By renovating Adolf Hitler’s birthplace, the Republic is attempting to strip a “brown” pilgrimage site of its aura and position it as a bastion of the rule of law. Experts attribute the fact that far-right extremists repeatedly pay homage to the “Führer” there to the “blood and soil” ideology, which attaches special significance to places of birth and death.

House Attracted “Brown” Pilgrims
The almost mystical aura the house enjoys within the far-right scene is also repeatedly manifested in related incidents—ranging from drunkards making Nazi gestures in front of the house to ideologically “brown” pilgrims. In Braunau, there are reports of people secretly taking photos, taking stones as souvenirs, or laying flowers and wreaths—especially around April 20, Adolf Hitler’s birthday.

Of course, there are also “ordinary” tourists who light a candle in front of the memorial stone—which commemorates the victims of National Socialism—or simply take photos of the house out of historical interest. It’s not always easy to draw the line with the naked eye. In any case, monitoring such activities around the house will become easier with the new tenants and the associated video surveillance of the facade.

Nazi Code on Google Maps
The symbolic significance of the house is illustrated, for example, by an incident recently reported by *Der Spiegel*: According to the report, the house was briefly displayed on Google Maps with the house number 88—a Nazi code for “Heil Hitler”—instead of its correct address, Salzburger Vorstadt 15. If you clicked on the number, a map would open with the location label “HH88,” the magazine reported. Far-right extremists repeatedly abuse the editing feature on Google Maps.

Prosecuting “far-right” incidents is often not easy when foreign admirers of Hitler are involved. To this day, the judicial authorities in Ried im Innkreis are still awaiting the extradition of a German man who, on April 20, 2021, placed a wreath for the “blessed Adolf” on a windowsill.

There has been a decades-long struggle over the appropriate use of the building. An agreement could not be reached with the owner, who was ultimately expropriated. In its 2015 final report, a commission of experts advocated for a social-charitable or governmental-administrative use of the building. This is because a museum carries the risk of attracting undesirable groups, and demolition would effectively deny history. Ultimately, the idea of housing the police there prevailed—even though there are still critical voices who do not consider it appropriate to house “state authority” here.

Historic preservation is not an issue
The building is actually a designated historic landmark. However, this designation did not have to be taken into account for the recent expansion and renovation, since the decision was made to deliberately forgo any recognizable features. The traditional Inn-Salzach architectural style was retained, as was the historic structure of a narrow townhouse—in the past, taxes were assessed based on the width of the building—which is divided into several sections with light wells in between.

Construction debris disposed of at an unknown location
Inside the building, additions were made to adapt it for police use—for example, an underground parking garage and a training room were added. The building houses everything a modern police station needs, from holding cells and offices to on-call and break rooms. To ensure that a new source of Nazi memorabilia would not be created, the construction debris was destroyed or disposed of at a secret location.

Memorial Stone Remains in Place
What remains is the memorial stone. Since the former owner did not want a commemorative plaque on the building itself, it was deliberately placed on public property in front of the building, explains Mayor Johannes Waidbacher (ÖVP). The idea behind this: It should not be possible to photograph the house without the stone bearing the inscription “For peace, freedom, and democracy. Never again fascism. Millions of dead serve as a warning” being in the frame. The stone is therefore to remain—even if that is not entirely in line with the findings of the expert commission.

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