Today was the high water mark of our trip to Munich, and a big reason why Munich was a stop on our adventure. Today we visited Dachau to learn more about the atrocious and horrifying acts carried out against humanity during WW2. We had the chance to pay our respects to those who suffered, lost love ones, and their lives in this wretched place some 75 years ago. 
Upon entering the Memorial the mood is still somewhat light. It’s a slight walk before you enter the gates where so many prisoners were held and lived their final days in an unspeakable fashion. However, nearly immediately upon entering, nothing about this place feels light. 
‘Arbeit Macht Frei’
“Work will set you free” is what the prisoners were greeted at the gate with. They were told that they were going to a work camp. As true is that was, they weren’t told it would also be a place of torture, loss, humiliation, disease, starvation and horrible death. The Germans used the prisoners largely as slave labor to assist in the war effort. The demand on the prisoners was high while living conditions and basic necessities of life were provided at a bare minimum.
The Dachau camp was of the first of the Nazi camps which opened in 1933 and was intended to hold political prisoners. Although roughly 40000 people died at Dachau it wasn’t intended as an extermination camp. Initially it was intended to hold 5000 prisoners, but upon liberation, over 30000 people were crammed in. Typhus, dysentery among other diseases plagued 10000 of the 30 000 prisoners that remained.
This is the area where prisoners were registered when they first arrived at camp. Here it was decided whether or not they were fit to work and to what degree. These poor people had no clue what the Nazi bastards had in store for them.
The camp was comprised of 32 ‘Barracks’ buildings, 7 guard towers, and a crematorium over approximately 25 acres. There was a large section of the camp that was used for SS training ground. 
A pic of the camp while in operation: 
Pictures of the barracks:
The prisoners had only limited time between their work shifts to eat and relieve themselves. In that ‘downtime’ they were required to clean and scour every inch of their living quarters. Time using the bathroom was often when guards would harass and humiliate the people. The psychological abuse, along with the physical abuse was extreme at Dachau. 
The next part of the camp is the most chilling. 
Prisoners were brought to the crematorium under the guise of having a shower. Prisoners were brought in the far end of the building and told to shed their clothing. Guards would then pile their clothing in a fumigation chamber for future disposal. 
From here they were brought into a holding area where they were told they would be proceeding to the next room for a shower. 
‘Shower’
This was written above the door leading into the gas chamber in order to trick the prisoners as a means to get them into the next room. Keep in mind this camp wasn’t used as a mass extermination camp, but smaller groups of sick, elderly, or otherwise, were killed here.
The next room was the gas chamber. Prisoners would pile in and see shower heads coming out of the ceiling which would ease their mind for a moment. Before too long they realized the shower heads were fake and poisonous pellets were added to the system which would quickly engulf them, leading to a slow, horrible death. 
The above is a spot where a faux shower had been installed in the ceiling. Dirty, horrible bastards. 
Openings in the ceilings where poisonous gas was filtered in.
Bodies were piled outside later to be fed into the ovens. 
This crematorium was the second, and larger crematorium that was built at Dachau. The original one still remains, but was no longer in use because it became too small to suit the needs of the psychos running the camp. 
Once you leave the crematorium there are a series of memorials arranged for the 1000’s of nameless people who lost their lives. 
As you proceed down a path and try to process what you just saw, you come across a shooting range and an execution wall. 
It’s absolutely chilling and heartbreaking all at the same time.
A few memorials for the different religions that composed the prisoners of the camp have been erected. Below is the Jewish Memorial. 
There are only two barracks buildings that remain. The rest have been destroyed and all that remains is the foundation for each of the 32 that used to exist.
We ended up spending about 4 hours at the camp and we were totally exhausted by the end of it. We took a long break in the museum portion before we headed back to Munich.
It’s hard to describe the day as a good one considering what we had just observed, but it was a good day. Educational, alarming, and infuriating. I think we are all very glad we got a chance to see it and share it with each other. ❤️🇩🇪😢
Stacey and I finally had to put our headphones on, but Brandi was happy to engage. We were so happy when he finally got the hell off the train. 
He just left. See how happy we are?!
That was our view during dinner. 👍🏼
It’s cool and quiet and lends itself to wonderful sleeping conditions. Hopefully a good night sleep is to come! 🇧🇪
Me, watching their 6. 
Apparently this is a balance thing?
Never Mind About That. 