The house in Braunau am Inn, Austria, where Adolf Hitler was born, has officially been converted into a police station. After several years of renovations and a cost of approximately 20 million euros, the building now houses a police station and the district police headquarters. Austrian authorities want to prevent this historic address from continuing to attract far-right activists and Nazi sympathizers.
The police are setting up at 15, Salzburger Vorstadt
The new police station in Braunau am Inn was officially opened on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., in the presence of Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner and State Secretary Jörg Leichtfried. Local inspectors and district command staff will work at 15 Salzburger Vorstadt, in the center of this Austrian city on the border with Bavaria. The project also included spaces dedicated to training law enforcement officers, particularly on human rights. The station can accommodate up to 50 police officers.
The address where Adolf Hitler was born in 1889
Adolf Hitler was born in this house on April 20, 1889. His parents, Alois and Klara Hitler, did not own the property but rented an apartment in this former building, which once housed an inn, a brewery, and several other dwellings. Contrary to what is sometimes claimed, the Hitler family did not remain in this house for five years. They left a few months after Adolf Hitler's birth to settle elsewhere in Braunau. The family then moved to Passau, Germany, when the child was about three years old.
A building that has become a symbol for neo-Nazis
After the Second World War, the building successively housed a municipal library, a bank, classrooms, and a center for people with disabilities. The latter vacated the premises in 2011, primarily because the building no longer met the necessary standards.
The house then remained empty for several years. Its location and history continued to attract tourists, but also neo-Nazi activists who came to pay their respects in front of the facade, lay flowers or take photographs.
In April 2024, four German nationals were arrested after placing white roses in front of the house to mark Adolf Hitler's birthday. One woman gave a Nazi salute while taking a photograph. In 2021, a man from Berlin also left a wreath at the building.
An expropriation after a long standoff
For several decades, the Austrian Ministry of the Interior leased the house to prevent it from falling into the hands of groups glorifying Nazism. After the center for people with disabilities moved out, the authorities and the owner failed to agree on the building's future. The Austrian state finally initiated expropriation proceedings. The courts upheld this decision in 2017, ending years of litigation. The idea of demolition had been considered at one point, before being abandoned. A commission of experts opposed the creation of a museum dedicated to Adolf Hitler. It recommended a major transformation of the house to reduce its immediately recognizable character and make the site less attractive to neo-Nazi movements.
A completely transformed yellow facade
Work began in October 2023. The old yellow facade was repainted white, the roof was renovated, and the interior layout was extensively redesigned. The entire complex, including the house, outbuildings, and courtyard, covers approximately 3,000 square meters. The architectural project was entrusted to the Austrian firm Marte.Marte. The architects modified the exterior appearance while preserving part of the protected historical structure. Some stones bearing the inscription "Volksbücherei Braunau," a reminder of the former library, were removed and given to the House of Austrian History in Vienna. The project cost approximately €20 million, four times the amount initially announced when the project was presented in 2020. The completion was also delayed by about three years. The authorities took special precautions during the work: the rubble was crushed on site and then mixed with other materials to prevent fragments of the house from being recovered as Nazi collectibles.
The police presence should discourage gatherings.
The conversion into a police station is a practical matter. The building is now under video surveillance and is staffed daily by law enforcement. Anyone who comes to leave Nazi symbols, perform a Hitler salute, or organize a gathering can be quickly checked. The Austrian government thus hopes to transform this former pilgrimage site into an ordinary administrative building, integrated into the city's daily operations.
The choice of police station remains contested
The project, however, was not universally accepted. Some residents, historians, and associations would have preferred the creation of an educational center dedicated to the crimes of Nazism, the Holocaust, the Resistance, and those who saved Jews during the war. They particularly criticized the building for lacking a proper permanent exhibition to explain its history. For these opponents, simply altering the facade and installing a police station is insufficient to help visitors understand the past.
The anti-fascist memorial stone remains in front of the house
A stele erected in 1989 remains in the immediate vicinity of the building. The stone comes from a quarry at the Mauthausen concentration camp. It bears an inscription commemorating the victims of Nazism: "For peace, freedom, and democracy. Never again fascism. Millions of dead urge us to remember."
