Dachau

 

For over a week I've been contemplating what I experienced at Dachau, the first concentration camp here in Germany. It's just really hard to put into words how emotional the whole experience was. Here's some historical background on the place:

1. It was the first concentration camp; all the other concentration camps/death camps were designed from this one.

2. The camp started in 1933 as a "work camp." The Nazi's believed that hard work would rehabilitate Jews, Christians, homosexuals, and really anyone who didn't subscribe to their way of thinking.

3. The camp was designed to house 6,000 prisoners, but in the end, it held over 32,000!!

 

4. Every morning and evening, the prisoners were forced to do a "roll call" where they literally had to stand at attention and not move until all the prisoners were accounted for.

5. There were three barracks that were used for medical experimentation. Humans were used as guinea pigs to try new medications, new surgeries, etc.

6. There was an electrical fence around the perimeter of the camp, and many prisoners would purposely run into it to end their lives.

7. American soldiers freed the camp on April 29, 1945, and they turned the camp into a prison for the Nazis.

 

So this is my experience:

We walked into the camp, and our audio guide had us walk the path that the prisoners would have walked at their arrival to the camp. We could still see remnants of the road that was taken into the camp and the railroad tracks that brought the prisoners from all over Europe. As we walked through the front gate, we could read the iron door...Arbeit Macht Frei, which means Work Sets One Free. It was the motto of this "work camp." We then walked out onto the huge courtyard, where the prisoners were forced to stand at attention for hours until all the prisoners were accounted for. We could imagine the electrical fence running along the perimeter that was an escape for so many of the prisoners. And there were watch towers all over with snipers ready to kill anyone not doing their work. Here, I could imagine men of pride and valor being reduced to garbage as their bodies gave out from lack of food and the strenuous work conditions. These were men who stood up to the regime and paid with their lives.

We then viewed a few of the memorials at the camp. The first stated: "May the example of those who were exterminated here between 1933-1945 because they resisted Nazism help to unite the living for the defense of peace and freedom an in respect for their fellow men".

 

Another memorial was actually constructed by a freed prisoner from this camp. It showed men who were starved tangled in a web of barbed wire. I can't even imagine having the ability to construct that after such a horrific experience.

 

Another memorial was a symbol of the different nationalities, religious groups, and countries who had prisoners in this camp. The memorial contained triangles of various colors depicting these groups. (When prisoners were brought to the camp, they were stripped of their clothes and their name and given only a uniform with a triangle patched that contained their i.d. number. Thus, the significance of the triangles in the memorial).

 

Next, we saw the memorial of the Unknown Soldier. It contained an inscription that said, "Never Again".

 

Next, we walked through one of the two barracks. They had been restored, because they were originally torn down. The bunks that men, probably 6 feet tall or more, had to sleep in were incredibly small. And I am sure that some men had to sleep on the floor, simply because there was just no room. Cleanliness was something that was highly regarded by the Nazis, so imagine 32,000 men in tiny barracks but with not a speck of dirt or dust on the floors.

Finally, we made our way to the crematoriums. Originally there was only one, but the death toll had become so high that they had to build another. When I say "they," I mean the prisoners had to build another one. The soldiers did none of the work in the camp. So with this second crematorium, there was also built a gas chamber where, in 15-20 minutes, 150 prisoners could have been exterminated at a time using prussic acid poison gas. This gas chamber was never used, however, there were other means of extreme torture used in killing the prisoners. At times, the soldiers would bring live prisoners to the crematorium and hang them in front of the burning ovens.

 

 

By the end of our journey through the camp, we were mostly speechless and stunned. It's easy to think, "Well, this happened in an uncivilized time, and people are smarter now. It will never happen again." But that is simply not true. This happened only about 60 years ago. The Germans were not uncivilized at all. WWI had imposed some really harsh things on the Germans, and Hitler came promising great things. It was easy for a people so discouraged to believe. Hitler had become their ray of hope, and frankly many of the Germans didn't know exactly what was happening. Everything that the Third Reich did was very secretive. I believe that we came out of this experience knowing that it could happen again, and that we must be mindful of who/what we believe. Just because someone makes great claims and promises doesn't mean that it will happen. And as long as our "ray of hope" is not in man but in Christ alone, we can make it through anything. The Bible speaks of men who will come and, with great speeches and great manipulation, will talk people out of their faiths. Hitler was one, but I believe that there will be a time when we are all tested. And I believe that God has His hands on us, and will give us grace to stand in that day.

I would really appreciate any comments on this post. I'd like to know what you think regarding this time, and perhaps the time that will come.

Thanks,
Beth