Dachau Concentration Camp

We had a few hours off this afternoon, so we had a chance to visit the first original Nazi Death camp, Dachau. It is about 4km from our hotel. It was all rather sureal for me. I obviously took loads of photos. We were lucky enough to actually hear a guide giving a tour so, we just joined into that group. We first saw the remains of the the railway line and platform where thousands of people would have fallen out of the trains and then been moved about 100 meters (yards) to the main entrance gate.

The remains of the platform and Track
Copyright 2010 Danny Clifford













On the gate were the words (another famous Nazi lie )' Arbeit Macht Frei' meaning work makes you free. Yeah right!!
Main Gate Dachau
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Once inside, we were guided around and we saw one of the remaining horrible barracks where the inmates were kept. It was horrible. Whilst we were walking around it was raining and horrible. I cant imagine how horrific it must have been for all of the poor people who were there in the freezing winters, with no heating and then in the hot summers in cramped horrible conditions, what a nightmare.
The Gas Chamber & Crematorium
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Inside this building was a gas chamber and the ovens.. I heard that the Nazi's often didn't wait to actually murder people in their normal ways, but, put them alive straight into the ovens.
The Gas Chamber Copyright 2010 Danny Clifford













After the gas chamber was the room where dead bodies were staked up prior to being burnt in the ovens.
Copyright 2010 Danny Clifford.













The thousands of bodies were then transported from this room into the room next door where the ovens burnt on a 24 hour basis. By the way, good old IBM, yes, IBM helped the Nazi's work on all parts of their administration in relation to the death camps. The had a hole punch system that counted inmates in to the camps and then counted the dead ones as well. So, anyone thinking of buying anything IBM, think again and perhaps buy and Apple instead.
The Ovens
Copyright 2010 Danny Clifford













Outside all around the grounds were the watch towers. We were told that if anyone stepped on the grass near the edge of the camp at all, even one foot. The would be shot dead at once. Nice people those Nazi's.
One of the Watchtower's Copyright 2010 Danny Clifford













This was and is a very stark reminder of what happened only a few years ago. What the Nazi's did here and at many other death camps was truly revolting.. This is a very gloomy place that everyone should see.
Copyright 2010 Danny Clifford