Dachau Concentration Camp

The day is cold and wet...the train ride to the town of Dachau is quick...the walk from the train station to the consentration camp...very very long. I remember the stories of how those brought to this camp were forced by the Nazis to march double time from the train station to the camp...in whatever weather conditions.

Fortunately for myself Im able to take the bus. I would call myself knowledgable in world war two history, one for having a great Aunt who knows a heck of a lot on the history, and secondly cus I´ve enjoyed reading about it. Therefore I thought I knew what to expect. But driving up to the camp and looking at the walls surrounding the grounds and imagining those who came up to the gate before me...it´s pretty surreal.

Walking through the iron gate that reads Arbeit Macht Frei and standing on the huge open concorse where rollcall was taken everyday and in all weather...its unreal to think that this was a place where thousands were held prisoner and thousands more died.

As I mentioned before...I THOUGHT I knew alot about world war two history, but I was blown away with some of the facts explained to me during my visit. Most are just sick and grotesque and I can see why schools wouldn´t cover it, but still it´s just mind blowing to think about the catastrophies that went on at this camp and at the hundred others.

Normally im not overly bothered by the stories of the concentration camp, but being bombarded with account after account, and maybe with the fact that I was actually there it was a little tougher.

The thing that hit me the hardest was walking into the crematorium/gas chamber. I stood in a place where hundred apon hundreds were brought through and murdered. I couldn´t stand more than 30 seconds in the gas chamber, and looking into the ovens where they ACTUALY burned people...I can´t describe it.

It was a mixed feeling of disgust, confusion, anger, sorrow and thousands of others I can´t really put a name on. Walking out of the crematorium and back towards the entrance and barracks...I felt like a living zombie...like my soul had been grabbed by the throat and savagely shaken. I guess when people talk about culture shock this is what it feels like. Basically I spent over 3 hours just wondering the grounds, reading placks and soaking in the feeling of the place.

It´s unimaginable that something of this magnitude could have been done by the human race...I wonder how it´ll feel when I go to the largest death camp during world war two.