Mathausen or Dachau Concentration Camps?
 

We are visting Austria and Germany in June/July. Both our daughters (aged 13 and 15) are very keen on history. I would like to take them to either Dachau or Mathausen to give them a better idea of the war, but feel it will be too much to take them to both. I visited Dachau about 25 years agao and was very moved by the experience. Now I have read up about Mathausen and find we are travelling very close to it, and was wondering if one is "better" to visit than another? Any comments from anyone who has been to both?

I would say that whichever one is closest to the rest of your itinerary would suffice. You might want to google Mauthausen and Dachau, which might give you a sense of the difference between the two.

http://fcit.usf.edu/HOLOCAUST/resource/VR.htm.

I haven't been to Mathausen so I can't compare them directly; however Dachau has a new exhibition in the administration building (I believe it was completed in the last few years) that is incredibly comprehensive, explaining in vivid detail through narrative, photos, artifacts, and movies how the Nazi party came to power and the worsening conditions at Dachau as it evolved from a work camp for political prisoners to a WWII concentration camp. One of the most moving videos was taken by an American soldier the day they liberated the camp. Even someone who knows a lot about WWII history will learn a lot. The camp is quite large and you see everything - administration buildings, the solitary confinement unit, a rebuilt prison barracks, and the "experimental" gas chamber. If you were only going to go to one, I think Dachau would be the best choice.

It is a bit overwhelming because there is so much information. We stopped there on the way home from Munich to Stuttgart intending to stay a couple of hours; we were there for five. It was a truly moving experience and I think your daughters are at the right age to experience it.

If you are going to be in Munich, it is less than half-hour drive.

Hi P,

I agree with Michael.

Will you be going to Prague?
I think that Terezin and the Jewish Museum are a more gripping and instructive visit.

((I))

Even though many of the Dachau original buildings were destroyed, one of the most chilling aspects is, I think, the number of enlarged photos, some of which you suddenly realize were taken in the very room you are standing in!

Yes, it is terrifying but hopefully it will instill information which will last a lifetime.

ira, you have been to many places. hausfrau, you have to be jewish or married to one!

What you also "learn" at Dachau is that not all the prisoners were set free upon the camp's liberation.

We debated between these two when I was in Germany and Austria with some friends in 2005. Ultimately we chose Mauthausen (although note that you need a car to get there) because we suspected it might be less crowded and were very glad we did. I'm sure Dachau is both a fascinating and sobering experience, but Mauthausen had very few visitors, which allowed us the time to wander around with our individual headsets and really absorb the history of the place. It was a very moving and sometimes difficult experience for all of us...

One thing that I found to be especially thought provoking about Dachau is how close it is to the town.

Like you, our teenage son was extremely interested in history. We took him to both. While I feel very fortunate to have done both, if your schedule only allows for one visit and Mauthasen is convenient, I'd choose it. I found it to be a quiet, peaceful, informative memorial with a cemetary & view which will provide added time for reflection as well as the guide for historical background. Interestingly, I found the Austrian "spin" to be a contrast to the German "spin". Hope thi helps and I know you will enjoy traveling with your daughters...

Nope, not Jewish nor am I married to one. Living in Germany has certainly given me a greater appreciation for the effects of the World Wars on ALL parties.

Like I said, I can't compare Dachau to Mathausen, but I actually found the exhibition to be very neutral, for lack of a better word. The circumstances under which the Nazi party came into power are explained extremely well - far better than what one can find in an American history textbook. And they are very honest about the fact that the town of Dachau (which literally surrounds the camp) at first tried to "bury" the camp and forget about it, up until a group of former prisoners started a campaign to turn the camp into a memorial. It is very strange to see a town living with that legacy.

I do agree that it is difficult to fully appreciate Dachau with a million other people roaming around. In fact that was my only complaint about our visit (which happened to be on a Sunday in mid-July, so I did expect crowds).

Dukey, are you referring to the fact that the camp did not close down immediately? My understanding was that they simply had no idea what to do with all of the survivors. I think it was a pretty horrible situation all around, and at all the other concentration camps as well. If you mean that prisoners remained prisoners after the war, I did not get that impression, but I was pretty exhausted by that point!

Touched. Or some jewish blood.

A quick history lesson

http://history1900s.about.com/librar...lcampsdach.htm

rhapsody, what is the point you are trying to make in referencing a poster's potential jewish blood?

Haven't been to Dachau, but from what I've read, it doesn't seem as much is left there as there is at Mathausen. Mathausen was something I remember so clearly-- try to make time to see it. Very sobering.

We'll be visiting Dachau later this year, so I will be able to compare the two.

That I am jewish and interested in my heritage. Nothing else, sorry.

Thanks for the feedback. Ira we are in fact going to be in Prague for a couple of days and Terezin was another place we are planning to see.
Thanks Rhapsody for the link - very interesting.
Both Dachau and Mathausen will be very close to where we are travelling, but it will be peak season and thus busy, so I'll have to give it some careful thought.

Hi P,

Our experience visiting the Pinkas Synagogue in Prague:

A group of young persons in front of us were there because they had had to promise their parents that they would go.

They were joking about getting postcards and taking pictures.

At the end of the tour they were crying (as I am doing now).

I do not think that the experience will be traumatic for your kids, but it will certainly be educational.

I also think that Terezin might be a better choice than Dachau or Mauthausen.

((I))

((I))

Hi Rhapsody,

>ira, you have been to many places. hausfrau, you have to be jewish or married to one! <

Oy, have you got the wrong number. :)

((I))

No, Hausfrau...I am actually referring to the fact that certain groups, gays among them, were not set free since the Allies at the time decided to respect the prevailing laws which apparently made homosexual acts a crime.