While visiting Munich, we took a day trip to Dachau Concentration Camp. It was originally designed as a work camp that forced early prisoners to succumb to an ultimate form of torture through work. Members of the original camp completed impossible tasks, including dusting blades of grass throughout the camp! They were forced to clean the rocks and dirt that were on the ground. I am not sure how they cleaned dirt or rocks, but they were forced to do so and if they didn't, they were beaten, tortured, and killed. Later into the war the camp became a concentration camp that tortured, gassed, and cremated millions of jews and other minorities. Towards the end of the war it returned to being a work camp, because the Third Reich needed materials, clothing, and other manufactured goods, so it was important to keep prisoners alive and working. Notice that did not include healthy or well nurtured.
Today, all German school children are required to visit the camp as a reminder of what their country endured and what atrocities were committed in the name of the Nazi party.
The original iron door still stands with one of the original buildings. The phrase seen above translates to "work makes you free." The thought process was that work would help them earn freedom, which was a complete lie.
These are the foundations of the barracks that existed during the camps operation.
The white buildings in the background is an exact replica of a prisoners housing area. All the items inside are original.
Layered bunk beds held hundreds of prisoners that had diseases and were extremely malnourished.
This is original crematory that stood during the camps operation. It would run 24 hours a day for years cremating millions of people.
You can see the open doors of the crematories behind the iron fence.
This is an entrance to an area where the prisoners were escorted and told to disrobe. All the clothes were fumigated to kill any bugs and pests living on them, and they were recycled to other members of the camp or used for other manufacturing. This was the start of the 'assembly line' of death.
From the de-clothing area, prisoners were escorted through this door into the 'showers'.
These 'showers' would have had fixtures above in the ceiling (notice the holes), but instead of water releasing at a certain time, toxic gas poured into the room and killed the hundreds of prisoners lined up in the room.
The dead were then moved right into the next room and stacked two or three high on the gurney, the doors were shut, and the bodies were cremated. The smoked filled the air outside and covered much of the area with soot. The ashes that fell below at the bottom door was collected by shovels and thrown outside.
The Nazi's decided that one oven was not enough.... Very sad.
Part of Dachau was a prison and not just a concentration camp. This prison was run by the SS and was very ruthless and cruel. Some of the inmates were people who at one time were Nazi supporters but then changed their minds. One infamous prisoner here attempted an assassination on Hitler, but obviously did not succeed. Some of the cells were designed to kill just by being inside it. It was like a coffin but standing. The prisoner would enter the cell but could not sit or bend at all. He or she was forced to stand for weeks. Eventually they would pass out and die from exhaustion. Truly an awful experience, I'm sure.
The grounds surrounding the camp are very beautiful today, there are some walking trails with memorials and murals honoring the different groups who were prisoner at the camp. It also marked areas where prisoners were lined up and shot, and then moved immediately to the crematory.
Like I said, it was a very sobering experience for both of us.
Danee took these photos down the length of the prison camp. I loved these photos that she took. They are very symbolic to me.
Dachau was a very emotional and draining experience. It was something that I will never forget. It was so strange to me to feel so sad at the awful things that people do to one another, yet I also felt Heavenly Father's love very strongly during the tour and visit. It was clear to me that the spirits of those were were members of this camp are still present and visiting this place. There is a close connection that exists between Heaven and Earth and it can be felt on that sacred ground. It was a special experience for both of us. To those who feel it would be to sad and gloomy to visit-It is sad. It is gloomy. But it also shows the power of the atonement. It shows the power of Heavenly Father, and his love for all of his children, no matter what their race, religion, or belief.
