Dachau, Germany

We continued our WWII history tour with a trip to Dachau. This was definitely the darkest part of our journey, however you cannot help but be moved by the terrible history.

Dachau was the first Concentration Camp opened in Germany in 1933. It's officially described as "the first concentration camp for political prisoners". In total, 200,000 prisoners were sent to Dachau with nearly two-thirds as political prisoners and the rest Jewish. The camp served as a prototype for other concentration camps built in the future.

Keep in mind, the images may be disturbing.

The gates into Dachau hold a sign which reads "Arbeite macht frei". This means "work will set you free" in German.

It was a very eerie day in Dachau, Germany. The winds were blowing ominously, and the clouds were moving very quickly. On either side of the tree line are rows of living quarters for the prisoners. They were all removed earlier, and replicas are now up to describe the inner living quarters for the prisoners.

The camp changed dramatically through the years. In the beginning, this picture above would house one prisoner per bed. Yet, towards the end of the war three or four would share a bed. In the next room is a make-shift bathroom with toilets and sinks. However, this was all a facade put on by the Nazi's to show outside people that this was a appropriate place for prisoners. In reality, the sinks and toilets did not work.

Watchtowers were set along the entire outside of the facility.

We apologize for putting this picture on our blog. The words to describe what you see here is indescribable.... Yet, we feel we must show what actually took place before the world forgets. It was said that these crematoriums were not actually put to use yet, as they were just built months before the war ended. Next to this crematorium is an older facility that was definitely used. I will not add that one to our blog.