Dachau is a town outside Munich that was once a concentration camp. It is a sad and sobering place to visit but a good one to get you thinking and learning.
In 1933, Adolf Hitler set up the camp in Dachau and this camp later served as a model for other camps. It remained open for 12 long years. This camp was not so much an extermination camp as a labor camp and therefore was mostly inhabited by men. Over its existence, 200,000 people from all over Europe, were imprisoned in this camp and others like it.
Today you can visit the memorial site and see the barracks, the gas chambers, the isolation cells, the guard towers and more. There are many exhibits and pictures as well as thought provoking accounts of prisoner’s experiences. There is also a short documentary film to view. Approximately 41,500 people were murdered in these camps.
The Dachau prisoners were liberated in April of 1945 by American troops. This memorial, on the camp site, was set up in 1965 as a memorial to those who suffered and died at the hands of the Nazis.
Entrance Gate "Work will set you free"
Guard Station
Crematorium
Memorial to all prisoners
Camp Road
Overall – It can be difficult, but it is history and I hope that we can all learn a lesson for our future from our past. It will take about 4 hours to visit. You can take a tour from Munich (www.munichwalktours.de) or do a self-guided tour. From Munich, simply take the train, S2, towards Dachau/Petershausen. Get off at Dachau (25 minutes) and wait outside the station for bus 726 towards Saubachsiedlung. Board this bus and in 10 minutes you will be at the memorial site entrance, which is KZ-Gedenkstatte. Note that going by train does require the XXL ticket. Entry is free to the site, although there are audio guides available for a fee. If you have time, make a day of it by exploring the lovely, picture perfect, downtown area of Dachau afterwards.
