Braunau am Inn: Does the controversial House of Responsibility come?

Braunau am Inn: Does the controversial House of Responsibility come?

in Braunau am Inn has been violent for years about the future of Adolf Hitler's birthplace. The building is now empty for more than three years after life aid has moved out. So far, the city has not made a clear decision on future use. This has led to various initiatives and suggestions that want to focus on a critical examination of history. One of these initiatives is "Braunau sets a sign".

This movement was launched in February 2000. Her main goal is to invite people from all over the world to reflect on responsibility towards the past, present and future. The "House of Responsibility" should become a room where negative attitudes towards other countries and cultures have no place, as Dorfzeitung.com

a place for encounter and reconciliation

Andreas Maislinger, political scientist and one of the supporters of this project, pleads to actually convert Hitler's birthplace into a “House of Responsibility”. He sees the opportunity to design the building as an international site of encounter and reconciliation. According to sciencev2.orf.at , young people from all over the world could think about responsibility towards history. Maislinger suggests making the house more accessible and considering the support of international partners and local schools.

Although many political representatives in Braunau support the idea, implementation remains a challenge. The new ÖVP Mayor Johannes Waidbacher has plans to convert the birthplace into apartments, which encounters resistance from the Greens and the SPÖ. These political differences show how deep the trenches are in the discussion about the use of the building.

a potential place for the future

In conversation about the future of the birthplace, the empty, former city theater is also brought into play as an alternative way. If the city of Braunau provides this, a list of HRB (House of Responsibility Braunau) could be created by the end of 2025. The idea shows that the desire for a critical examination of one's own history is more current than ever. It remains to be seen how the discussion will develop.

In recent years there have been numerous explanations from various institutions and people who have expressed their willingness to cooperate. But the concrete implementation of these ideas is still pending. The need for action is obvious, and the citizens: inside of Braunau can be excited to see which path is ultimately taken to work responsibly.