Dachau // Munich

Dachau concentration camp is huge. It was also such a weird experience. They only kept a couple of the barracks up and filled the rest with rocks. The photograph is what the camp looked like when it was liberated. I can only imagine what it would have been like when it was full. 2 churches and a convent have been built on the premises as a way to somehow alleviate the sadness and create a memorial for the lives lost. Learned a lot today. Learned that the initial prisoners built the barracks that they stayed in. Also learned that after the crematoriums, the Nazis would dump all the ashes into a single pit, which is located outside next to the building. Learned that they also dug a “blood trench” so after shooting the prisoners against a wall, the blood wouldn’t form puddles. It was a dark morning for sure. Reading about it in high school doesn’t even compare to walking through the camp. My buddy refused to go into the gas chamber and after I was in there alone, my head almost touching the 6 foot something ceiling, I quickly understood his reasoning. Although never used, it was creepy being in a place built with an intention to end life.