Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial – Dachau, Germany

Dachau was a Nazi concentration camp opened in 1933 originally for political prisoners. After its opening by Heinrich Himmler, its purpose was enlarged to include forced labor, and, eventually, the imprisonment of Jews, German and Austrian criminals, and finally foreign nationals from countries that Germany occupied or invaded. Dachau served as a prototype and model for the other German concentration camps that followed. There was 32,000 documented deaths at the camp and a great many more that were undocumented. When the end of the war was evident Himmler began evacuating the camps in an attempt to gain favor with the allies as he was hoping he would be in line to rule post war Germany. When the allies did liberate the camps the true horror of the Holocaust was brought to light. Between 1945 and 1948 when the camp was handed over to the Bavarian authorities, many accused war criminals and members of the SS were imprisoned at the camp, eventually some former prisoners banded together to erect a memorial on the site of the camp. Today there are some original buildings and some reconstructions as well as a museum.

New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos
New photo by Wanderlust Family Adventure / Google Photos