Fritzl's wife visits his secret lair as she returns to the 'house of horror' for FIRST time

Rosemarie Fritzl, 67, entered the underground dungeon to collect clothes and toys for the children her husband imprisoned.

Wearing beige trousers and a light blue top, she visited their home in Amstetten, Austria, with a female relative.

Emotional: Rosemarie Fritzl (left) visits her home for the first time since it was revealed her husband had been keeping a secret family in the cellar

Two police officers who are permanently on guard there to deter tourists posing for pictures outside had to open the gates to allow their car through.

Rosemarie had to be given special permission to go into the house because it is still being treated as a crime scene as police gather evidence against Fritzl.

Inside, she ventured into his underground lair for the first time ever to collect items belonging to her grandchildren.

For an hour, she moved around the property, bagging up possessions into suitcases and bags.

Tiny: Rosemarie, 67, went into the dungeon where her husband kept their daughter locked up for more than 20  years

It is the first time any member of the Fritzl family has been back to the house since its horrific secrets were revealed earlier this year.

Rosemarie is said to feel the house is 'tainted' and none of the family is ever expected to return there to live. It may end up being demolished.

A source told the Mirror: 'It was quite an ordeal for Rosemarie to go back there for the first time but she wanted to get the things for the children.

'Mentally, it was tough to go back into the house. It has become something of a symbol of evil for her.

'She was shattered by the revelations of what happened to her and the monstrous charade that her husband acted out over two decades.'

Monster: Fritzl, 73, is likely to face trial later this year

Fritzl, 73, kept his daughter Elisabeth caged in the dungeon for more than 24 years, unbeknown to his wife and children living upstairs.

Over the years, he fathered seven children by her - one of whom died. Of the other six, he selected three to live with him while Elisabeth raised the others in the dungeon.

He pretended to his wife, and to the world, that his daughter had run off to join a cult.

Every time he brought a baby up from downstairs, he claimed she had left them on the doorstep because she knew she could not look after them herself.

Their plight was only exposed in April when the oldest, Kerstin, 19, fell seriously ill and had to be taken to hospital.

Elisabeth promised to tell police everything about her decades of alleged abuse as long as she never had to see her father again.

It was only then that the other two children Fritzl had incarcerated in his underground lair were discovered.

Stefan, 18, and Felix, five, as well as Kerstin, had spent their entire lives underground and were astonished by everyday sights such as the moon and moving cars.

Both sides of the family, including Rosemarie and Elisabeth, were reunited in hospital and have been living together in a psychiatric clinic ever since.

Fritzl is still in custody. Earlier this month, a judge extended by two months his detention because the police need more time to collect evidence against him.

Tainted: The grandmother feels the house is now 'tainted'. It may end up being demolished because no one wants to live there

Rosemarie Fritzl, 67, has not been back to the family home in Amstetten, Austria, since her husband's horrific secret was exposed.

She considers the house to be 'tainted' and has

Reconciled with Elisabeth, she and the rest of the family have been living together in a special facility at the hospital where Kerstin was being treated.

Tainted: Rosemarie Fritzl visits her former home in Amstetten to pick up