Dachau Concentration Camp is about 40 minutes outside of Munich. It was the first one to be built, and eventually became a model for all other concentration camps under Hitler.
We in Malaysia are usually told that concentration camps were built for Jews. But Dachau was actually initially built for political prisoners – those who opposed Hitler for whatever reasons, including political and religious (mainly Catholics and Jesuits). Jews were brought in several years later.
I visited the camp with friends from 4 countries this afternoon – Arif (India), Isaac (Ghana), Kamilla (Kyrgyzstan), and Sevgi and Hasan (Turkish). Including travel time, we spent 5 hours together for this trip.
The temperature must have been about 2C, and it was snowing. We thought it was freezing cold. I just cannot imagine what it must have been like for the prisoners who did not have the luxury of jackets and warm clothing like we did. Never again.
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- Entrance to Dachau Concentration Camp
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- Gate into the detention area.
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- The text on the gate into detention area reads “Arbeit macht frei” (Work makes you free). What it meant in practice was that prisoners here worked until they die.
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- The barracks where prisoners spent their nights.
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- The blocks on the ground are where the barracks once stood. The barracks have now been demolished.
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- The courtyard where prisoners were marched (and many killed) everyday.
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- Inside the punishment block.
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- Room for solitary confinement inside punishment block.
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- A guard tower.
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- Door to the Brausebad, literally meaning “Shower” but is actually the gas chamber. The nazis used showerheads on the ceiling to pump in poison gas.
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- Crematorium next to the gas chamber.
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- A wall with inscription “Never Again”.
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