Austria has officially opened a police station in the building where Adolf Hitler was born, a move intended to strip the site of its appeal as a pilgrimage destination for neo-Nazis. The conversion follows years of deliberation over the fate of the house in Braunau am Inn, near the German border.

The building, where Hitler was born on April 20, 1889, had been leased to the Austrian state since 1972 and used as a centre for disabled people, as reported by Dawn. The government purchased the property in 2017 and announced plans to remodel it in 2019, according to Al Jazeera and the Jerusalem Post. The renovation, which cost approximately €20 million (about $22.8 million), took several years and was completed three years behind schedule, as noted by Dawn.

Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said at the opening ceremony, as quoted by Al Jazeera: "The Republic of Austria is facing up to this heritage, the burden of this house." He added, as reported by Dawn, that the conversion is part of the country's effort to confront its history.

The decision to turn the house into a police station came after a long and delicate debate over what to do with the site, according to Dawn. The house had been in the hands of the same family from 1912, and from 1972 it was leased to the Austrian state and used as a centre for disabled people, Dawn reported. The government bought the property in 2017 and announced plans to renovate it in 2019, according to Al Jazeera and the Jerusalem Post. The renovation cost about €20 million (US$22.8 million), as reported by Al Jazeera and the South China Morning Post.

The new police station will house officers from the district and local police, as reported by Al Jazeera. A memorial stone remains outside the building with the inscription: “For freedom, peace and democracy. Never again fascism. Millions of dead remind us,” as reported by the Jerusalem Post and the South China Morning Post.

Hitler was born in the building on April 20, 1889, and his family moved out a few months later, according to South China Morning Post. The building later housed a library and a school, and from 1972 it served as a centre for disabled people, as reported by Dawn.

Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, speaking at the opening ceremony, said, as reported by Al Jazeera: “The Republic of Austria is facing up to this heritage, this burden. This house and this address are now a clear statement against any form of glorification of National Socialism.” He added: "This is to ensure that this house can no longer be a place of pilgrimage for Nazis."

The renovation took several years, and the final cost was around €20 million. The delay was due to the complex history of the site and the need to ensure the building's new purpose would not attract unwanted attention, according to Al Jazeera.

Austria's decision to convert the birthplace of Adolf Hitler into a police station is a deliberate effort to confront the country's Nazi past and to prevent the site from becoming a shrine for far-right extremists, as reported by multiple news outlets.

Key Claims

• The building where Adolf Hitler was born has been converted into a police station, a move intended to prevent neo-Nazis from using it as a pilgrimage site.
• The renovation cost around €20 million.
• A memorial stone remains outside with an inscription against fascism.
• Hitler was born in the building on April 20, 1889, and his family moved out a few months later.
• The Austrian government bought the house in 2017 and announced plans to renovate it in 2019.
• The house was leased to the Austrian state and used as a centre for disabled people before the conversion.
• The government's decision was part of a long and delicate debate over the site's future.