01 Sep 2014
Birthplace of Hitler to be turned into 'House of Responsibility' museum
BY Tom Anstey
A long-running debate about what to do with the birthplace of Adolf Hitler looks to be settled, with Austrian authorities poised to turn the controversial property into a “House of Responsibility” museum, which will look at the Nazi leader’s crimes.
The €2.2m (US$2.9m, £1.7m) town-house and former pub located in Salzburger Vorstadt, the Führer's birthplace Braunau has previously served as a bank, workshop, library, school and home for the disabled.
Austrian authorities hope that by turning the house into a museum chronicling Hitler’s crimes against humanity, the building would serve as a symbol against Nazism, stemming the tide of Neo Nazis who visit the site to pay homage to the deceased dictator. In an effort to prevent the property being inhabited by neo-nazis, the Austrian government currently rents the building for €4,000 (£5,255, £3,162) a month, something it has continued to do so since 1972.
The Austrian interior ministry is backing the plans of historian Andreas Maislinger to renovate the former pub into a 'House of Responsibility,' which will look at the crimes of Hitler and the Third Reich during World War 2.
Outside of the museum plans, the mayor of Braunau has mooted demolishing the building and replacing it with luxury flats to ‘destigmatise’ the town, while an immigrant receiving centre and a cultural centre have also both been suggested.
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