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Hitler's early years Adolf Hitler was born on April 20, 1889, in
Braunau-am-Inn, Austria, near the Austro-German border. Adolf's
father, Alois, worked as a customs officer on the border. His
mother, Klara, had previously given birth to two other children
by Alois, Gustav and Ida, but they both died in infancy. Adolf
attended school from the age of six, and the family lived in
various villages around the town of Linz, east of Braunau. By
that time, Adolf had a younger brother, Edmund, but he lived
only until the age of six. In 1896, Klara gave birth to Adolf's
sister, Paula, who would outlive him. Hitler was a poor student
and left school before graduation. He had an ambition to become
an artist, and had gained an interest in politics and history.
He applied twice unsuccessfully for admission to the Vienna
Academy of Fine Arts. In 1909, after both parents had died, he
moved to Vienna in the hope of earning a living. Living in
homeless shelters and