NUREMBERG, Germany - Three watercolours believed to have been painted by a young Adolf Hitler were auctioned off for a total of 42,000 euros ($60,000 or about P2.9-Million) in the Bavarian city of Nuremberg on Saturday.

German auctioneer Herbert Weidler said the 3 paintings were sold to 3 different phone bidders.

Although the exact number of Hitler paintings is unknown, experts believe there are about 720 paintings and sketches in existence.

"Various clients are interested in these paintings," Weidler said. "They're intellectuals, businessmen or just normal people who might have saved some money and wanted such a painting."

The paintings are dated from 1910 to 1911 and originate in Vienna, where Hitler was a struggling artist. He applied to art school in Vienna but was rejected twice.

There have been a number of other auctions in Germany and abroad for Hitler paintings in the past.

The 3 watercolours auctioned on Saturday including depictions of cottages, mills and churches nestled in rural landscapes. "Weissenkirchen in der Wachau", named after a place in Austria, fetched 24,000 euros (about P1.7 million) from a foreign bidder.

Two other domestic bidders won "Zerschossene Muehle" or "Shot Mill" for 11,000 euros (about P769,000) and "Haus mit Bruecke am Fluss" or "House with Bridge on River" for 7,000 euros (or about P490,000).

"I would say it's the quality of a village school art teacher who has learned how to draw," Weidler said. "Others might think differently but we say they're of rather modest quality."

Authenticity questions

The authenticity of items associated with Hitler has long been a bone of contention.

In 1983, German magazine Stern published what it said were extracts from Hitler's diaries. They were later exposed as forgeries.

Hitler reportedly became an anti-Semite in Vienna, which was rife with racism and religious prejudice.

In Hitler's book "Mein Kampf" (My Struggle), he writes that he was initially tolerant of Jews and the anti-Semitic press in Vienna but later embraced anti-Semitism and denounced what he called the world's two "great evils" - Communism and Judaism.

He later became Germany's leader under the Nazi Party (Nationalist Socialits German Workers Party) and was responsible for the massive execution and torture of Jews.

It is estimated that about 6 million Jews were murdered in organized killings, ghettos, and concentration camps under Hitler's regime. Reuters.