Austria to demolish Hitler's birthplace to prevent Nazi pilgrimage site

Hitler was born in the house in Brunau am Inn on April 20, 1889.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
The house in which Adolf Hitler was born is seen in the northern Austrian city of Braunau am Inn September 24, 2012 (photo credit: REUTERS)
The house in which Adolf Hitler was born is seen in the northern Austrian city of Braunau am Inn September 24, 2012
(photo credit: REUTERS)
In an effort to prevent the home from becoming a neo-nazi pilgrimage site, the birth house of Adolf Hitler will be demolished, Austrian Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said Monday.
According to Austrian daily Die Presse, plans are underway to build a center for administrative or charitable purposes in place of the house.
Sobotka stated that "the Hitler house will be torn down." He added that "the foundations can remain but a new building will be erected."
The decision was made after years of discussions and fruitless attempts to buy the property, according to reports the owner will be compensated for losing ownership. Austria's parliament is slated to seize the house after passing a new law which will provide a legal basis for the seizure.
Hitler was born in the house in Brunau am Inn on April 20, 1889. It was made the subject of an historic preservation order by Germany's National Socialist regime in 1938 after being purchased by the Nazi government.
After being returned to the Pommer family in 1952, the house passed into Gerlinde Pommer's hands in 1977.
The Austrian state has rented the property since 1972 and used it as a daycare center for people with disabilities but it has stood empty since 2011 after Pommer refused to allow work to be undertaken to improve accessibility.
Reuters contributed to this article.