The house where Adolf Hitler was born in 1889 is to be torn down and replaced with a new building, the Austrian government has said.

Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka said on Monday that "a thorough architectural remodeling is necessary to permanently prevent the recognition and the symbolism of the building."

Ministry spokesman Karl-Heinz Grundboeck said this means the house, in the western town of Braunau, will replaced with a new structure.

Fears have been raised that the site could become a place of pilgrimage of Neo-Nazis and Mr Sobotka said the move will ensure any association with Hitler will be eliminated at the site.

The announcement ends a long running dispute between the government and the house’s owner, whose family have owned the property for over a century.

Following Austria’s “Anschluss” with Germany in 1938, the Nazi regime bought the house, and it was returned to the owner's family after the war in 1952, Deutsche Welle reported earlier this year.

The Austrian government signed a lease with the owner in 1972 to turn the building into a centre for the disabled, but the lease was ended in 2011, reportedly over the owner's reservations about renovations to the building.

It has remained empty since this time and has been visited by Nazi sympathisers in the past.

Hitler exhibition breaks Germany's last taboo Show all 20 1 /20 Hitler exhibition breaks Germany's last taboo Hitler exhibition breaks Germany's last taboo 473668.bin Busts of Adolf Hitler feature in the exhibition which opens tomorrow at the German History Museum in Berlin REUTERS Hitler exhibition breaks Germany's last taboo 473669.bin A cut-out caricature of Adolf Hitler AP Hitler exhibition breaks Germany's last taboo 474134.bin German Nazi uniforms are displayed at the media preview of the exhibition "Hilter und die Deutsche Volksgemeinschaft und Verbrechen" (Hitler and the German Nation and Crime) at the Deutsche Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) in Berlin October 13, 2010. The exhibition will open to the public on October 15 and run till February 6, 2011. REUTERS Hitler exhibition breaks Germany's last taboo 474137.bin Front pages of the German magazin 'Der Spiegel' displaying portraits of Nazi criminal Adolf Hitler are pictured during a press preview of 'Hitler and the Germans Nation and Crime' (Hitler und die Deutschen Volksgemeinschaft und Verbrechen) at Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) on October 13, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. The exhibition seeks to answer the question of why so many Germans chose to follow Hitler and his fascist ideology and so devotedly despite the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust. The exhibition will be open to the public from October 15 until February 6, 2011. Getty Images Hitler exhibition breaks Germany's last taboo 474136.bin Exhibits with the Nazi swastika are displayed at the media preview of the exhibition "Hilter und die Deutsche Volksgemeinschaft und Verbrechen" (Hitler and the German Nation and Crime) at the Deutsche Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) in Berlin October 13, 2010. The exhibition will open to the public on October 15 and run till February 6, 2011. REUTERS Hitler exhibition breaks Germany's last taboo 474135.bin Exhibits with the Nazi swastika are displayed at the media preview of the exhibition "Hilter und die Deutsche Volksgemeinschaft und Verbrechen" (Hitler and the German Nation and Crime) at the Deutsche Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) in Berlin October 13, 2010. The exhibition will open to the public on October 15 and run till February 6, 2011. REUTERS Hitler exhibition breaks Germany's last taboo 474138.bin Journalists look at busts of Adolf Hitler at a media preview of the exhibition "Hilter und die Deutsche Volksgemeinschaft und Verbrechen" (Hitler and the German Nation and Crime) at the Deutsche Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) in Berlin October 13, 2010. The exhibition will open to the public on October 15 and run till February 6, 2011. REUTERS Hitler exhibition breaks Germany's last taboo 474126.bin Busts of Nazi criminal Adolf Hitler are pictured during a press preview of 'Hitler and the Germans Nation and Crime' (Hitler und die Deutschen Volksgemeinschaft und Verbrechen) at Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) on October 13, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. The exhibition seeks to answer the question of why so many Germans chose to follow Hitler and his fascist ideology and so devotedly despite the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust. The exhibition will be open to the public from October 15 until February 6, 2011. Getty Images Hitler exhibition breaks Germany's last taboo 474124.bin Visitors attend a press preview of 'Hitler and the Germans Nation and Crime' (Hitler und die Deutschen Volksgemeinschaft und Verbrechen) at Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) on October 13, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. The exhibition seeks to answer the question of why so many Germans chose to follow Hitler and his fascist ideology and so devotedly despite the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust. The exhibition will be open to the public from October 15 until February 6, 2011. Getty Images Hitler exhibition breaks Germany's last taboo 474121.bin A book with the Nazi swastika is displayed at the media preview of the exhibition "Hilter und die Deutsche Volksgemeinschaft und Verbrechen" (Hitler and the German Nation and Crime) at the Deutsche Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) in Berlin October 13, 2010. The exhibition will open to the public on October 15 and run till February 6, 2011. REUTERS Hitler exhibition breaks Germany's last taboo 474122.bin Portraits of Nazi criminal Adolf Hitler (top) and his regime are pictured during a press preview of 'Hitler and the Germans Nation and Crime' (Hitler und die Deutschen Volksgemeinschaft und Verbrechen) at Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) on October 13, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. The exhibition seeks to answer the question of why so many Germans chose to follow Hitler and his fascist ideology and so devotedly despite the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust. The exhibition will be open to the public from October 15 until February 6, 2011. Getty Images Hitler exhibition breaks Germany's last taboo 474127.bin 2010 Getty Images Hitler exhibition breaks Germany's last taboo 474123.bin Uniforms of Nazi criminal Adolf Hitler and his regime are pictured during a press preview of 'Hitler and the Germans Nation and Crime' (Hitler und die Deutschen Volksgemeinschaft und Verbrechen) at Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) on October 13, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. The exhibition seeks to answer the question of why so many Germans chose to follow Hitler and his fascist ideology and so devotedly despite the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust. The exhibition will be open to the public from October 15 until February 6, 2011. Getty Images Hitler exhibition breaks Germany's last taboo 474131.bin A journalist looks at busts of Adolf Hitler at the media preview of the exhibition "Hilter und die Deutsche Volksgemeinschaft und Verbrechen" (Hitler and the German Nation and Crime) at the Deutsche Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) in Berlin October 13, 2010. The exhibition will open to the public on October 15 and run till February 6, 2011. REUTERS Hitler exhibition breaks Germany's last taboo 474133.bin Visitors attend a press preview of 'Hitler and the Germans Nation and Crime' (Hitler und die Deutschen Volksgemeinschaft und Verbrechen) at Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) on October 13, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. The exhibition seeks to answer the question of why so many Germans chose to follow Hitler and his fascist ideology and so devotedly despite the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust. The exhibition will be open to the public from October 15 until February 6, 2011. Getty Images Hitler exhibition breaks Germany's last taboo 474129.bin A visitor looks on a documentation display during a press preview of 'Hitler and the Germans Nation and Crime' (Hitler und die Deutschen Volksgemeinschaft und Verbrechen) at Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) on October 13, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. The exhibition seeks to answer the question of why so many Germans chose to follow Hitler and his fascist ideology and so devotedly despite the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust. The exhibition will be open to the public from October 15 until February 6, 2011. Getty Images Hitler exhibition breaks Germany's last taboo 474128.bin Uniforms of Nazi criminal Adolf Hitler and his regime are pictured during a press preview of 'Hitler and the Germans Nation and Crime' (Hitler und die Deutschen Volksgemeinschaft und Verbrechen) at Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) on October 13, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. The exhibition seeks to answer the question of why so many Germans chose to follow Hitler and his fascist ideology and so devotedly despite the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust. The exhibition will be open to the public from October 15 until February 6, 2011. Getty Images Hitler exhibition breaks Germany's last taboo 474130.bin A visitor looks on a documentation during a press preview of 'Hitler and the Germans Nation and Crime' (Hitler und die Deutschen Volksgemeinschaft und Verbrechen) at Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) on October 13, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. The exhibition seeks to answer the question of why so many Germans chose to follow Hitler and his fascist ideology and so devotedly despite the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust. The exhibition will be open to the public from October 15 until February 6, 2011. Getty Images Hitler exhibition breaks Germany's last taboo 474132.bin Tin soldiers of the Nazi criminal Adolf Hitler regime are pictured during a press preview of 'Hitler and the Germans Nation and Crime' (Hitler und die Deutschen Volksgemeinschaft und Verbrechen) at Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) on October 13, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. The exhibition seeks to answer the question of why so many Germans chose to follow Hitler and his fascist ideology and so devotedly despite the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust. The exhibition will be open to the public from October 15 until February 6, 2011. Getty Images Hitler exhibition breaks Germany's last taboo 474125.bin Busts of Adolf Hitler are displayed at a media preview of the exhibition "Hilter und die Deutsche Volksgemeinschaft und Verbrechen" (Hitler and the German Nation and Crime) at the Deutsche Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) in Berlin October 13, 2010. The exhibition will open to the public on October 15 and run till February 6, 2011. REUTERS

The owner has repeatedly refused to sell the building and it remains unclear whether she has now changed her mind or if the government acted on plans to dispossess her.

Mr Sobotka told Austrian newspaper Die Presse that “the foundations can remain but a new building will be erected.”

He said it will “be used by either a charity or local authorities”.

The fate of the house has sparked debate among Braunau's 17,000 residents. Some have urged authorities to turn the building into a refugee centre, while others believe it should become a museum dedicated to Austria's liberation from Nazi rule, The Local reports.

A number of cultural organisations previously opposed the building's demolition because it is part of the historic city centre and under heritage protection.