Mankind has a strange relationship with the darker elements of its history. While some argue that we must consign our greatest mistakes to the past in order to move forward, others believe that ignoring, or refusing to acknowledge, our transgressions dishonors those who suffered ? and leaves us vulnerable to repeating them. This ongoing debate has found its latest incarnation in western Austria, where the national government has announced its intention to demolish a seemingly unremarkable yellow house in the riverside town of Braunau am Inn ? a house which, despite its unassuming façade, has gained infamy as the birthplace of Adolf Hitler.

US soldiers photographed defacing Hitler's birth house in Braunau am Inn (1945)

Mankind has a strange relationship with the darker elements of its history. While some argue that we must consign our greatest mistakes to the past in order to move forward, others believe that ignoring, or refusing to acknowledge, our transgressions dishonors those who suffered ? and leaves us vulnerable to repeating them. This ongoing debate has found its latest incarnation in western Austria, where the national government has announced its intention to demolish a seemingly unremarkable yellow house in the riverside town of Braunau am Inn ? a house which, despite its unassuming façade, has gained infamy as the birthplace of Adolf Hitler.Braunau?s unfortunate association with the Austro-German dictator began with his birth on April 20t...