Photo Gallery Braunau's Burden
Adolf Hitler was born in the tiny town of Braunau am Inn on April 20, 1889 and now the hamlet is trying to decide what to do with the house where he came into the world. Here, two US soldiers on June 14, 1945 in the bedroom where Hitler was born.
Hitler as a young boy. He only spent the first three years of his life in Braunau before moving to Passau. But the town nevertheless carries a heavy historical burden.
An image of Hitler's birthplace from 1938. Hitler's senior aide Martin Bormann purchased the house that same year. It reverted to its previous owner in the 1950s.
During the Nazi heyday, the house was guarded and decorated with swastika flags.
Today, the building is non-descript, but nevertheless a thorn in the town's side. Until recently, it housed a charitable organization catering to the disabled, but it moved out last year. The town's mayor, Johannes Waidbacher, recently proposed tranforming it into apartments, but the outcry from both near and far was intense.
The initials MB can still be seen in the wrought iron above the building's door. The letters stand for Martin Bormann.
This memorial stone was installed in 1989 on the occasion of Hitler's 100th birthday. It reads: "For peace, freedom and democracy. Never again fascism. Millions of dead exhort us."
A sign out in front of the house provide visitors with information about its place in history. Tourists, however, are not allowed to enter.
The door to the house. It has been empty for over a year, but the woman who owns it has not shown an interest in selling it. The Austrian state rents the property for 5,000 euros per month.
