The house in question is typical of the historic center of Braunau: it has a late medieval foundation, on which two residential buildings were built in the 17th century, which were combined into one in the 18th century. Later, a tavern with its own brewery and bowling alley attached to the back was opened on the ground floor, and apartments were located upstairs. In 1889, when Adolf Hitler was born there, his family only rented an apartment there and soon left this house, while the building remained in the hands of the same owners up to the present day. The exception was 1938-1945, when the house was bought out by the NSDAP to create a memorial and rebuilt quite a lot, but after the war, the previous owners returned it to themselves through the courts.
The trouble began in the 1970s, when neo-Nazis and sympathizers began to take an interest in the house. To prevent the house from being turned into a "memorial" or the headquarters of an extreme right-wing organization, the state rented the house from the mistress and placed various social institutions there; only a small anti-fascist monument paid attention to the history of the building. Since the beginning of the 2010s, the lease could not be extended: restructuring was necessary taking into account the new SNiPs, but the owner did not agree to it. As a result, in January 2017, the decision of the authorities to alienate the house with compensation to the owner came into force.
Despite the fact that the building of the 17th century was completely preserved under the traces of restructuring at the turn of the 1930s - 1940s and has the status of a monument, the authorities even wanted to demolish it, but in the end they decided to rebuild and place a police station - city and district. The architectural competition started at the end of last year, when all legal formalities were settled (the hostess received 812,000 euros from the state, although she claimed almost twice the amount in the courts). 12 bureaus from Austria, Germany and Switzerland took part in the open competition. The winner is one of the leading Austrian bureaus Marte. Marte Architekten, according to its plan, the reconstruction should be completed in early 2023.
The goal of the client, the Ministry of the Interior, was to "open a new chapter regarding our historical responsibility." As Minister Karl Nehammer continued, “more than 140 years after the birth of Adolf Hitler, the home in Braunau, where he was born, will become the opposite of everything it symbolizes - a place where democracy and human rights are defended” (meaning, that the police are protecting these values). Despite the minister's further words about the lessons of the past, in fact, we are talking about a "figure of silence":
according to the publication Baunetz, even the anti-fascist monument will be transferred to the museum, that is, there will be no signs of the historical significance of the house - no matter how conventional, superficial and accidental it may be. This position of “crowding out” the “heavy” legacy, especially the recent one, including the “totalitarian” one, is typical for various countries, but this does not make it any less remarkable.
In this case, the especially important position of the architects - the authors of the reconstruction project. We are publishing an interview with the co-founder and partner of Marte. Marte Architekten, Stefan Marte, about the concept of remodeling a house in the center of Braunau.
How does architecture try to "neutralize" this complex object?
- The building at 15 Salzburger-Vorstadt looks like many others in Braunau at first glance. It was created in the middle of the 18th century, when two typical 17th century houses were merged. It is a building with a long and eventful history, from a townhouse to a brewery and bowling alley to the birthplace of Adolf Hitler. The house was bought by the NSDAP Reichsleiter Martin Bormann in 1938 for the party to become a "majestic memorial". Design and construction went on for several years, resulting in the "house where the Fuhrer was born," as Nazi propaganda imagined it. The modern look of the building is mainly the result of that restructuring. A new roof profile appeared in 1940, when new windows were cut in the main façade, and the courtyard wing, where the brewery was located, was demolished between 1938 and 1942.
The valuable, authentic part of the historic building will not be demolished or elevated to another memorial [in our project]. The history and public perception of the building will be changed for its future use. Not only will the changes of the Nazi era be reversed: we will turn back time to 1750, long before the birth of Adolf Hitler. The devastating changes of the last few centuries will be removed, layer by layer. Two typologically important 17th century houses will re-emerge from the existing building and will enrich the expressive appearance of this part of the city.
Describe your project, which elements are the most important?
“The long and narrow section simply requires a modern interpretation of the typical Braunau walk-through house scheme that stood here in the 17th century. The police will occupy both the historic part and the new building at the back. This volume, with green courtyards on both sides, will be connected to the existing house by a historic arcade. The main logistic activity will be concentrated in the low building at the rear and in the underground garage.
The new look of the old part is simple and devoid of decor, as is typical for old town houses. The whole complex looks like a work of sculpture, as if carved out of light stone - the only structure from the historical facade through the arcade to the new building and to the annex. The traditional arrangement of windows will be repeated in the new building; slightly larger than the old ones, they still retain their typical historical proportions. The new roofs look like a series of pliers with conservative contours.
What part of the existing house will be preserved?
- Two houses of the XVI-XVII centuries are still recognizable and preserved in the main structure of the building. The late medieval arcade and cellar are also preserved. The most noticeable distortions [of the Nazi era] were the windows of the main façade and the profile of the roof, which will again become two pincers facing the street.
What architectural style do you consider the most suitable for this site?
- What could be more appropriate for a site in the beautiful historic center of Braunau than thinking about fundamental principles? The project is based on the preservation of the original historical matter of the building of the 16th-17th centuries, expressed in a minimalist architectural language. A new abstract version of a traditional walk-through house on a well-preserved historical base.
Why did you want to tackle such a complex object?
- We have always been very interested in the complex work with protected heritage sites. One of the most difficult tasks an architect can solve is the need to preserve the valuable historical essence [of such a structure] and add new parts with modern means. In the case of this more than 300-year-old building, there is an additional complication - its notoriety as the birthplace of Hitler.
