There is something so morbidly fascinating about concentration camps that makes them an attraction to people of every background.
I have always wanted to go visit Auschwitz in Poland because of studying World War II and the story of Anne Frank. It’s the only thing in history that has always kept my attention. But I never thought, even when I knew that I would in Europe, that I would go visit one.
A couple of my friends had asked me to go with them to Poland to visit Auschwitz, but my budget is making me very picky about what trips I really want to take. Even though it would have been a cheap journey, I had to say no. I was going to Germany the week before.
Coincidentally, a friend (who I went to Germany with) had a friend who had been to Munich before and sent her a list of things to do. This is how we found out that there was a concentration camp right outside of the city. This was something that we both wanted to do and ended up being the most interesting part of the trip.
What to Expect on a Tour of the Dachau Concentration Camp
The tour met outside the train station in Munich, where we caught a train and then a bus to the concentration camp. Dachau Concentration Camp was the first concentration camp. We were in for a big taste of history. Our tour guide was a self-made tour guide who started his work with Dachau and (from what I understand) studied art in college and was now a teacher of some sort.
He was a born and bred Irish Catholic turned Atheist who, at times, seemed incredibly biased in his descriptions. (I found this amusing because he was hell bent on pushing the acknowledgement of equality of those affected by the camps.) He was entertaining, though. Since he was sort of cynical and dark-humored, it made the tour more lighthearted. Our tour was a small group. It was the two of us, a guy from the London area, and two Australian guys.
When we first arrived, it was at the memorial building which has a bookstore and cafe and is really modern because it’s new. Once outside, you can see more of the actual concentration camp. We stopped at a map for a quick briefing before the tour, but I was pretty eager to get moving. Here he explained that Dachau was home to the first concentration camp.
That being said, it’s a little different to visit. During the time of the camp, the town turned a blind eye to what was going on right under their nose – and this happened everywhere. This is how the Nazis got away with so much. So naturally, after the camp was liberated, the people were embarrassed. As a result, they tried to hide the camp.
Most of the barracks were destroyed, a man made hill was put into place, and trees were planted to enclose what was the most shameful part of the small city. In later years, though, the city decided to embrace its culture rather than turning their backs on history. Thus, the memorial was built and it became a place for people to visit and to learn and understand.
My first reaction to what I saw was that it was accurate. It looked exactly as I expected. The massive flat land in the middle of the barracks and buildings, the barbed wire fence surrounding the perimeter, the watch towers, and the main gate.
My biggest concern about visiting such a place is that I wasn’t sure how I would react to it. I had imagined that I would be sad or angry or uncomfortable, which I did feel uncomfortable at times. But more than anything, I just sort of felt numb. I needed to get myself out of there mentally. The best way I can describe it is that it was like being on the set of a movie as opposed to actually being at a concentration camp.
This was the front gate with the infamously ironic and cruel slogan “Work will free you.”
We started with the building to the right of where the above photo was taken. It was the first room the workers were taken where they were stripped of their identities and humanity. They gave everything they had and become a number. Upon arrival, their clothes were removed, they were showered, and their entire body shaved. In the shower room, there were wooden planks at the top by the shower.
They looked harmless like something that you would just hang a towel on, but our tour guide explained to us that it was just a nasty trick that the Nazis used for torture that would go unnoticed by any public organizations that came to the camp. What actually happened is that they would tie the prisoner’s arms behind his back and hang him from the plank. Then, they dropped him. This broke a lot of bones and caused a lot of screaming. It taught that particular prisoner his lesson while terrorizing any others who could hear the screaming.
I went into this having read some about concentration camps. I spent nights reading and rereading articles and Wikipedia pages over the torture and tests the Nazis used. But being there and being told what they did made it much more real. The Nazis played a nasty game. They used simple ideas and efficiency to get away with what they did without anyone suspecting any wrongdoing.
The thing about Dachau’s camp is that it was the first and only camp that ran the entire period of time from 1933-1945. Much of the camp (and the part we couldn’t see) was used to train the Nazis in the art of torture. Most of those Nazis worked closely with Hitler and many went on to run Auschwitz. Now the buildings are privately owned and used for the Bavarian Riot Police Academy. (Or something like that. Kind of alarming.)
It really bothered me that it was a school for Nazis. Literally. And in the old shower room there are many displays and signs explaining what went on. The most disturbing sign talked about how many different languages were spoken, but said that the only language needed to communicate was that of fear.
We continued on further and saw the barracks that were left. Turns out there were never actual working toilets in the barracks – they were just put there to make the conditions look better than they were. I suppose everyone thought that if they had food, beds, and toilets, then things weren’t so bad. Or that’s how the tour guide made it sound. Each room in the barrack was set up differently according to how the camp changed over time. You could see how it would have become more cramped by the way the beds changed.
The tour was the hardest towards the end when we went to the gas chamber. Dachau’s gas chamber is still standing. We learned that people who were killed in the gas chambers commonly came from other camps. They simply thought they were being shaved and showered just like any other camp. I had never considered this before, but I suppose it makes it seem less depressing than them knowing that they were going to die.
The chambers were used a lot more towards the end of the camp because of disease and over-population. Thousands of people were killed in the chambers. The original ovens used to cremate the bodies were still there as well as the upgraded ones they used later on. I was standing outside the building, listening to our guide explain, and I saw the picture posted right there.
We were literally standing right outside that door. Right outside where all of those people died. The only time I was legitimately uncomfortable was walking through the gas chamber and reading how it happened. But despite the morbidity and sadness that comes with concentration camps, I think it is important to remember them. Something like this should never happen.
Why You Should Visit Dachau Concentration Camp
I was really glad that we found the tour and got to go. I learned a lot that I had never really considered. These concentrations mean so much more to the cities associated with them. It was like experiencing the healing process of the entire city. And I think it’s cool that they are finally embracing it and no longer shying away from embarrassment. It happened. And it shouldn’t simply be forgotten.
View more of my experiences on my travel blog.
