Berlin - Berlin's Jewish community said Wednesday it is not interested in using the villa that once belonged to Nazi propaganda minister Josef Goebbels.

Authorities in the capital had approached the Jewish community to see if it wanted to host exhibitions at the woodland property on the outskirts of the city.

Its members inspected the site at Bogensee during the summer. After that there had been no further contact with city officials, said Maya Zehden, a spokeswoman for the Jewish community.

"For this reason the Jewish community is no longer interested in the idea, whatever form it might take," she said.

The city of Berlin, which owns the villa and the 460,000-square-metre estate it is located on, has being trying to sell the property.

But the villa was taken off the market in July, following fears that Neonazis might try to buy it.

The city is now trying to sell the adjacent parkland without the villa, which will remain in public hands. dpa