Dachau Germany
 

Is Dachau worth a visit for a day and what is on the 'must see' list there? If not,any half day trip suggestions? Thanks.

I'm a little confused about the phrasing of your question. I'm assuming you know that the concentration camp is the "must-see" in Dachau. This is not really a day-trip. It's right there on the end of the Metro line (Dachau stop) and at most it's a half day.

Whether it's worth it or not is up to you and your interests. Again, I am having a hard time interpreting your message.

It's hard to say. If you are really into WW2 history, I think it is worth the trip, however some people don't have the stomach for it. If you do visit, you will get a real feel for what these people went through. You will see a reconstruction of their cramped living quarters, and you will wonder how so many people could fit into one building. You will see the crematorium and the gas chamber. I went into that, but could only stay in there a short time because the images in my head made me physically ill. And in the museum, you will see photographs and memorabilia depicting the intense suffering by the victims.

I do not tell you this to deter you. Despite the unpleasantness, I am very glad I went. I think it is important to honor and appreciate the victims of the Holocaust. By doing this, we can help ensure that such atrocities never occur again.

I really was touched by it (more than I expected). It was thought provoking and poignant. I would really recommend the guided tour (free, just check the schedule)...I normally don't like those things, but having a person explain so much of what happened was so helpful (and much better for me than the audio tour, I think). I went in the winter when it was cold and uncrowded, and that made it seem all the more stark to me.

Definitely worth a trip.

I agree that it is definitely "worth it" although that really depends on your interests, and in this case, that should include the physical conditions associated with the Nazi work/death camps.

As has been mentioned above it is easy to reach via S-Bahn AND you'll need to catch the connecting bus which is a short ride to the site itself. If you are staying in any Munich hotel they can give you directions if you need them.

It does not require a full day to see IMO but budget at least several hours of your day.

i agree that it is worth visiting.

i also agree that your wording of a "must see list" for a concentration camp is a bit strange and frankly distasteful.

if you meant a list for a visit to the city of Dachau then i apologise.

Dachau's concentration camp is a sanitized version of what was once a major and early instrument of Nazi persecution and murder. Most of the camp had to be burned for sanitary reasons after the liberation by the U.S. Army in April '45. There is a museum and a theater where you can see films of what went on there. This is housed in the camp's original administration building. Most of the barracks are gone, but a few have been reconstructed so visitors can get some rough idea of what the place looked like when it was up and running.

At the back of the camp you will find a crematorium. But it is a puny little thing compared to the ones at Auschwitz-Berkenau near Krakow, Poland. That place is an enormous complex, much larger than Dachau.

During World War I, a German ammunitions factory stood on the Dachau site. Later, this became a municipal prison which was taken over by the Nazis in 1934. At first, it housed only political disidents, labor leaders, priests and other religious opponents, and "social undesirables" (as the Nazis put it). These were all Germans.

Later, the camp was enlarged, expanded, and put to use as a transit camp and minor death camp for those headed to bigger and more sinister places to the East. In the closing weeks of the war, Dachau was used as a dumping ground for slave laborers, others brought from other camps, and as a railhead for trans-shipment of prisoners. When it was liberated, there were literally thousands of unburied corpses and dying men lying about. What you see today is acres of gravel, a few buildings, and not much else.

Is it worth your time? That depends on what you think you owe to those innocent people who were caught up in the Nazi machine and systematically murdered. Lest we forget.

Thank you to all replies. To Walkinaround I did mean a list for the city - museum, gallery,special church etc and I am sorry I did not explain myself in a clear manner. I had intended to pay my respects at the camp as it is something I studied throughout school but was not sure what the actual town of Dachau had to see. The first hand information of what to expect at the camp was helpful and I thankyou all.

USNR
I agree that Dachau is a walk in the park c/w Auschwitz, but a visit may certainly add to most NA's limited perspective of "recent" history.
M (fmr LCDR, MC, USNR)

We first saw Dachau in 1970. Saw it again in 2001. Still a moving site. Will take about two hours to see all you need to see. Worth the trip.

Bartell, I don't think your question is confusing, and I'd like to clarify a few points mentioned by others.

First, Dachau "village-center" is actually quite nice and worth a visit. In fact, the Dachau locals become frustrated that nearly all visitors come just to visit the concentration camp, while by-passing the city center.

Second, the concentration camp is not right there on the end of the S-bahn line, but a short bus ride from the S-Bahn station. Just follow everyone else and you'll figure it out.

Also, a non-profit group gives an amazing tour on weekends from spring-fall. This is highly informative (about 2.5 hours) and highly recommended.

The concentration camp is a moving site, worth a visit if that's what you want. A half day can cover it, but beware - the camp is a long way from the train station and on the day I went there was no information about transport between the two. I walked, and it took more than an hour - in blazing heat. Noted a bus stop at the camp gates, so made sure I got a bus back again - which indicated to me that I could have got one to the camp as well, if only there had been directions back at the station.

Still, I saw lots of Dachau town that I would not have otherwise seen. There's a positive in everything, I guess.