Dachau

We went to see the Concentration Camp (Konzentrationslager) at Dachau. It was a somber and sobering experience. It was not an enjoyable afternoon, but most certainly an important one to have. The camp at Dachau was opened by Hitler in 1933 and originally served as a prison and re-education camp for political dissenters. The camp grew during WWII to house not only political opposition but also Jews, clergy, Jehovah's Witnesses, Roma, homosexuals, and anyone else deemed undesirable by the Nazis. The camp was liberated by American soldiers on April 29, 1945. Dachau was the only Konzentrationslager in operation for the duration of Nazi Germany.

The memorial sculpture at Dachau. Many prisoners would commit suicide by hurling themselves at the fences where they were either electrocuted or shot. Prisoners were also murdered by SS guards who would push the prisoners toward the fence and shoot them for trying to escape.

Gate leading to the crematorium. I am consistently surprised by our proximity to history. The camp is less than 15 miles from our apartment.

Sculpture in the Dachau museum. The museum tells a detailed story of the camp's history from establishment through liberation until the camp's closure in the mid 1960s. In the post-war years Dachau was used as a refugee camp.

This is the door leading to the gas chamber. The sign above the door means shower.

The ovens are in the room adjacent to the gas chamber.

This is the famous gate at the entrance to Konzentrationslager Dachau. The words mocked the prisoners by telling them "work makes you free."