"Remembering Dachau" Dachau by slothtraveller

Dachau Travel Guide: 169 reviews and 479 photos

About the concentration camp and memorial

The Concentration Camp of Dachau was the first of the camps set up by the Third Reich. It was set up in 1933 as a camp for political prisoners.
Over 200,000 people were imprisoned in Dachau. Over 43,000 died there.

The memorial site was opened in 1965 allowing visitors to re-live the horrors that took place in this small town north of Munich.

My visit

My visit to Dachau was part of a trip to Munich. I went not knowing what I would see. The day I visited, the weather was dreary and miserable. The rain did not stop. This was fitting as it reflected the mood of the camp. People milled about in silent contemplation. Although the place was relatively busy with tourists, there was still an eerie silence about the place.

I found the museum and the camp in general to be a very sobering but interesting experience.

IS IT WORTH A RETURN VISIT?
No, I wouldn't want to return but I'm glad I went there.

Pros and Cons

Pros:That the camp remains open to the public
Cons:That the camp ever existed at all
In a nutshell:See the camp and remember the victims

Last visit to Dachau: Aug 2007
Intro Updated Mar 6, 2013
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Reviews (10)

Grave of Unknown Prisoners Things to Do (8)

Down a wooded path to the right of the crematorium, this mass grave can be found. It is a quiet and idyllic setting for... more travel advice

Entrance to the intended gas chamber - Dachau

'Shower room'- Gas chamber Things to Do (8)

The gas chamber was never used for it's intended purpose of mass extermination. The room was disguised as a shower room... more travel advice

The Crematorium ovens Things to Do (8)

The Barrack X crematorium had 4 functioning furnaces. Prisoners were sometimes hung from the rafters here. more travel advice

The Crematoria exterior Things to Do (8)

The camp had two crematoria. The first was too small to deal with the high number of deaths. This lead to the second... more travel advice

Warnings and Dangers (1)
Museum age recommendation

Transportation (1)
Getting to the Memorial

Comments (7)

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Regina1965 5 hours ago

So sad and horrible :( Thanks for sharing.
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balhannah Feb 26, 2012 at 3:43 AM

An interesting page! The wet miserable day would have added to the sadness felt here.
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globetrott Jun 21, 2011 at 3:10 PM

an interesting page about a sad part of german history !
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Nemorino May 9, 2008 at 1:04 PM

Your lead photo of Dachau on a grey and rainy day captures the mood of this disturbing place.
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christine.j Apr 24, 2008 at 9:22 PM

A very good page! You're right about the age limit. I once was there when a boy got so upset that his father started telling him it was all a movie set,not real. This in turn upset the other people there, who hadn't realized he was trying to calm his son.
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Cristian_Uluru Sep 12, 2007 at 10:25 AM

Interesting page!!! I planned to visit it on my recent trip to Bavaria but I couldn't!! Thanks for sharing!
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JessH Sep 12, 2007 at 5:32 AM

A chilling page about a horribe place. Nevertheless, thanks for sharing your photos and insights. Greetings from the desert / Jess in Dubai