BRAUNAU AM INN, July 23 -- For decades, the yellow corner building at Salzburger Vorstadt 15 in this quiet Austrian border town drew pilgrims of a particular kind. Neo-Nazis from across Europe and beyond came to stand before the birthplace of Adolf Hitler, some leaving flowers or tokens at the doorstep, others simply photographing the facade.

On Wednesday, that changed. Austria officially opened Hitler's birthplace as a district police station, completing a €20 million ($22.8 million) renovation project nearly a decade in the making, Al Jazeera reported.

The decision to install law enforcement in the building was deliberate. Austrian authorities rejected earlier proposals that would have established a refugee assistance centre or ...