Teacher Fellowship in Central Europe: Dachau = Draining

I remember being in school and learning about the Holocaust. It was hard to grasp the idea of how something so terrible could really happen. Visiting Dachau was an unforgettable experience. It evoked so many different feelings and questions. Trying to imagine what life was like for prisoners of the camp can't even compare to what you see and feel once you are there. Although, I did feel a sense of pride knowing that the American troops set the camp free.

We watched a documentary when we first arrived. Some of the images in the documentary were so graphic, it made me sick. There was a museum on the property that housed a detailed timeline of events, with supplemental newspaper clippings and short videos. This building with the museum was the first place all of the prisoners visited upon arrival at the camp. This is where they went through the degrading registration process you have probably seen in films or movies. It was sad to think that in this very place all of the prisoners basically lost their freedom and for so many their lives.

We walked around the grounds and listened to our audio guides which explained about how the camp worked and gave personal accounts of what life, if you can even call it that, was like for a prisoner. I have put a few pictures here, but they can't capture the true emotions of the day.

When this building was in use as part of the camp,

there was writing on the roof in white paint that read -

There is a path to freedom. It's milestones are: Obedience, Honesty, Cleanliness, Sobriety, Hard Work , Discipline, Sacrifice, Truthfulness, Love of thy Fatherland.