[speedster786]

I had flown into Munich on official work—a buzzing city filled with charming architecture, efficient trams, and the scent of pretzels wafting through the air. Over the weekends, I explored various parts of Europe. But one place—just a short train ride away—called to me in a way no castle or cathedral ever could.

Dachau.

Not just a location. A wound in the world's memory. And I knew I had to go.

In March 1933, Europe—and the world—changed forever.

Adolf Hitler rose to power, not quietly, but with a thunderous ambition. Within days of becoming Chancellor of Germany, the machinery of terror began to turn. He had a plan—and they knew exactly what they were doing. Just weeks after taking office, the first Nazi concentration camp was ordered into construction.

And that’s where I stood—Dachau—the blueprint of what would become an unimaginable horror across Europe.

When I reached the entrance of the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, I froze. There it was—the infamous gate, with the cold, wrought iron inscription: "Arbeit Macht Frei" — Work sets you free. I had seen those words in books before. But here, in person, they cut like a blade.


From the station, thousands of souls who had been condemned made their final walk—or were trucked in—towards this place.

And it was through these very gates—past the cold, ironic sign “Arbeit Macht Frei”—that they entered this hell on earth.

The camp was guarded round the clock—24/7, by ruthless SS officers. There were alarm systems, gun towers, and an electrified perimeter fence. Escape was not an option. Hope barely a whisper.

Inside one of the buildings stood the interrogation rooms. Designed not to extract truth, but to break spirit. Here, behind those walls, dignity was stripped as cruelly as the skin off one’s back.

As I approached the camp, I noticed memorials on either side of the entrance, each honoring those who played a role in liberating this place of horror. One particularly moving marker was dedicated to the U.S. 20th Armored Division and the 7th Army, who freed the camp on April 29, 1945.

Their arrival turned the final page of one of history’s darkest chapters—and ensured the world would never forget.

The Roll Call Ground – A Place of Daily Pain

As I walked through the gates of Dachau, the first place I saw was a big open ground called the roll call area or Appellplatz.

This was where prisoners had to line up every morning and evening, no matter the weather—hot sun, cold wind, rain, or snow.
They had to stand in perfect rows of ten, completely still, while the guards counted them.

If someone had died during the night, the other prisoners were forced to carry the dead body and stand it up, just so the numbers matched.

Some days, the count lasted only a few minutes.
Other days, the prisoners had to stand there for two or three hours, without moving, even if they were sick, tired, or freezing.
If someone moved or fainted, they could be punished badly.

Standing there today, I could feel the pain in the air.
I imagined what it must have been like—thousands of tired and scared people, standing in silence, surrounded by guards with guns.

It wasn't just a roll call.
It was a way to break their spirit. A way to show them they had no control.

Even though it’s just an empty ground now, it still tells a very powerful story.
A story of suffering, survival, and sadness that should never be forgotten.




What must it have been like... to walk through these gates, not knowing if you’d ever walk out again?

From the time Dachau was built in 1933 until it was finally liberated in 1945, more than 200,000 people were brought here.
Men, women, people of all faiths and backgrounds—political prisoners, Jews, priests, teachers, artists—anyone who didn’t fit into the brutal regime’s idea of “right.”

They passed through these same gates I just walked through.
Some may have looked around, hoping to find mercy.
Others may have held back tears, trying to stay strong.

But the truth is—most never had a choice, a voice, or a chance.

The weight of their pain still lingers in the silence of this place.
Even after all these years, you can feel it in the wind, in the walls, and in the silence between footsteps.


Just after entering the gates of Dachau, the first building you come across is the Maintenance Building. This is where all newly arrived prisoners were taken.

It wasn’t part of the original camp—it was actually built by the prisoners themselves between 1917 and 1938.

Inside, there were different sections: a kitchen, a clothing supply room, baths, and workshops. In the west wing, there was a “shunting room”—this is where the registration process began. Prisoners were processed, given numbers, and stripped of their identity.

One chilling detail stands out—on the roof of this building, in large bold letters, it said:
“There is a path to freedom.”



Today, this Maintenance Building has been converted into a museum.
It’s no longer a place of cruelty, but one of remembrance. A place that says, loud and clear—never again.

The first thing you see is the vast network of concentration camps.



I came across a sign that caught my attention—“Rauchen verboten.”
It translates to “Smoking prohibited.”


Inside the museum, there are several displays showcasing artifacts that belonged to those who were once imprisoned at Dachau.
One display in particular stood out. It included a photograph of a man who was held here, along with a few of his personal belongings.



This room was where the prisoners' baths were located.
It was the final step in the admission process. After registration, the new arrivals were brought here to shower and receive their camp uniforms.


Corporal punishment was a routine practice at Dachau.
Sadly, this very shower room was not only used for bathing but also became a place where prisoners were beaten and tortured. While such punishments happened throughout the camp, this room witnessed its share of cruelty

Prisoners were forced to bend over this wooden trestle, where they were beaten with bullwhips, sticks, or whatever else the guards could use to cause pain.

Many prisoners passed out from the beatings, only to be woken up and made to go through the torture all over again.


What you’re looking at is actually a replica of the original gate. The real one was built by camp prisoners back in 1936.

In 2014, something truly shocking happened—a group of people broke into the Dachau Memorial site and stole the original gate. It was an unthinkable act, deeply disrespectful to the memory of all who suffered here.

Thankfully, in 2016, an anonymous tip led police to the city of Bergen, Norway, where the gate was found. In February 2017, it was finally returned to Dachau, and today, the original is preserved safely, while this replica stands in its place.


The perimeter security at Dachau was methodically designed to both prevent escape and psychologically break the prisoners:

Prohibited Zone (Neutral Zone): The green lawn area you mentioned was known as the "neutral zone." Prisoners were forbidden from entering it, and stepping onto it was effectively a death sentence, as guards had orders to shoot immediately.

Barbed Wire and Ditches: Past the neutral zone, there was a deep ditch and barbed wire entanglements to physically obstruct any movement forward.

Electric Fencing: Beyond the barbed wire stood a high-voltage electric fence, adding another deadly layer.

Guard Towers: The seven towers placed along the perimeter were manned with guards who had orders to shoot anyone attempting escape.

Final Patrol Path: Outside of all this was a patrol path used by SS guards, ensuring any breach would be quickly dealt with.

In this horrific environment, many prisoners, facing unbearable conditions and no hope of escape, did indeed choose to run into the neutral zone or throw themselves against the electric fences as a form of suicide. It was tragically referred to by some as the “barbed wire death,” and it underscores just how dire and inhumane the conditions were.



It might be easy to think that each prisoner had their own bed, but that wasn't the case. In reality, many people were crammed into one small space, lying close together on beds filled with straw. Many of them were sick, especially with typhus and other diseases.

Typhus spreads through lice. The way lice got into the camp was that they were running out of clothes here, so they brought in clothing from Auschwitz. That clothing had lice on it, which then spread through the camp and caused the typhus outbreak.


Unimaginable medical experiments were carried out on prisoners here, mainly in blocks 1 and 3. Some of these experiments were related to malaria, where prisoners were deliberately infected to test possible treatments. Others were designed to study how the human body reacts to high altitudes—they used pressure chambers to simulate those conditions.

There were also cruel experiments on hypothermia, where prisoners were exposed to freezing temperatures to see how much the body could endure. These people were forced to suffer through horrific conditions, all in the name of so-called research. It was an extreme level of cruelty that’s hard to even imagine today.





This building once stood right here. At one point, animals were used here to make uniforms for the Luftwaffe (the German Air Force). In 1947, a disinfection facility was built in this area to clean prisoners' clothing.

But in the spring of 1944, the SS set up a so-called "barrack" here—and this added even more suffering. It was a bordello, where female prisoners brought from Ravensbrück were forced into prostitution. It was another cruel and inhumane part of what happened in this camp.


As you walk through the memorial, you're moving down a dark path. When you enter, it feels like you're stepping into a deep, dark space. In the middle of that darkness, there's a white strip of marble that leads all the way to an opening in the ceiling.

At the top, there's a menorah, and a beam of light shines down from it. This light symbolizes that even in a place as dark as Dachau, there was still hope.

For many who were imprisoned here—no matter their religion—it was their faith that helped them survive through such a terrible time.

There is a Catholic monument at Dachau called the "Mortal Agony of Christ Chapel." It was dedicated in 1960, thanks to the efforts of Bishop Johann Neuhäusler, who helped make it happen.


In the summer of 1940, foreign prisoners began arriving at Dachau. As more prisoners came in, the number of deaths started to rise. Because of this, the Nazis planned to build a crematorium just outside the camp walls to dispose of the bodies.

It’s estimated that around 11,000 prisoners were cremated in this very oven.



There was a gas chamber at Dachau, but it was never used for its intended purpose—mass extermination. Still, standing here gives us a sense of what could have happened if the war had continued and the camp had kept operating. It’s a chilling reminder of how much worse things might have become.


When the soldiers from the 45th and 42nd Infantry Divisions arrived at Dachau, just imagine being an 18 or 20-year-old walking up to the crematorium—and seeing piles and piles of bodies lying there.

Even though the crematorium was meant to be in use, the bodies were still stacked up. Why? Because in February 1945, Germany faced a coal shortage, and there wasn’t enough coal to keep the crematorium running. That’s why so many bodies were left unburned.


I noticed that some people throw coins into the water at Dachau. It seems to be a gesture of remembrance or reflection, maybe even a silent prayer or wish. Even in a place marked by so much suffering, small acts like this can be a personal way for visitors to show respect, hope, or mourning.



There’s so much more that could be said and written about Dachau—its stories, its survivors, its dark legacy. But even a short visit leaves a heavy weight on your heart. This place stands as one of the saddest chapters in human history, a reminder of how far hatred and power can go when left unchecked.

May we never forget.

[deepak_misra]

I had visited Dachau for the first and last time in 1994. It was just too horrific and I wondered for a long time as to how humans can sink to such levels to cruelty. This feeling got surpassed when I visited Cambodia in 2017 and saw the moral deprivation during the Pol Pot regime. I actually cried.
Your photos have captured the spirit of what happened there well.
The modern horror is the tourist armed with a cell phone who wants to capture selfies for instagram. They have completely lost the plot and dont realize why museums such as this exist. In Dachau, 30 years back I remember them smiling and sitting on prisoners beds without understanding what they were witnessing.
For whatever it is worth, Dachau did not have any people "gassed" so one can just imagine the horrors of other camps.

[dailydriver]

May we never forget

That history keeps repeating itself, albeit with different people and at different places is a truth mankind repeatedly ignores; to its own peril. Of the multitudes of history books that I have had to read through as part of my academic requirements and even off of it, chapters on the Indian freedom struggle and the Holocaust have managed to hold on to my gray cells even now.

With the current generation of youngsters oblivious to the horrors of the not so distant past, leaders world over are whipping up bigotry and exclusivity with extra rigor. A cursory glance at the list of influential Heads of State is enough to convince a keen, sensitive and sensible observer that the DNA of Hitlers, Mussolinis and their minions has managed to find its way into the 21st century politics too.

Thanks for paying tribute to the souls of the men and women sacrificed at the altar of false romanticism. The writeup made for an emotionally disturbing, but eye opening reading.

Leaving here some links for the young readers of the forum who might appreciate the significance of such visits, once they realise the history attached to them.

1. World War II

2. Holocaust

3. List of Concentration Camps

[speedster786]

Originally Posted by deepak_misra

I had visited Dachau for the first and last time in 1994.

You're right—these sites are meant to be sacred spaces of remembrance and learning, not backdrops for selfies. It’s painful to see that some people miss the gravity of these places, treating them more like tourist attractions than memorials.

Originally Posted by dailydriver

That history keeps repeating itself, albeit with different people and at different places is a truth mankind repeatedly ignores; to its own peril.

Thank you for acknowledging the intention behind the tribute. It was meant not just to remember, but to remind—of suffering, of resilience, and of the cost of silence. And thank you especially for sharing those links for the younger audience. If even a few pause, reflect, and truly see the past for what it was, then there's still hope for the future.

[fordday]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

That history keeps repeating itself, albeit with different people and at different places is a truth mankind repeatedly ignores; to its own peril.

With the current generation of youngsters oblivious to the horrors of the not so distant past, leaders world over are whipping up bigotry and exclusivity with extra rigor. A cursory glance at the list of influential Heads of State is enough to convince a keen, sensitive and sensible observer that the DNA of Hitlers, Mussolinis and their minions has managed to find its way into the 21st century politics too.

Thanks for reminding the current generations about the past horrors and also serving a wakeup call.

That DNA cannot be obliterated, given a chance it will popup from time to time.

Its like they say about the earthquake, the further you are from the previous one the nearer you are to next one.

[dsuman]

We keep hearing about such camps and Dictators. Its only the positive side shown to us. What you have shown is the negative side of such Dictators filled with cruelty. a living proof that human race needs a reset from all the hatred. I can imagine the heavy heart you felt while going through those torture places.

I wonder What gives one human, rights to do atrocities on another human just because they dont like them. The world has seen (and still seeing) it's fair share of cruelty due to whims and fancies of a select few.

What is really disheartening is, Enduring torture with a hope that some day all this will end. For those 200000 who perished, that day never came.

[speedster786]

Originally Posted by dsuman

We keep hearing about such camps and Dictators. Its only the positive side shown to us. What you have shown is the negative side of such Dictators filled with cruelty. a living proof that human race needs a reset from all the hatred. I can imagine the heavy heart you felt while going through those torture places.

You're right—the world often romanticizes power and ignores the pain it causes. Sharing these truths, no matter how uncomfortable, is the only way we can hope to break the cycle. Thank you for seeing the weight of it all and for your empathy. It's voices like yours that keep the memory alive and meaningful.

[v1p3r]

Thank you for posting this. I am of the opinion that every single human should see the horrors of Dachau, Auschwitz, and a hundred other places to understand what their fellow beings are capable of.

As we leave this single longest period of relative global peace humankind has enjoyed, it will bode us well to remember this is what happens when we 'other' people. All of this was carried out by a democratically elected government, one that rode to wave on popular sentiment to 'right historic wrongs' and 'awaken' their country, to make it great again.

Every day I believe Agent Smith more and more when he said 'Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet.'

[speedster786]

Originally Posted by v1p3r

Thank you for posting this. I am of the opinion that every single human should see the horrors of Dachau, Auschwitz, and a hundred other places to understand what their fellow beings are capable of.

Thank you for sharing this powerful message. You're absolutely right—everyone should see and understand what happened at places like Dachau and Auschwitz, to truly grasp what human beings are capable of when hate, fear, and division take over.
It's chilling to remember that all of this was done by a government that people chose, one that promised to "fix" things and "make the country great again." History shows us how quickly those promises can turn into something terrifying when we start treating others as less than human.

Your reference to Agent Smith might be fictional, but it really hits hard—sometimes it does feel like we forget to learn from our past mistakes.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

... leaders world over are whipping up bigotry and exclusivity with extra rigor.

Originally Posted by v1p3r

...it will bode us well to remember this is what happens when we 'other' people. All of this was carried out by a democratically elected government, one that rode to wave on popular sentiment to 'right historic wrongs' and 'awaken' their country, to make it great again.

Very pertinent in these times, when it seems almost every country on every continent is electing governments on this platform of 'us vs. them'.

But then again, I also read something beautiful in the memoirs of one of the survivors of those terrible times. He said: "In those times, one climbed to the summit of humanity by simply remaining human."

It doesn't require heroism or extraordinary effort to battle such divisive forces, I just hope each one of us can just treat the guy next to us as a human being and that will be enough.

[kinetic]

It's taken about 75-80 years for these lessons to be forgotten. I wonder how we could evolve as a species if our memory spans are so short.

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by fordday

Its like they say about the earthquake, the further you are from the previous one the nearer you are to next one.

Originally Posted by dsuman

What is really disheartening is, Enduring torture with a hope that some day all this will end.

Originally Posted by v1p3r

As we leave this single longest period of relative global peace humankind has enjoyed, it will bode us well to remember this is what happens when we 'other' people.

Originally Posted by am1m

It doesn't require heroism or extraordinary effort to battle such divisive forces, I just hope each one of us can just treat the guy next to us as a human being and that will be enough.

Originally Posted by kinetic

It's taken about 75-80 years for these lessons to be forgotten. I wonder how we could evolve as a species if our memory spans are so short.

We could write pages upon pages on how the greatest danger for humanity arises from human beings themselves. But as Pastor Martin Niemöller wrote, looking out for each other is the only way men can ensure their ultimate survival and progress.

FIRST THEY CAME

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

[speedster786]

Originally Posted by kinetic

It's taken about 75-80 years for these lessons to be forgotten. I wonder how we could evolve as a species if our memory spans are so short.

You're right—it’s sad how quickly we forget. If we truly remembered and learned from the past, we might have evolved into a more compassionate and united species by now.

Originally Posted by dailydriver

We could write pages upon pages on how the greatest danger for humanity arises from human beings themselves. But as Pastor Martin Niemöller wrote, looking out for each other is the only way men can ensure their ultimate survival and progress.

Beautifully said—and a timeless reminder. Silence in the face of injustice only fuels it. Looking out for one another isn’t just kindness—it’s survival.

[ritedhawan]

The common denominator were the Jews, whether inside Germany or outside in the zone of the third Reich control. When Nazi's came to power, inside Germany, anti-semitism became rampant and then started the wave of segregation of jews, thier isolation, followed by construction of concentration camps were they were transported predominantly via overloaded cargo cars of trains explicitly set apart for such purposes. The inhuman way in which they were transported with no water or food , toilet facilities, simply pushed into cars as cattle. Watch --Schindler's List-- to get an idea of the same.

During the second world war as the Wehrmacht blitz continued, specifically in eastern european region starting from Poland to Russia, in the wake of wehrmacht followed the Waffen-SS specifically Einsatzgruppen units who committed mass shootings of eastern european and Russian jews by laying a pit and setting up a machine gun on one end and from the opposite end rows of jews were forced to walk up to the pit, with the machine gun running unabated and the dead bodies kept filling the pit until it swelled to the brim!

The Einsatzgruppen units were accompanied with mobile gas vans, the rear exhaust line would plug into a pipe which lead into the sealed gas vans rear compartments where jews were killed via asphyxiation. These and many other brutal methods of killing which came under the perview of Waffen-SS.

The concentration camps predominantly interspersed within Germany and beyond were places of hell. Since, the methods employed by Waffen-SS were never going to be enough to eliminate jews in the eastern europe and since the final solution of jews with its methods were supposed to be employed in concentration camps to eliminate jews across Europe and beyond. These camps in varying sizes from small to big ones in Buchenwald, Auchwitz, etc. were setup where jews were dumped. Then various methods of exterminating them were employed. It can be taken for granted that as a jew if his/her turn hadn't come to queue up for gas chambers, then indefinate labour, inhospitable , cramped beds, and the diseases that it brought, medical experiments conducted in the camps in name of science, explicit torture in camps would definately take them out. The various camp commandants who oversaw thier respective camps were at one time in a race to equal or excel the killing numbers, so that they can get appreciation from those above them. One camp commandant who excelled in running the camp to the best was "Rudolf Hoess" , the commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp.--Höss wrote his memoirs, released in English under the title Commandant of Auschwitz: The Autobiography of Rudolf Hoess-- Who at one time sought to set up a number for jews killed in one hour equal to 2000!!.

I have been reading about WW2 since the day I left school and after reading multiple books about WW2 esp. in european theatre , The Holocaust always finds a mention. No matter the author, the inhumanity exhibited by Nazi's , the pain and torture experienced by Jews in thier hands. The stomach churning details , --books like "Doctors from Hell: The Horrific Account of Nazi Experiments on Humans", "Hell's Cartel: IG Farben and the Making of Hitler's War Machine", etc -- are filled with gory details about the torture wrought on jews. It gave me sleepless nights and contributed of my becoming an athiest.I became an athiest for two decades when I went through many such books, as it was difficult for me to imagine humans exhibiting such behaviors on other humans. It became clear to me as daylight , that the 'The human capacity to commit evil has no bounds!!'.

I still believe the Germans deserved the onslaught of an Atomic bomb just like the Japanese deserved it.

[speedster786]

Originally Posted by ritedhawan

The common denominator were the Jews, whether inside Germany or outside in the zone of the third Reich control. When Nazi's came to power, inside Germany, anti-semitism became rampant and then started the wave of segregation of jews, thier isolation, followed by construction of concentration camps were they were transported predominantly via overloaded cargo cars of trains explicitly set apart for such purposes. The inhuman way in which they were transported with no water or food , toilet facilities, simply pushed into cars as cattle. Watch --Schindler's List-- to get an idea of the same.

During the second world war as the Wehrmacht blitz continued, specifically in eastern european region starting from Poland to Russia, in the wake of wehrmacht followed the Waffen-SS specifically Einsatzgruppen units who committed mass shootings of eastern european and Russian jews by laying a pit and setting up a machine gun on one end and from the opposite end rows of jews were forced to walk up to the pit, with the machine gun running unabated and the dead bodies kept filling the pit until it swelled to the brim!

The Einsatzgruppen units were accompanied with mobile gas vans, the rear exhaust line would plug into a pipe which lead into the sealed gas vans rear compartments where jews were killed via asphyxiation. These and many other brutal methods of killing which came under the perview of Waffen-SS.

The concentration camps predominantly interspersed within Germany and beyond were places of hell. Since, the methods employed by Waffen-SS were never going to be enough to eliminate jews in the eastern europe and since the final solution of jews with its methods were supposed to be employed in concentration camps to eliminate jews across Europe and beyond. These camps in varying sizes from small to big ones in Buchenwald, Auchwitz, etc. were setup where jews were dumped. Then various methods of exterminating them were employed. It can be taken for granted that as a jew if his/her turn hadn't come to queue up for gas chambers, then indefinate labour, inhospitable , cramped beds, and the diseases that it brought, medical experiments conducted in the camps in name of science, explicit torture in camps would definately take them out. The various camp commandants who oversaw thier respective camps were at one time in a race to equal or excel the killing numbers, so that they can get appreciation from those above them. One camp commandant who excelled in running the camp to the best was "Rudolf Hoess" , the commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp.--Höss wrote his memoirs, released in English under the title Commandant of Auschwitz: The Autobiography of Rudolf Hoess-- Who at one time sought to set up a number for jews killed in one hour equal to 2000!!.

I have been reading about WW2 since the day I left school and after reading multiple books about WW2 esp. in european theatre , The Holocaust always finds a mention. No matter the author, the inhumanity exhibited by Nazi's , the pain and torture experienced by Jews in thier hands. The stomach churning details , --books like "Doctors from Hell: The Horrific Account of Nazi Experiments on Humans", "Hell's Cartel: IG Farben and the Making of Hitler's War Machine", etc -- are filled with gory details about the torture wrought on jews. It gave me sleepless nights and contributed of my becoming an athiest.I became an athiest for two decades when I went through many such books, as it was difficult for me to imagine humans exhibiting such behaviors on other humans. It became clear to me as daylight , that the 'The human capacity to commit evil has no bounds!!'.

I still believe the Germans deserved the onslaught of an Atomic bomb just like the Japanese deserved it.

The sheer scale and methodical nature of the Holocaust still shake the soul—how ordinary people became part of something so monstrously systematic is beyond comprehension. It's true: the capacity for human evil knows no bounds when hatred is institutionalized. Thank you for sharing this—it’s disturbing, necessary, and unforgettable.