The house where Adolf Hitler was born in Braunau am Inn, Austria, officially opened as a police station on July 22, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The 17th-century former inn near the German border was renovated and refurbished by the Austrian firm Marte, painted white to replace its original yellow exterior, and substantially altered to remove Nazi associations [6, 1, 7, 4, 5]. The roughly 800-square-meter building underwent renovations costing about €20 million, finishing three years behind schedule [1, 7, 4, 5].

The Austrian government purchased the property in 2017, compensating the last private owner, Gerlinde Pommer, approximately €810,000 after she unsuccessfully contested the compulsory acquisition law passed in 2016 [6, 1, 7, 8, 5]. Before the conversion, the building functioned as a day center for disabled people, many of whom were victims of the Nazi regime [6, 1, 7, 4, 5].

The police station is marked with a sign above the entrance but no indication of the building’s Nazi history remains inside or outside. A memorial stone on the pavement dating from 1989 remains, reading: "For Peace, Freedom and Democracy. Never Again Fascism. Millions of Dead Warn." Officials said the redesign aims to prevent the site from becoming a neo-Nazi pilgrimage spot [1, 7, 3, 4, 8, 5]. Stephan Mlczoch of Austria’s Interior Ministry said, "The aim was to prevent any association with Adolf Hitler, so as to strip it of that mystique" and noted that the birth house had previously been elevated to an art museum by Nazi glorification [2, 3].

Hitler was born in the house on April 20, 1889, but only lived there a few weeks. He returned briefly in 1938 after Germany annexed Austria [6, 1, 2, 8, 5]. Historians opposed demolishing the building, saying it would erase reminders of Austria’s Nazi past [6, 1, 7, 4, 5]. Some Holocaust survivor groups criticised converting it into a police station as insufficient recognition of Hitler’s crimes [2, 7, 3, 4]. Robert Eiter of the Mauthausen Committee said, "The world won’t forget where the worst mass murderer in history was born... There will be no reduction in the number of neo-Nazis making 'the pilgrimage to Braunau'" [7, 3].

Johannes Waidbacher, Braunau's mayor, said, "I think on the whole the people of Braunau have accepted it and can live with it," adding the opening "brings clarity to the discussion, perhaps also a bit of calm for the people of Braunau" [2, 3]. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said, "This house will now become a place of democracy, rule of law, security, freedom and human dignity" [8].

The building remains under police use as a direct measure to deter far-right extremist visits and neo-Nazi pilgrimages. Despite the ban on Nazi symbols in Austria and reduced incidents, neo-Nazis still occasionally come to the site [6, 2, 3]. About 37% of Austrians support the far-right Freedom Party, which was founded by former Nazis [1, 4, 5].