Adolf Hitler's Austria birthplace reopens after transformation to deter far-right 'pilgrimages'

Adolf Hitler's Austria birthplace reopens after transformation to deter far-right 'pilgrimages' The childhood home of Adolf Hitler in Braunau am Inn, Austria, has reopened after a £17million transformation in an effort to prevent it becoming a 'pilgrimage' site for neo-Nazis It's the house where one of the most evil men in history was born - now, it has been transformed in a bid to "neutralise" it and is set to reopen. Adolf Hitler's birthplace has reopened as a police station in a bid to stop the site being 'worshipped' by neo-Nazi extremists. Officers will officially move into the unassuming property in Braunau am Inn, Austria, today after a €20million (£17million) refit - with authorities insisting the move is the most effective method of "neutralising" the building and keeping the far-right away. It had been a private residence until a decade ago, when the Austrian government took control after a long legal battle with the former owner. Nazi-era details from the building's façade have been removed as part of the renovation works, with the yellow plaster façade being repainted white and a police sign added above the entrance. A memorial stone on the pavement outside reads: "For Peace, Freedom and Democracy. Never Again Fascism. Millions of Dead Warn." Hitler was born in the building in 1889, and spent first few weeks of his life there before his family moved to another address in the same town. It was modified by the Nazi party during World War II to give it more distinctive 'Germanic' features. After the war, the three-storey home was bought by the Pommer family, who began leasing it to the the Austrian government in the 1970s. It was used as a base for charity work, until a row with owner Gerlinde Pommer in 2011 over accessibility adjustments saw the last tenants evicted from the building. She refused several offers to sell up - and in 2016, Austrian lawmakers passed a law specifically designed to seize the property. Ms Pommer took the government to the Supreme Court, arguing this was unconstitutional. But judges ruled in their favour the following year, finding that the compulsory €810,000 (£690,000) purchase was in the public interest. A panel of experts later recommended against turning the site into a historical monument, as it would risk attracting extremists. The plan to turn it into a police station was unveiled in 2020, with building works eventually completed three years late. The Austrian government previously said that a permanent police presence at the site - which will be off-limits to the public - would "clearly show" that visitors with Nazi sympathies would not be welcome. But the move has not been universally popular, with one holocaust survivors' charity suggesting more should have been done to honour the 15 million victims of the Nazi regime across Europe, including six million Jews. Ludwig Laher, an author and member of the Mauthausen Committee Austria, said: "It would have been better to realise the idea that had much more support - a place dedicated to promoting pacifism."