How The Austrian Government Prevented Hitler's House From Turning Into A Neo-Nazi Shrine

Hitler's Yellow House in Austria (Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - The Austrian Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) plans to convert the house where the great Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was born into a police station. Allegedly, this step was taken to prevent the place from being turned into a shrine to worship by the Neo-Nazi group.

According to The Guardian, house renovations will begin immediately and will last until the end of 2022. Renovation of the yellow house at the end of the Branau City road, near the German border, will cost 5 million euros, equivalent to 79 billion rupiah.

The renovation of the house where Hitler was born on April 20, 1889 will be led by the architectural firm, Marte, which won tenders over eleven other architectural firms. The Austrian government, which has been the owner of the place since 2016, has called this step the best way to erase the memory of Nazi crimes.

Moreover, Nazi supporters always came during the momentum of Hitler's birthday. "Some people may ask, why is this house being turned into a police station? This is the most appropriate use. Why? The police are the guardians of basic rights and freedoms," said Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer.

"This is because police officers in their training see themselves as partners with citizens and make them have a moral responsibility to protect freedom, the right to assembly and freedom of speech," he added.

Interestingly, there was an idea to tear down the building. However, because politicians and historians protested strongly, the plan was canceled. Therefore, during renovation, later the substantial values related to the original building will not be removed. In fact, the winning design seems to take a simple yet modern approach.

So far, the Austrian government has struggled to unleash Nazi influence and Hitler's cruelty in the country. To the point, the government has always denied the growing narrative that Austria supported the Nazis.