Austria officially opens a new police station in the birthplace of Adolf Hitler to neutralize the dictator's historical legacy.

Austria officially inaugurated a new police station in the birthplace of Adolf Hitler in Braunau am Inn on Wednesday. The administration converted the 17th-century building into a narcotics trafficking unit to prevent it from serving as a primary pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis. The renovation, which cost approximately 20 million euros, transformed the building's ochre-yellow facade into white and replaced arched windows with rectangular shapes. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner stated that the move represents a "new chapter" where the house will serve as a place of democracy and the rule of law. To minimize the building's "toxic" association with the Nazi dictator, the administration disposed of construction debris at a secret location and added minimal signage. While the project received general support from local residents, some critics argued that a police station might lack sufficient historical context. A memorial stone from the Mauthausen concentration camp remains outside, inscribed with the words: “For freedom, democracy and liberty. Never again fascism. Millions of dead remind us.”

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