Adolf Hitler's birthplace in Braunau am Inn, Austria will officially open as a police station today(Image: MARTIN DIVISEK/EPA/Shutterstock)
It's the house where one of the most evil men in history was born.
But now, Adolf Hitler's birthplace has reopened as a police station in a bid to stop the site being 'worshipped' by neo-Nazi extremists.Officers moved into the unassuming property in Braunau am Inn, Austria, on Wednesday after a €20million (£17million) refit - with authorities insisting the move is the most effective method of "neutralising" the building and keeping the far-right away.
Austria's Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said during the opening ceremony that it showed the nation was "facing up" to the "terrible heritage of this time".
The building had been a private residence until a decade ago, when the Austrian government took control after a long legal battle with the former owner. Nazi-era details from the building's façade have been removed as part of the renovation works, with the yellow plaster being repainted white and a police sign added above the entrance.
Nazi-era features have now been removed as part of a £17million refurb(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
A memorial stone on the pavement outside reads: "For Peace, Freedom and Democracy. Never Again Fascism. Millions of Dead Warn." Hitler was born in the house in 1889, and spent first few weeks of his life there before his family moved to another address in the same town.
It was modified by the Nazi party during World War II to give it more distinctive 'Germanic' features. After the war, the three-storey home was bought by the Pommer family, who began leasing it to the the Austrian government in the 1970s.
Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler was born in the house in 1889(Image: Popperfoto via Getty Images)
The building was then was used as a base for charity work, until a row with owner Gerlinde Pommer in 2011 over accessibility adjustments saw the last tenants evicted from the building. She refused several offers to sell up - and in 2016, Austrian lawmakers passed a law specifically designed to seize the property.
Ms Pommer took the government to the Supreme Court, arguing this was unconstitutional. But judges ruled in their favour the following year, finding that the compulsory €810,000 (£690,000) purchase was in the public interest.
A memorial stone against 'war and fascism' is positioned outside the home(Image: MARTIN DIVISEK/EPA/Shutterstock)
A panel of experts later recommended against turning the site into a historical monument, as it would risk attracting extremists. The plan to turn it into a police station was unveiled in 2020, with building works eventually completed three years late.
The Austrian government previously said that a permanent police presence at the site - which will be off-limits to the public - would "clearly show" that visitors with Nazi sympathies would not be welcome.
The new police station has a custody cell with a bed and toilet (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Photographs show the interior fully converted into a working police station, including a custody cell with a toilet and bed.
In the past, far-right extremists have been spotted snapping photographs of the building, taking stones as souvenirs and laying flowers and wreaths. In 2024, four Germans were caught laying white roses in a window and posing for photos - including a woman giving a Nazi salute.
An opening ceremony was held to mark the opening of the Braunau Police Centre(Image: AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
The decision to turn the site into a police station has not been universally popular, with one holocaust survivors' charity suggesting more should have been done to commemorate the 15 million victims of the Nazi regime across Europe, including six million Jews.
Ludwig Laher, an author and member of the Mauthausen Committee Austria, said: "It would have been better to realise the idea that had much more support - a place dedicated to promoting pacifism."
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