"Austria Says 'No Commemoration of Nazism' as Hitler's Birthplace Becomes Police Station"

Ownership Secured After Legal Dispute
338 Billion Won Invested Over Three Years for Renovation

The salute posture of raising the right arm straight up above the shoulder line is a symbol of the Nazis.

Austria has renovated the birthplace of German Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler and converted it into a police station.

According to AFP on July 22 (local time), Austria officially opened the police station on this day after investing 20 million euros (approximately 33.8 billion won) to refurbish Hitler's birthplace, a building that had long been at the center of public controversy regarding its use.

Hitler was born on April 20, 1889, in this building located in Braunau-am-Inn, a border town adjacent to Germany. Austrian authorities had leased the building since 1972 and used it as a center for the disabled. However, concerns were raised as Nazi sympathizers continued to visit, turning the site into a shrine for Nazism.

After a prolonged legal dispute with the building’s owner, the Austrian government acquired control over the property in 2016 and purchased it for 810,000 euros (about 1.369 billion won). Subsequently, there were discussions about either demolishing the building or designating it as a historical monument, but these proposals were abandoned in the face of objections from historians and others.

Historians opposed the demolition, insisting that Austria must confront its role in the Nazi genocide of Jews. Initiatives to turn the building into a historical memorial also stalled, as critics argued that this would only attract extremists to Hitler's birthplace. Ultimately, after extended debates, a committee of experts established to discuss the building’s future decided to convert it into a police station.

The Austrian government stated that the permanent presence of police in Hitler’s birthplace sends a clear message that it will not tolerate any commemoration of Nazism, adding that it hopes controversy over the building’s use will now come to an end.

Meanwhile, after Hitler seized power, Germany annexed Austria in 1938, killed 65,000 Austrian Jews, and forcibly expelled another 130,000.

Despite this painful history, AFP reported that Austria’s Freedom Party (FPOe)—a far-right party founded by former Nazi officials—has become the most popular party in the country. According to Europe Elects, a European election information agency, about 37% of the Austrian public currently support the Freedom Party.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.