Adolf Hitler's birthplace in Braunau am Inn, Austria, is undergoing a significant transformation. The house where Hitler was born in 1889, is being turned into a police station, and the construction work officially began on the site, on Monday, October 2.

Workers began putting up fencing and taking measurements of the site for the transformation, which is expected to be completed by 2025. The police is likely to occupy the premises by early 2026.

As per reports, the controversial redesign of this 800-square meter corner house is estimated to cost €20 million (£17 million). It envisions not only a police station but also the establishment of the district police headquarters and a branch of a security academy where police officers will receive human rights training.

The decision to transform Nazi leader's house was taken in 2019, to deter individuals who glorify the Nazi dictator from turning the location into a site of pilgrimage. Notably, Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician who became the dictator of Germany in 1933 until he died in 1945.

The project followed years of debate over the ownership of the house, which was resolved in 2017 when Austria's highest court ruled that the government had the right to expropriate the building after its owner refused to sell it. The idea of demolishing the building was subsequently abandoned.

The building had been rented by Austria’s Interior Ministry since 1972 to prevent its misuse, and was sublet to various charitable organisations. It stood empty after a care centre for adults with disabilities moved out in 2011. A memorial stone with the inscription for freedom, democracy and liberty. Never again facism. Millions of dead remind us is to remain in place outside the house.

The building had been under the rental agreement of Austria's Interior Ministry since 1972 to prevent its misuse and had been sublet to various charitable organisations. After a care center for adults with disabilities vacated the premises in 2011, it remained vacant.

Earlier, during the Nazi era, the house was turned into a shrine to Hitler, attracting tourists. However, as Nazi control waned in 1944, the building was boarded up.

In 2016, the government enacted legislation allowing for the seizure of the house from its former owner, Gerlinde Pommer in exchange for €800,000 (£694,000) in compensation. Subsequently, the interior ministry announced plans to convert the 17th-century house into a police station.

Outside the house, a memorial stone stands with an inscription emphasising freedom, democracy, and the lessons learned from the millions of lives lost during fascism.

While the Austrian government maintains that repurposing the building as a police station is the most suitable use, there has been criticism of the plan. Historian Florian Kotanko expressed concern about the lack of historical contextualisation in the project and suggested an exhibition on individuals who saved Jews under Nazi rule as a means of demystifying the site.

He argued that the Interior Ministry’s intention of removing the building’s recognition factor by remodelling it is impossible to accomplish.

With inputs from AP.