Dachau Concentration Camp

Zavian's Post:

To prepare for the visit to the concentration camp in Dachau we read two books about the Holocaust and watched three movies. The first book was the "Devil’s Arithmetic" and then the "Boy in the Striped Pyjamas". We watched the Anne Frank movie "My Best Friend Anne Frank" along with the two movies of the books we read. We also met a Holocaust survivor called Hedi at the Greenville museum in America (see previous post here).

"Work makes you free"

Before the visit to the concentration camp I was expecting to see lots of scary pictures. But I was not allowed to go on a tour like mum and Zorion because I was under 13. Instead I went on a 2 hour self guided tour with Dad and Cora. The tour guide lady said there was some really disturbing pictures that would not be suitable for children. So how we figured it out in case we saw anything bad, is that I used my mask to cover my eyes, but don’t worry it was still covering my mouth and nose. Cora used a sleeping mask that Dad had from the airplane.

The most disturbing thing for me at the concentration camp was seeing the ovens where they cremated bodies. It was really, really sad.

I just remember the gas chambers how the Nazi's lied to the people saying they were going to have showers to get cleaned, but then they just killed them.

In the "Boy with the Striped Pyjamas" book, in the end they both died in the gas chambers. In the movie version of the "Devil’s Arithmetic", they only had one pouring hole where they poured the gas in. But in the real gas chambers that we saw in Dachau there was more than 20 holes where the gas came in.

I am glad we went to see Dachau because every day I can be thankful I am safe.

Zorion's Post:

Yesterday we went to the first concentration camp every built. It was called Dachau. Unlike the other concentration camps which mainly targeted Jewish people, Dachau was made for mostly political enemies of the Nazi Party. It was built to hold around 6000 prisoners. By the time of liberation, at the end of World War 2, it had over 5 times its capacity. Dachau is now a memorial site. Where the S.S. (Schutzstaffel aka elite Nazi soldiers) barracks were, is now the Police Headquarters.

Four barriers to prevent escape

Dachau was only for men. The equivalent camp for women was Ravensbürg. The Nazi propaganda said that Dachau was a “re-education camp” where men learned to work hard. Yeah right. The S.S. (Schutzstaffel) said when the bodies of overworked or executed people were brought into town, they said they had died by "accidents". When the death toll rose, the townsfolk people got more suspicious, so the Nazi's made an on site crematorium so the townsfolk wouldn’t see the bodies.

I'm glad we went because it was much more immersive than the movies, to actually see where the people were when all of this happened.