Day Three: Our visit to Dachau

I usually try to find a catchy title for each blog entry, but I cannot do that today.  I am actually separating this entry into two different sections.  This one will be dedicated to our visit to Dachau and I will be posting again, later tonight, about the rest of our visit to Munich.

Our group outside of the entrance to Dachau's Visitor Center.

We were the first group to arrive at Dachau this morning and the weather was overcast.  As we walked past the visitor's center, our mood began to settle.  I think we all knew that the visit would be both educational and emotional.  The path from the visitor's center to the gate of the camp is gravel, but it surrounded by a forest with a deep green color.  You can hear a stream trickling past and there were numerous birds chirping.  It was a clear and deep sense of nature that stood out in contrast for the experience of visiting the first concentration camp.  Dachau served as the model for the rest of the camps built throughout Germany and the rest of Nazi occupied territory.  As such, there are some similarities between the camps that resonate with those who have learned about them.  One of the first things that you see is a sign made out of iron.  Usually, it is part of the entrance gate to the camp.  The sign reads:

"Arbeit macht frei" means work will set you free.  Knowing our past means we know the dreadful irony in that sign.  The camp is massive and it puts it into perspective.  There were thirty different barracks in which prisoners were held.  Only two of them are still standing in the camp, but the footprints of the other buildings are still there.  Dachau has an incredible museum in the old maintenance building.  It starts with explaining the rise of the Nazi party in Germany and the historic setting of post-World War I Germany.  The museum is a mix of pictures, signs, banners, and recreated images from the period.  Throughout the exhibit, there are multiple video presentations showing clips of events from the camp's history.  We also were able to watch a short video that documented the camp and its liberation.  It was terrifying.  The images of devastation are too unimaginable to describe on this blog and it was hard to imagine that people could be so heartless towards their fellow men.  With that said, however, we noticed some other parts of the documentary.  It mentioned, more than once, that prisoners assisted others when times were toughest.  That they created secret groups to keep hope alive.  In fact, it was one of these secret groups that alerted the 42nd Infantry Division, the famous Rainbow Division, of the atrocities happening in Dachau.  In our darkest times, when all humanity seems void, there are countless untold stories of bravery, humanity, thoughtfulness, and compassion.  It is a point that I find myself stressing to myself and others when times are the bleakest.  With the anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings so recent in our thoughts, I envision those who rushed towards the injured and saved so many lives.  Humanity prevails...goodness wins.  It might be difficult to see, but I witness it first hand whenever I talk to students about these places and these times.  Kids want to be good.  Hatred is man-made, and while that it terrible, we can never forget that because man has made it; we can unmake it too.

Some of our students placing stones upon the tomb.

Ashes of the unknown concentration camp prisoner.

Our stones.

  Just outside of the maintenance museum rested a tomb with the remains of an unknown victim of Dachau.  It is a tradition in the Jewish faith to memorialize someone's memory when they've passed with placing a stone upon a sacred spot.  One of our chaperons, Joanie, had visited Winthrop beach and grabbed enough stones for all of us to pay our respects to this victim, and all of the victims.  Knowing that is was Easter, and that these stones came from home, and that our solemn ceremony meant something personal for Joanie made the experiences even more worthwhile. [Thank you Joanie, for thinking ahead while remember our past]  The stones are immortal.  This token of remembrance takes on that persona; making us connected to the past and to the future all at the same time.  It is a memory that I will not soon forget.

From here, many of us took separate paths.  Some explored the bunker.  Here special prisoners were kept isolated from the roughly 60,000 people interred at the camp at any given time.  Standing cells were built to torture political prisoners and a firing range stood near the gallows just outside.

The Bunker

The gallows were placed on the left while the firing squad stood near the center.

Others walked to the crematorium and the gas chambers.  While the gas chambers at Dachau were never operational, they stood as a chilling reminder of what we will be experiencing at Auschwitz in just a few days.  In the days preceding the camp's liberation, the Nazi's ran out of coal from hiding the evidence of their horrific behavior.  The crematoriums would never be used again, but the death toll at Dachau had already claimed a minimum of 40,000 victims.

The interior of prisoner barracks.

The Crematorium 

The entire process of horror was located in this building.  The prisoners entered on the left-hand side.

This fake shower room was actually built as a gas chamber.

The crematoriums inside Dachau.

Just behind the crematorium lay several memorials.  There are some that announce the location of firing squad positions and others marking mass graves.  When the camp was liberated the US Army dug at least two graves with over 1,000 casualties in each.  Finding these markers made me think of my father's uncle Ralph.  I recently learned that he had been photographed by a popular magazine carrying a survivor out of another liberated camp.  The WW2 generation has been called the "Greatest" Generation for the bravery, sacrifice, and dedication to the American ideal.  Knowing that many of these men witnessed such a place makes their perseverance ever more meaningful to me.

The modern Dachau is a reminder of how terrible things can get when times are at their worst.  It stands today to tell its story to future generations.  As we approached the camp, surrounded by nature's beauty, we knew how dreadful the experience might be.  We may not have been aware that the camp stands as a reminder of the resiliency of people of faith.  As I am not a religious man, I am reminded of the greater triumph of humanity when truly tested.  The stories of survival and of sacrifices to one's fellow prisoners are testaments to this.  There are other testaments standing at Dachau that help represent the unshaken faith of those interred within the walls of the camp.  Prisoners from nearly 90 different nations were held captive at Dachau.  They represented a wide spectrum of cultures, beliefs, and religions.  In their honor, and as reminder of the faithfulness of those who never lost their hope, stands several memorials dedicated to various denominations.  It was nice to see our students pausing at each one and paying reverence.  The sanctity displayed by these youngsters reassured me of my own faith in human nature.  I once again have found myself thinking of how fortunate I am to know such individuals.

Thank you for your time and attention with this post.  It wasn't easy to write and I hope I presented our visit in an appropriate manner.

Mr. Lavoie currently in Munich, Germany.