Dachau

The one trip I've wanted to always take was to Dachau. I always felt the boys were too young to truly appreciate this experience so we never went. Connor had the opportunity to hear a survivor from Bergen Belsen speak at Lakenheath a week before we left for Garmish, so he really wanted to visit the camp. I put Jackson in the kids day out program which absolutely delighted him and loaded Colton in the car for a day out with mom and big brother. It was wonderful to be with just Connor for the day. He has become a very interesting and funny young man. We listened to music in the car and were able to have some good conversation. As he's quickly showing signs of pre-teen angst, this was particularly good for me. The visit was really an amazing experience. I learned so much, and I know from discussions with Connor that he did too. What really amazed me was that Connor noticed things that I never would have on my own. For instance we missed the turn for the parking lot so we ended up driving along the perimeter of the camp. The first thing Connor said was "Look mom, the wire is facing inward to keep people in."

We spent quite a bit of time in the visitors center trying to read the incredible amount of information they posted. The building this is housed in was the in processing center. There was a map of where all the camps were located. I never realized how many camps there were as each dot on the map represents some kind of camp or sub camp. I never realized how extensive the sub camp system was.

While in there after viewing some videos we happened upon a tour guide from Munich who was a history major. She had a real heart for sharing information about Dachau with people and allowed us to join her group. Dachau was the first concentration camp and was actually a work camp, not an extermination camp. It was an SS training facility as well I believe. It was never intended to house the number of people it housed by the end of the war. They showed us three versions of bunks from three periods of the camp as more and more people arrived. At first bunks were designed for one person in each partitioned unit. By the end of the war they were just large open units where people would pile in on top of one another.

The bunk houses were torn down as they were never built with proper foundations and they rebuilt two of them to show people what they were like after the war. They did mark out all of the bunk houses that existed. The trees in the center of the camp were original and planted by prisoners. As it was the first camp they wanted it to look "pretty" so they planted trees.

They explained their "defensive" system to us as well. They had guards in the watch towers and the grass strips were the first line of defense to keep people in. If anyone was on the grass they could be shot. Then there was a ditch and then razor wire then the fence. They even had razor wire all along the river.

This camp did have a crematorium and a gas room that we were told was never used at this camp. There were beautiful memorials along the execution wall. Despite all the sadness, the memorial walk was beautifully done and allowed time for reflection. We especially liked the bell that rings every day. It is taken care of by the nuns that live adjacent to the camp.

After we left Connor said, "You know what is so sad? Dachau was considered one of the better camps to be sent to compared to some of the other camps." And he is right. They didn't process folks through and immediately kill them upon arrival. However, I believe 1/4 of the people that came to Dachau did die. Seeing this camp was very moving, and I really appreciate the thought that has gone into making this a memorial for the people that suffered and died in that camp. I am ever so thankful for the life I have and hope that Connor realizes how fortunate he is.