VIENNA (Reuters) - The Austrian city of Linz has removed a statue of Aphrodite from a park after learning that it was a present from Hitler, officials said on Friday.
Authorities in Austria's third largest city said theychecked the origins of the bronze statue after someone left anunsigned note on it stating that the statue of the Greekgoddess of love was a gift from the Nazi leader.
Research in Linz's city archives determined that the claimwas correct and the statue was immediately removed and put instorage, a city statement said.
"By removing the statue, the city of Linz is continuing aconsistent (practice) of coming to terms with the Nazi past."
The statue had been mounted on a pedestal in a smallcolonnaded pavilion in a Linz park since 1942, when Austria waspart of Hitler's Third Reich.
Hitler was born in the small town of Braunau not far fromLinz, which is around 120 km (70 miles) west of Vienna.
(Reporting by Mark Heinrich; editing by Sami Aboudi)
