant in the customs service. He joined the frontier guards (customs service) of the Austrian Finance Ministry in 1855 at the age of 18. In 1876, Alois Hitler convinced the Austrian local authorities to acknowledge his deceased stepfather, Johann Georg Hiedler, as his biological father. This meant that Klara Pölzl legally became Alois's first cousin once removed. Alois then legally changed his last name to that of his deceased stepfather, Johann, but the authorities misspelled the last name as "Hitler".
In 1892, Alois rose to the rank of provisorischer resp. and in 1894 to definitiver Zolloberamts-Official (definite senior inspector of customs, i.e., Army captain). He was a rising young junior customs official and used his birth name of Schicklgruber until he was well-established in his career. Alois was a strict father who demanded absolute obedience and freely hit his children. He was also known for his fondness for women and had numerous affairs in the 1870s, which led his first wife, Anna, to initiate legal action. They separated by mutual agreement in 1880, and Alois married his mistress, Franziska "Fanni" Matzelsberger, in 1883.
In 1892, Alois was promoted and transferred to Linz, Austria, but the rest of the family remained in Passau, Germany. The family returned to Austria and settled in Leonding in 1894, and in June 1895, Alois retired to Hafeld, near Lambach, where he farmed and kept bees. He died suddenly in 1903 when Adolf was 14 years old.
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In 1892, the family moved to Passau, Germany
Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, a town in Austria-Hungary (present-day Austria) on 20 April 1889. In 1892, when Hitler was three years old, his family moved to Passau, Germany, following his father's promotion to the custom administration there. This move was significant in Hitler's life as it exposed him to the lower Bavarian dialect, which would influence his speech throughout his life.
Passau, located on the border between the Kingdom of Bavaria and Austria-Hungary, was a vibrant and diverse cultural hub. The city's proximity to the border meant that its residents, including the young Hitler, were exposed to a blend of Bavarian and Austrian influences. The cultural exchange and interplay between these two distinct regions shaped the early years of Hitler's life.
Hitler's father, Alois Hitler, played a pivotal role in the family's relocation to Passau. Alois's career as a customs official led to his promotion and subsequent transfer to the custom administration in Passau. This move not only provided a change of scenery for the family but also offered Alois a step up in his professional life.
The move to Passau marked a transitional period in Hitler's early life. It was during these formative years that Hitler began to develop his sense of identity and nationalism. While living in Passau, it is likely that Hitler started to absorb the German nationalist ideas that would later become central to his political ideology. The exposure to the Bavarian dialect and culture may have contributed to his identification as an ethnic German, despite being born in the Austrian Empire.
In 1894, the Hitler family returned to Austria and settled in Leonding, near Linz. This move brought Hitler back to his roots and immersed him in the Austrian culture and environment once again. However, the time spent in Passau left a lasting impression on Hitler, influencing his speech patterns and potentially shaping his emerging nationalist beliefs.
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Frequently asked questions
Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, a town in Austria-Hungary (present-day Austria).
The building in Braunau am Inn where Hitler was born is being turned into a police station. The Austrian government decided to repurpose the building to make it unattractive as a site of pilgrimage for Nazi sympathisers.
Hitler moved to Germany in 1913. He also volunteered to serve in the German Army at the start of World War I in 1914 and formally renounced his Austrian citizenship in 1925.
