„Arbeit macht frei“ (work makes one free) - the slogan on the gate of the „Jourhaus“, which was the only entrance to the camp. On either side of the gate were the SS guard rooms. On the first floor of this house the offices of the camp administration were located.
The former „Wirtschaftsgebäude“ contained the kitchen, the laundry, storage rooms for prisoners´ clothing and personal belongings, and the notorious shower baths, where the SS tortured prisoners.
In this building today the museum of the concentration camp memorial site - planned and arranged by the Comitè International de Dachau with the support of the Government of Bavaria - is to be found.
The exhibition shows in a quite objective way what happened, from the period proceding the Third Reich, the foundation of the camp and what happened there, to the so-called „final solution of the Jewish question“.
The liberation of Dachau and other camps concludes the exhibition.
International Memorial in front of the museum (built in 1968)
Every morning and evening the prisoners had to parade on the „Appelplatz“ (roll call square). If a prisoner suceeded to escape, all inmates were ordered to attend the subsequent „Strafappell“ (punishment roll call), lasting a full night and half a day.
On each side of the „Lagerstraße“ (the main camp road lined with poplar trees, planted by the prisoners) stood fifteen „Wohnbaracken“, so-called „Block“ (barracks to house the prisoners), two infirmary barracks, a canteen and a workshop barrak. Each Wohnbaracke was divided into four „Stuben“ (a living-room and dormitory unit). Two of these Stuben had to share one wash-room and the lavatory. One Stube was to accommodate 52 prisoners, i. e. 208 prisoners per barack.
Upon the violent expansion of the „Third Reich“ large numbers of prisoners from the newly occupied European countries arrived in Dachau without interruption. The camp became so overcrowded that up to 1600 prisoners had to live in one barrack.
The concrete remains of the former huts on either side of the camp road are marked with the hut numbers.
„Krematorium“ (Baracke X) had to be built by prisoners in 1942. Upon orders of the SS-Wirtschaftsverwaltungshauptamt (SS-Economic-Administrative Main Office) in Berlin a gas chamber was installed. This gas chamber, camouflaged as a shower room, was not used.
The prisoners selected for „gassing“ were transported from Dachau to the Hartheim Castle, near Linz (Austria) or to other camps. In Hartheim alone 3166 prisoners were gassed between January 1942 and November 1944.
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Memorial of The Unknown Prisoner |
When a prisoner stepped on the strip of grass, which began with the „Stacheldrahthindernis“ (a life barbed-wire obstacle) eight meters (27 feet) in front of the ditch, the SS guards in the „Wachtürme“ (guard towers) shot him without warning.
On the right hand side you can see the „Lagermauer“ (wall surrounding the camp), which was lit up at night.
Beside the Catholic „Todesangst-Christi-Kapelle“ built in 1960 (above) and the Carmelite Convent, built in 1964 (beneath), a Protestant Memorial Church (1965), a Jewish Memorial Temple (1965) an a Russian-Orthodox chapel (1995) are to be found.
Approximately 6000 Russian prisoners of war were executed on the „SS-Schiessplatz“ (rifle range).
7500 prisoners, representing all European nations, who died shortly before their liberation are buried on the „Leitenberg“.
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In the cemetery of the town of Dachau, called the „Waldfriedhof“, the last 1230 prisoners of the concentration camp of Dachau were buried.
The Camp has open everyday except Monday from 9 am -5 pm.
Further
Informations about the KZ Dachau z.B. Dachau (also english available)
OTHER CONCENTRATION CAMP MEMORIALS
KZ-Gedenkstätte Mittelbau-Dora
Mahn-und Gedenkstätte Düsseldorf
Stiftung Brandenburger Gedenkstätten
