Young Adolf Trivia Quiz

Answer: Austria

Germany's most notorious leader wasn't even born a German!

Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889, in Braunau am Inn, in Austria.

Answer: False

Three of his grandparents are known and none of them are Jewish. His paternal grandfather is unknown.

There were rumours that his paternal grandmother Maria Anna had given birth to his father Alois when she was working as a cook for a Jewish family (Frankenberger) in Graz. This rumour can't be right because there wasn't a family called Frankenberger in Graz in the 1830s. In fact, there weren't any Jews in the whole province (Styria) at all because they were only allowed there from 1849. Furthermore, there's no proof that Maria Anna was ever in Graz.

In the 1930s and 40s the Gestapo conducted an investigation into Adolf Hitler's ancestry but there was no lead to a potential grandfather in Graz.

The conclusion is that there's not a shred of evidence that one of Adolf Hitler's grandparents was Jewish.

Answer: Schicklgruber

Because Alois's father was unknown he was given his mother's surname Schicklgruber. Alois's mother later married Johann Georg Hiedler.

Alois's mother died when he was only five and from then on Alois was raised by Johann Georg's brother Johann Nepomuk Hüttler. Although Hiedler and Hüttler were brothers their names were written differently. In the 19th century the spelling of names wasn't necessarily fixed. Similarly sounding names like Hiedler and Hüttler were commonly mixed up (they mean 'small farmer'). Alois wanted to change his name from Schicklgruber to his adopted father's name Hüttler but once again a mistake was made and he finally ended up with the name 'Hitler'.

Pölzl was the surname of Adolf Hitler's mother.

So you could say that Adolf Hitler was lucky he was called Hitler at all. Can you imagine a whole mass of people shouting 'Heil Schicklgruber'?

Answer: True

When Alois Hitler was 36 years old he married his first wife Anna Glasl, who was 50 at the time. Not soon after he started an affair with a household maid Fanni Metzelberger. When Anna died Alois married Fanni. After one year of marriage she died of tuberculosis at the age of 23.

In 1884 he married Johan Nepomuk Hüttler's granddaughter Klara Pölzl who was by then already pregnant. Because she was officially his niece a special dispensation from Rome was needed.

The two most likely candidates to be Alois's biological father are Johann Georg Hiedler or Johann Nepomuk Hüttler himself, which means that Adolf Hitler could be a child from an incestuous relationship.

Answer: He feared his father, loved his mother

Alois and Klara had six children of whom four died in their infancy. Only Adolf and a younger sister, Paula, reached adulthood. It is said that because of this Adolf's mother was very protective and spoiled him rotten.

Alois Hitler was a strict, authoritarian father who didn't pay much attention to his family. He was easily irritated by Adolf and regularly beat him. Alois had planned for Adolf to follow in his footsteps and become a civil servant, an idea Adolf detested. Their relationship got even worse when Adolf went to secondary school and his grades started to drop.

Answer: Nothing, he just loafed about

For two years Adolf Hitler lived the easy life. He filled his days with drawing, reading and going to the opera. His mother gave him money, food and took care of him. He fantasized of a future as a great artist.

Answer: 'Lohengrin' by Richard Wagner

Hitler was a fanatical admirer of Wagner. He didn't think much of non-German composers, though.

Answer: He couldn't draw faces

Hitler tried to enter the art academy twice. In 1907 he passed the pre-selections but failed at the exam. In 1908 he didn't even pass the pre-selections.

Answer: He wanted to become an architect

In 'Mein Kampf' Hitler later wrote he accepted his rejection from the art academy and discovered his talents lay elsewhere: he would become a renowned architect. In reality he did nothing to accomplish this ambition and returned to his life as a layabout.

Answer: August Kubizek

Although Kubizek's parents objected Hitler managed to persuade him to go to Vienna with him to study the arts. Kubizek managed to pass his exam for the Viennese Conservatory. For a long time Hitler concealed the fact that he failed his entrance exam. When Kubizek returned from a break at home Hitler had left without leaving an address.

Georg Schönerer was an Austrian politician whose Pan-Germanic views may have influenced Hitler.

Reinhold Hanisch was Hitler's agent who sold his paintings during his Viennese years.

Eduard Bloch was the Jewish physician of the Hitler family who stood by Klara Hitler when she was suffering from cancer.