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Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, located near Munich, stands as a solemn reminder of the atrocities committed by the Nazis during WWII. Established in March 1933 in the grounds of an abandoned WWI munitions factory, Dachau was the first and longest-running of the Nazi concentration camps, and served as the blueprint for subsequent places of detention. Initially used to hold enemies of the regime, it later held captive a variety of groups targeted by the Nazis, becoming a symbol of oppression and terror. Today, it serves as a memorial and museum that educates visitors about the horrors of the Third Reich, and commemorates its victims.
The foundations of the camp
The layout and regulations of Dachau were initially developed and overseen by Theodor Eicke, its second commandant, who would go on to roll out the same system across all Nazi concentration camps. Most of the Dachau estate was dedicated to the training and indoctrination of the SS, and included a range of factories and barracks. Several of these buildings, though separate from the Dachau memorial site, are still preserved.
The most striking feature as you arrive at the camp is the ‘Jourhaus’, or gatehouse. This building was constructed by prisoners in 1936 as part of the camp rebuild, which included the iron gate with the motto Arbeit Macht Frei (‘Work will make you free’). This reflects the tightly controlled image promoted through propaganda by the Nazi regime that Dachau was a labour and re-education camp.
A number of other original buildings have also been preserved, offering a glimpse of the camp’s infrastructure. The maintenance building, which houses the extensive museum, was built by the prisoners in 1938-1939 to serve their basic needs, and it contained the kitchens, clothing supply rooms, and laundry. New prisoners would initially be processed in the former ‘Shunt Room’, where all of their personal belongings were confiscated. This overlooks the Roll Call Ground where the prisoners assembled every morning and evening for a head count. The SS guards would routinely hand out punishments in front of all the other prisoners in this area. Behind the maintenance building is the main detention centre, or ‘Bunker’, which contains a long block of individual cells in which the most defiant or important prisoners were held. Many detained here were subjected to the harshest conditions by the SS guards.
The barracks, where most prisoners were housed in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, has been reconstructed to show the stark reality of life in the camp. This also shows the deterioration of the inmates’ living conditions as the war progressed and Dachau was expected to take many more prisoners. Initially, the camp was designed to hold only 6,000 prisoners; when liberated in April 1945, it actually held 32,000 prisoners, all of whom had endured brutal conditions.
The guard towers and perimeter fence are intact, giving a sense not only of the oppressive environment that the prisoners faced daily, but also of the scale of the site when it was fully operational.
The life and death of Dachau
The museum provides a comprehensive overview of the camp’s history using photographs, documents, and personal artefacts to illustrate the inmates’ daily lives, the conditions, and the punishments handed out by the guards and, in some cases, other prisoners. These punishments could range from beatings to the death penalty. The prisoners found it difficult openly to resist the guards, but they were able to smuggle news out of the camp, to send letters to relatives, and (in autumn 1933) to set up a camp library, which became a centre of secret political meetings.
The museum highlights how prisoners at Dachau were forced into slave labour to support various industries working to further the German war effort, including in munition factories and mines, or clearing debris from Allied bombing. Additionally, Dachau held authority over a vast network of up to 140 sub-camps, located throughout Bavaria, that were used to support this war work.
On display are many personal accounts of the experiences of the prisoners and the subsequent treatment inflicted on specific groups, with Jewish and Slav prisoners being treated the worst. Furthermore, the camp doctors conducted experiments on prisoners deemed unfit to work: these ranged from investigating the effects of high altitude and sudden depressurisation, to understanding the impact of extreme cold water on Luftwaffe pilots shot down in icy seas. These experiments alone cost the lives of more than 160 prisoners.
A deeply moving film outlines the history and development of the camp right up to its liberation, with an accompanying timeline. In the post-war years, Dachau housed both SS soldiers awaiting trial and German refugees who had been relocated due to the war, serving additionally as a US military base before closing in 1960. In 1965, the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site was established, which provides the foundation for today’s organisation.
A spectre that haunts history
The most harrowing parts of the concentration camp are the gas chamber and crematorium area. Although the gas chamber was never used for mass extermination, it stands as a chilling testament to the potential for human cruelty. The adjacent crematorium, however, was used extensively. Here remain the ovens that were used to burn countless bodies. This area of the camp is particularly sombre, and many people find it the most emotionally challenging part of their visit.
The camp features several memorials honouring its victims, including the central International Monument – a sculpture representing prisoner suffering and resilience. Nearby are the Jewish Memorial, the Catholic Mortal Agony of Christ Chapel, and the Protestant Church of Reconciliation, each providing space for reflection. These memorials commemorate the different groups persecuted by the Nazi regime, and stress the importance of remembrance.
A visit to Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site is a profound and moving experience. The museum, memorials, and original buildings collectively tell the story of the camp and its victims, ensuring that the horrors of the period are never forgotten. By preserving its history, Dachau serves as a powerful monument to the need for vigilance against hatred and intolerance in all its forms.
Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site (KZ-Gedenkstätte Dachau), Alte Römerstraße 75, 85221 Dachau, Germany
http://kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/en
+49 (0) 8131 669970
Open 9am-5pm daily (Free Entry)
Images: Rainer Viertlböck, KZ-Gedenkstätte Dachau; Stefan Müller-Naumann, KZ-Gedenkstätte Dachau
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http://www.iwm.org.uk/events/spies-lies-and-deception-iwm-north
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