Braunau am Inn is on the lower river Inn where it borders the German state of Bavaria, 160 ks from Linz and 60 km from Salzburg. Adolf Hitler was born there in 1889 and although his family moved after 3 years, the family link to the 3-storey building left a permanent mark.
Hitler's empty birth home, 2000
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The Third Reich later turned the house into a cultural centre. American soldiers prevented it from being ruined in 1945, and it briefly housed a concentration camps exhibit.
For decades after WW2, the official position was that Austrians were the first VICTIMS of the Nazi regime . An inn when Hitler’s family rented space later housed a public library, bank and later a high school. And when the building was rented by the Austrian Republic, they won heritage protection as part of the historic city centre. At that stage the building housed a charity for years, operating as a day centre and workshops for disabled people.
It’s not uncommon that communities in many countries prefer collective amnesia to a critical approach to own their history. There are cases of deliberate destruction of uncomfortable material remains of an awful era.
A retired local woman bought the property which Austria’s Federal Interior Ministry has been renting. Some suggested turning the building into a museum or international peace-site. Others have called for it to be torn down entirely. Fortunately the building hadn’t gained major significance as a pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis, and the town placed a granite boulder from Mauthausen Camp front of house with anti-Fascist lines in 1989.
Yet the house’s future function divided those who wanted to highlight its past and those who wanted to delete Braunau’s inglorious history. Mayor Johannes Waidbacherupset people by proposing in a newspaper to change the house into a standard residence. “You have to ask whether another Holocaust symbol makes sense, given there are already many here. We are stigmatised anyway. Hitler spent 3 years in the city, not the most formative phase of his life. Braunau is thus not prepared to take responsibility for WW2’s outbreak”.
For decades after WW2, the official position was that Austrians were the first VICTIMS of the Nazi regime . An inn when Hitler’s family rented space later housed a public library, bank and later a high school. And when the building was rented by the Austrian Republic, they won heritage protection as part of the historic city centre. At that stage the building housed a charity for years, operating as a day centre and workshops for disabled people.
It’s not uncommon that communities in many countries prefer collective amnesia to a critical approach to own their history. There are cases of deliberate destruction of uncomfortable material remains of an awful era.
A retired local woman bought the property which Austria’s Federal Interior Ministry has been renting. Some suggested turning the building into a museum or international peace-site. Others have called for it to be torn down entirely. Fortunately the building hadn’t gained major significance as a pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis, and the town placed a granite boulder from Mauthausen Camp front of house with anti-Fascist lines in 1989.
Yet the house’s future function divided those who wanted to highlight its past and those who wanted to delete Braunau’s inglorious history. Mayor Johannes Waidbacherupset people by proposing in a newspaper to change the house into a standard residence. “You have to ask whether another Holocaust symbol makes sense, given there are already many here. We are stigmatised anyway. Hitler spent 3 years in the city, not the most formative phase of his life. Braunau is thus not prepared to take responsibility for WW2’s outbreak”.
Mauthausen memorial stone with peace message
Wiki
Waidbacher then backtracked a bit. “This house can never be allowed to become a shrine for die-hards, but in the end the decision is up the Interior Ministry and the owner”. The private owner refused to sell or renovate, fearing it could become a neo-Nazi shrine; she received payment from the Austrian government to keep it vacant.
The Austrian government’s preference urged historian Andreas Maislinger to lobby for years, proposing an international place of tolerance, reconciliation, understanding. Maislinger wanted to turn the property into a state-owned House of Responsibility that would become an international meeting place for young people. The centre could reflect on Austrians’ history, coordinate social projects and host workshops on specific projects. Thus small Braunau would become a place of international understanding. Young people from abroad could study their countries’ history, free of “victim” and “perpetrator” concepts, without ignoring true history. Instead of neutralising the historical site, he wanted to invest it with a new meaning.
Maislinger’s plan gained broad support, including from the Interior Ministry. The mayor of the town said “It is a difficult subject. But a House of Responsibility is a reasonable idea. The alternative plan for the building included demolition and the construction of luxury flats failed to gain much support.
Yet the house still attracts neo-Nazis from around Europe, sometimes on Hitler’s Annual Birthday Trip. Maislinger reported the house will only lose its appeal for such people when it stands as a just symbol against Nazism.”
Neutralisation of the birth-house was a missed chance for Austria to expel one terror of Austrian history. Recently a group of young architects reopened a critique on the building’s transformation and an alternative future commission. Will the project succeed in reversing the conscious choice of oblivion? Austrian authorities did consider turning the Adolf Hitler birth-house into a museum.
After a long process to expropriate the house from its owner, the Federal Government recently ended the speculation. From the building’s exterior, there was nothing outstanding about the vacant 3-storey yellow house. Its pastel-coloured paint were blotchy, and its windows empty. The Austrian Interior Ministry released the winning architectural design for the site; officials also suggested removing the memorial stone in front of the house to Vienna as a warning re dangers of Fascism. Their ultimate goal was to neutralise the history and symbolism of the house, preventing it becoming a pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis.
The Braunau house was clearly tied to Hitler, but it had NO relationship to his crimes. While it made sense to turn death camps into tributes to millions of dead, the ideal fate for the Braunau house was less obvious to many locals. Thus the Austrian government’s push to neutralise Hitler’s birth-house raised difficult questions about the country’s engagement with its past. Braunau Historical Association said these debates have an impact on the town itself, which has long been defined by its connection to the Nazi dictator. Most Austrians only know that Braunau is where Hitler was born.
The Austrian government’s preference urged historian Andreas Maislinger to lobby for years, proposing an international place of tolerance, reconciliation, understanding. Maislinger wanted to turn the property into a state-owned House of Responsibility that would become an international meeting place for young people. The centre could reflect on Austrians’ history, coordinate social projects and host workshops on specific projects. Thus small Braunau would become a place of international understanding. Young people from abroad could study their countries’ history, free of “victim” and “perpetrator” concepts, without ignoring true history. Instead of neutralising the historical site, he wanted to invest it with a new meaning.
Maislinger’s plan gained broad support, including from the Interior Ministry. The mayor of the town said “It is a difficult subject. But a House of Responsibility is a reasonable idea. The alternative plan for the building included demolition and the construction of luxury flats failed to gain much support.
Yet the house still attracts neo-Nazis from around Europe, sometimes on Hitler’s Annual Birthday Trip. Maislinger reported the house will only lose its appeal for such people when it stands as a just symbol against Nazism.”
Neutralisation of the birth-house was a missed chance for Austria to expel one terror of Austrian history. Recently a group of young architects reopened a critique on the building’s transformation and an alternative future commission. Will the project succeed in reversing the conscious choice of oblivion? Austrian authorities did consider turning the Adolf Hitler birth-house into a museum.
After a long process to expropriate the house from its owner, the Federal Government recently ended the speculation. From the building’s exterior, there was nothing outstanding about the vacant 3-storey yellow house. Its pastel-coloured paint were blotchy, and its windows empty. The Austrian Interior Ministry released the winning architectural design for the site; officials also suggested removing the memorial stone in front of the house to Vienna as a warning re dangers of Fascism. Their ultimate goal was to neutralise the history and symbolism of the house, preventing it becoming a pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis.
The Braunau house was clearly tied to Hitler, but it had NO relationship to his crimes. While it made sense to turn death camps into tributes to millions of dead, the ideal fate for the Braunau house was less obvious to many locals. Thus the Austrian government’s push to neutralise Hitler’s birth-house raised difficult questions about the country’s engagement with its past. Braunau Historical Association said these debates have an impact on the town itself, which has long been defined by its connection to the Nazi dictator. Most Austrians only know that Braunau is where Hitler was born.
Lovely central square of Braunau-Am-Inn
Wiki
The building was already protected by law as an architectural monument because the original dated back centuries. In 2019, the Austrian government decided to convert it into the headquarters of the city’s Police Department, to prevent political exploitation by far-rightists. Following a competition’s winning architectural plans, the building was restored to its original design and the Mauthausen memorial stone was removed. The Chancellor supported this decision since the transformation of the building into a Police Station was a sign of democracy, human rights and anti-racism. This neutralisation decision also came from a desire to erase from memory a place that was reminiscent of Austria’s Nazi past. Is there a sense of closure in Braunau? Probably not.
Next I will examine a city that IS managing to neutralise its house of horrors.