Dachau was a German concentration camp. It imprisoned people from the early 30s until 1945. The camp was established around an abandoned factory. It was home to Jewish people and other prisoners of war. It functioned with forced labor, and the guards controlled the people with fear and physical brutality. It was the longest operating concentration camp, and it left many deep scars across Germany and the world.
The Grounds
A Dachau survivor has described the layout, and there are old aerial photographs that show the complex. The Nazis held the prisoners inside a five-acre plot along the edge of the property, surrounded by guardhouse and neglected showrooms. The factory stood on 20 acres. The crews arranged most other workforce camps like this one. The commanders had living quarters and a command office.
Records
The records are spotty at best for what happened inside the walls of all concentration camps. If you can locate a Dachau survivor, you will hear tales of horror and heroes. The Germans noted that about 30,000 people died in this camp. Some stories that have surfaced revealed that the sick and weak people were executed because of their frail condition. Visitors to this area can walk through the buildings and see the ovens that hide any evidence of how many people actually died at Dachau.
Forced Work
Everyone shipped to Dachau performed hard labor. The guards mentally tortured them to keep them in line. The Germans confiscated everyone’s physical belongings and left them without clothes or possessions. Eventually, they found prison garb and quickly began working. Almost 100 offshoot camps sprang from this one. To learn more about Dachau and the survivors, contact ZACHOR Holocaust Remembrance Foundation at https://www.zachorfoundation.org.
