Dachau-Memorial site

General information

Destination	Category
Munich, Germany	Sightseeing Tours

Program details

One of the first pages of the darkest chapter in German history was written at Dachau, the inaugural concentration camp opened by the Nazis within months of assuming power. The camp is the embodiment of the lowest depths of humanity and a this guided tour is an emotional experience as you learn not just about the barbaric treatment of the prisoners and the atrocious conditions they were kept in but also about the strengths of the human character.

You will be have time to visit the memorial site and honour the men, women and children who lost their lives here for no reason other than that they didn’t ‘fit in’ or that they dared to think differently. Hear about their plight as you explore the museum and see the images and artefacts that are all that remain of these tragic lives. The museum is laid out in three sections, each representing a phase in its development. View a 22-minute documentary film about the camp and see the row after row of barracks, with a number of chapels and memorials at the end. See the parade ground, the entrance hall of the prisoners, the communal showers, the bunker, the gas chamber, the crematorium and the various memorials.

Jews, homosexuals, gypsies, members of the Jehovah's Witness, priests, politicians, POWs… all were liable to be sent to Dachau. During its 12 years of operation, 200,000 victims from over 30 countries had the misfortune to pass through the gates proclaiming, ‘Work makes you free’, with at least 30,000 souls perishing here.

Meeting/pick-up point: Bahnhofplatz in front of the Karstadt department store, across from the main railway station.
Start/opening time: Saturdays at 1.15pm from May 15 to October 15.
End/closing time: 5.45pm.
Languages: English and German. Audioguides in French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Mandarin, Japanese and Russian.