Completed by the Nazis in 1938, the Eagle’s Nest escaped destruction after their defeat in 1945. Since then, it has become a popular tourist destination and is home to a mountain inn. It serves as “a reminder of the abysses of the inhumane Nazi dictatorship,” according to its official, external website. During World War II, Hitler and his followers were responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of people, including the mass murder of European Jews. Homosexuals, gypsies, disabled people and ethnic minorities were sent to concentration camps and executed. There has been a broader debate in Germany and Vienna over whether Hitler-related buildings should be preserved, reused or demolished. While some say these buildings should be preserved for historical reasons, others have expressed concern that they could be used as monuments or pilgrimage sites for neo-Nazis and far-right extremists. In June, Berlin authorities announced they would demolish one of Hitler’s bunkers, described at the time as “the power center of Nazi Germany,” to build apartments and offices on the site. Critics of the plans said the bunker had “significant historical value” and should have become a museum and memorial site with an exhibition about the end of the war. And in July, after years of controversy, Austrian authorities restored the house in the town of Braunau am Inn where Hitler was born and turned it into a police station.
