Dachau, Germany

November 27, 2011

The purpose for visiting Dachau, Germany was to visit a Nazi Concentration Camp.

Ok guys, I don’t have many words for what I experienced at Dachau. It was just unbelievable. Prior to coming to Germany, I never thought I would visit this country because of the rich history. But I came anyway and I decided that I really wanted to see a Nazi Concentration Camp. Well, I got what I asked for and always–be careful what you wish for. We went to the Dachau Concentration Camp (1933-1945) in a town called Dachau in upper Bavaria. During the morning at Dachau, our tour guide had us standing out in the freeeezzinng cold explaining to us that Jews were tricked into coming to the Camp –believing that they were coming for something else. Jews were ordered to register and after registration, they realized what would later be their fate.

Many of us looked like we were about to die standing out in the cold and even my feet started to turn into brick. The guide knew we were cold and wanted us to feel that even though that would NEVER compare to what the Jews felt standing out in the cold in only thin prison-like suits. We walked through a gate that read “ARBEIT MACHT FREI” which means “Work Sets You Free”. Through labor and death, the Jews could earn their freedom–which was essentially death.

After walking through these gates, Jews lost their freedom:

Entering into the camp through this door, prisoners lost all rights to legality, freedom and peace.

The guide finally took us inside the camp. I seen everything from the crematoriums, to the bunks they slept on, the toilets they used, weapons they were hit with, the prisoner suits they wore, even ditches were they buried them …I saw it all.

The camp is surrounded by a fence and the main building is called the Maintenance building built by the prisoners themselves:

All the space in the courtyard is where the prisoners lined up for roll call:

The building on the right was the place for prisoner registration. Many were beat to death on those very soils before they even entered the building for registration. During registration, prisoners lost all forms of identity. They had to hand over any personal possessions. They lost their names and were instead identified by numbers and symbols:

The symbols represented the identities of the prisoner: Asocial, criminal, homosexual, jehovah witness, or re-offender:

After registration, prisoners were shaved, given a uniform, and stood accordingly. A number of utensils were used to shave the prisoners including blades, knives, and a brush.

Inside of the camp, you’ll notice these signs which read: “No Smoking” and “Smoking Prohibited”. Prisoners didn’t have access to resources to smoke, so why were the signs there? It was a psychological way of torturing them.

The grass signified “No Man’s Land”–if any prisoner was caught on the grass, they were killed. This building also held rooms where prisoners were tortured and killed:

Many prisoners were shot on that wall:

These were the shower rooms:

Hinges for the poles where prisoners were hung by their wrists and the chain that hung prisoners:

The Table where prisoners were laid across and beaten in the back being forced to count the number of blows aloud:

Inside of the barracks are the rooms where prisoners were tortured:

“It was strict detention, a full 8 months in darkness. No exercise. Hard bed. Bare wood. Three days: water and 1 pound of bread. …No knife, no cup, no washing bowl, no soap. Nothing.”:

Inside the barracks were the beds, the toilets, a wash bowl and closet lockers. The beds had no mattresses. Prisoners were stacked on top of each other and many suffocated and died:

Here are where the crematories where located. They used crematories to cremate dead bodies. 

The gas chambers–this room was disguised as showers:

Where prisoners could engage in Religious worship:

The Jewish Memorial: Denket Daran Wie Wir Hier Starben “Think About How We Died Here”.

The ditches were dead bodies were thrown:

And finally leaving the camp: