The holocaust was one of my husband's favorite lessons when he taught so visiting a concentration camp is high on our list of things to see....however, I
ran across some negative threads on Dachau...so for all of you you've been there...is it worth seeing while in Munich? We'd like to see Auschwitz (will
be in Budapest and Prague as well) just not sure we'll have time in our schedule. Would appreciate opinions. Thank you.

ABSOLUTELY!! It's something everyone should see. I know some of it has been rebuilt, but the experience is a very, very moving one. Just to walk on the same grounds many prisoners were forced to stand for hours and hours......

It's very easy to get to Dachau on the S-Bahn, then catch the bus that is waiting at the train station that goes to the camp.

While in the town of Dachau, notice the traffic lights. They only have two lights, red and yellow. If there is no lights it means GO! What a concept.

When you return to Munich, go to a beer garden to change the mood.

Enjoy Munich. We loved it and can't wait to return.

Dick

cheryl,

I visited Dachau this summer, and I think it's well worth a special trip, especially if you plan to spend some time in Munich (itself well worth a special trip). I found the former concentration camp thought-provoking and quite moving. The audio tour is very well done, and there is a rather comprehensive museum that provides the much-needed historical context.

Dachau offers a sobering and critically important reminder of Germany's not-to-distant past.

Visiting the concentration camp in Dachau is a very moving experience. Be sure to see the film they show before walking the grounds. From Munich, it's easy to reach by train then bus.

Woody

Yes, in my opinion, if you have the chance, go. Walking around, specially on a cold day, like I did, really brings it home. For me the saddest part was seeing the ovens. I think we all need a awake-up call every now and then.

Cheryl,
I don't know your itinerary, but if you're interested in holocaust history, I would also recommend Mauthausen (just off the highway from Salzburg to Vienna). Rick Steves and posts I had seen elsewhere highly recommended Mauthausen because so much of the original camp is still there, unchanged. I've not been to Dachau, but from what I've heard, most of the buildings are reproductions. Almost the entire Mauthausen camp is still there, the quarries where the unfortunate inmates toiled, and the long, long, long stairway that they had to ascend carrying rocks out of the quarry. The museum is top notch as well.

Good luck on your travels!

caf,

" but from what I've heard, most of the buildings are reproductions."

The barracks have been rebuilt, but the rest of the camp is as it was.

Curious

I definitely recommend you visit Dachau if you are in Munich and as others have noted, it is easy to reach by S-Bahn and then the connecting city bus that leaves from the station area. There are a couple of bus routes that leave from the station but getting on the right bus shouldn't be a problem. If you aren't sure simply ask as folks will more than likely understand your question.
The "main" building is still very much intact and I also found the experience moving..went last November after having first visited in 1970...definitely worth the time.

If time allows during your visit to Prague, you might want to visit Terezin Memorial. It was originally built by Emperor Josepf II at the end of the 18th century as an ingenious system of military fortresses. The Nazis converted it into a Jewish Ghetto and concentration camp. Terezin is about 60 km from Prague. It was kept beautifully landscaped and maintained on the surface, so that when the Red Cross and other agencies came to inspect it, it looked like a lovely place to live.

Most certainly go for a visit. Here is a link to some pictures I took. It might help you decide.

http://www.jimtardio.com/germany-dachau.html

And it is easy to get there from Munich using public transportation.

Thank you all for your input. Will definitely make Dachau a stop. Jim...
loved your website and as I have an interest in photography I enjoyed your
photographs. Thanks again.

I visited Dachau several years ago. The experience was so moving I literally got cold feet. My feet were so numb I could not feel them when viewing the creamation chambers.

They have a very good interperative museum as well.

One final thing. You have to see Dachau to understand the whole concept of the camps. Dachau was the original and the model for all of the other camps.

Although they never used their gas chambers, they were first developed there.

When you first enter the camp, pay special attention to the railroad tracks. You won't see this in the history books, but when the camp was liberated by US troops, there were something like 17 railroad cars (like cattle cars) on the tracks........

These very fully loaded cars that had been moving from camp to camp looking for space to put the inmates....all of the camps were full.......they ended up back in Dachau with all 17 rail cars.

When the US Army liberated the camp, everyone in the rail cars was dead....and had been for a while....piled on top of each other. The liberators went balistic.....lined up the remaining SS troops (20 or 30)against a brick wall and machined gun them. A few survived and were taken prisoner.

Needless to say, General Eisenhower blew a fuse when he heard what had happened. No more of that type of retaliation was allowed.

Yes, this is a must see. I now need to blow my nose.

Dick

I visited Dachau, and I guess I found it somewhat "sterilized". The barracks were rebuilt,everything was very clean. But, the displays were very informative, moving and thought-provoking. When combined with our other holocaust/war stops at Anne Frank House, and Napolean's tomb in Paris with an excellent holocaust display/museum, it was especially powerful. So, yes, go see it. If you are driving, it is easy to reach.

I absolutely recommend investigating the true meaning of the Holocost. Just you won't really find it at Dachau. Oh yes, I understand completely the chills and emotional experiences that even a camp that a work camp vs. a death camp can bring. Just imagine the impact of a place Poland or Ukraine that isn't high profile and written up in all of the history books yet 100,000 souls still haunt the place that only the old people in the town remember. If you still break down just thinking about it after 10 years, now that's the real impact. If Dachau and a museum is all you can manage given the time, then fine. Otherwise with some real research, that's when you can truely understand.

I visited Auschwitz in 1968 as a young woman, very interested in 20th century European history. On the same trip, I went to Soviet Leningrad, Moscow, and Warsaw (but not Prague because the Russian tanks had arrived!).

The most memorable day of that trip, which I remember clearly 35 years later, was the time spent at Auschwitz. It's just impossible to describe the impact of the place.

Yes, everything is "sterilized" (as one poster noted about Dachau). There are no armed guards, no smell of burning flesh, no visions of families separated by the selections or clouds of ash from the chimneys raining down. But, believe me, you'll never forget what you do see and learn and feel.

Yes, Dachau is very worthwhile. As suggested, try see the movie before you tour the grounds. It is shown in English several times a day. I'm sure one of the web sites can tell you the specific times.
Munich is a must!

Ashcanannie

We took a walking tour with Radius tours of Munich. You meet in Munich at the train station or Marienplatz, then take the bahn and bus to Dachau (guided by your leader, so it is an introduction to that system as well).

Excellent, as the leader is authorized by the Dachau site, and gives very thorough explanations of the history and the current site.

I would also recommend a visit. You may want to read "The Last Survivor-Legacies of Dachau" by Timothy Ryback before you go.