Dachau Concentration Camp

Today, we visited Dachau Concentration Camp. This was the first concentration camp set up by the Germans in World War II and acted as a model for many other concentration camps. About 206,000 prisoners were processed through this camp with an average 140,000 working on site. We visited this camp to learn more about the hardships that prisoners experienced during their stay at Dachau. We include pictures below from around the camp with short captions and facts. 

This is the gate entrance to the camp. On the gate there are words that are translated loosely into "Work will set you free." 

Memorial Wall 

Memorial Wall with the grave of an unknown mans ashes. 

Bath Houses in the Barracks 

Jewish Memorial Site on the left and Catholic Memorial Site on the right

The Shooting War 

This is where they would line prisoners up to shoot them. There were also a few hangings and "pole hangings" done out here. After liberation, this is also where American soldiers shot SS guards that were captured.

The Dachau Bunker was the prison in Dachau. A range of people were sent here to stay, including some former prisoners, some priest and other clergy members, prisoners of war, and the individuals from the camp who did something wrong. Along with the small rooms for normal prisoners there were three rooms with standing cells. The standing cells were 2 x 2 feet, which allowed four in each room. Also there were rooms that were left for pole hanging. This is where people would be hung from there arms and left there for days. The SS guards also had a lounge in the prison. 

Above on the left is a picture of the old Crematorium. Once these two became inefficient to cremate all the bodies they decided to build a second crematorium. The picture on the right is of the waiting room in the new crematorium where they would place the bodies that were about to get cremated. Below is a picture of the new crematorium build. Not shown in pictures is the gas chambers that were also built in the new crematorium. They made the large gas chamber look like a shower so that prisoners would not refuse going inside.  This gas chamber was never used, but smaller ones that were built to clean the clothes were used to kill individuals and small groups. 

Here is a picture of the Barracks from the early years of the concentration camp. Later the benches were removed and the spacing between the individual beds were taken away to maximize the number of people that could sleep on each level. Originally it was build to hold 50 people but by liberation over 200 people were staying in each room.  

This memorial represents the number of individuals who committed suicide by jumping into the electric fence  that surrounded the camp.

This was an overwhelming experience for all of us. We learned the value of human life and the inhumanity that took place at these concentration camp. Each of us walked away with a hurt in our hearts for those who lost there lives at the concentration camp and a respect for those who survived.