after the 1938 "anschluss" which annexed austria to nazi germany, hitler ordered döllersheim, zwettl, allentsteig, and several other smaller neighbouring villages to be evacuated in favour of a large military training area, even though (or perhaps because) it contained the grave of his paternal grandmother, maria. according to testimony given during the nuremberg trials by the ex-nazi hans frank (who was the nsdap's lawyer), hitler feared further clarification of the unconfirmed rumour that his paternal grandfather was a graz jew named frankenberger. however, no evidence has ever supported this claim. the real reason for the area's selection may lie in its relatively sparse population, poor soils and consequently low agricultural yields, lack of industry, and not least, from a military training point of view, its very severe winter weather conditions.