Hitler busts & Nazi paintings found beneath Austrian Parliament

Workers renovating the 134-year-old parliament building in Vienna have discovered multiple Nazi-era artefacts, including Nazi paintings and Hitler busts

"It's not really a surprise when you clear out a building after 130 years," a spokeswoman for the parliament said, as cited by AFP. "We know that the building was used as a 'Gauhaus' (local Nazi party headquarters) during World War II and we expected to make discoveries like this."

A total of four paintings, two busts, and a relief were found in a box in the basement.

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"The find underscores the importance of the complete reconstruction of the history of the National Assembly," Austrian National Council President Doris Bures said, as cited by der Standard.

In 2015, Bures commissioned two historians, Bertrand Perz and Verena Pawlowsky from the University of Vienna, to produce an in-depth study of the history of the parliament buildings throughout the Nazi dictatorship between 1933 and 1945.

These new artefacts will be given to the pair as part of their work, which is due to be presented in spring 2018.

Lawmakers have moved to the nearby Hofburg palace while the major renovation, due to last several years, takes place.