In the punishment room of Dachau.
Our guide explains the defiant stance of "The Unknown Prisoner of Dachau".
Entering the camp.
One of the perplexing images from the documentation centre. 
Guard tower at Dachau.
Barracks at Dachau.
Today was draining. We visited the Nazi Documentation Centre in Nurnberg, on the site of the former Nazi Party Rally Grounds. If you've seen any of the propaganda films of Hitler addressing huge crowds of Nazi party faithful, they were probably filmed here. The museum is housed in the unfinished Nazi Congress Hall, and it is an overwhelmingly detailed study of the rise of National Socialism in Germany and the results for the people of Europe. After this we went south to Dachau, a small town outside of Munich that was the site of the first Nazi concentration camp, opened in 1933 to house political prisoners (anyone who was opposed to Hitler's ideals). We toured the camp's original buildings and the reconstructed barracks, learning about the Nazi system of classification of “undesirables” and the inhuman treatment of these people in Dachau and other camps. The guide noted that our students seemed very mature and was surprised when I told her their ages. After a long day of tragic history, the group had a chance to wind down and have some fun at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich – the giant beer hall with very Bavarian entertainment and food. We met up with my wife Lisamarie in Munich, and said goodbye to Mrs. Redekop who was off to the Munich airport at 3:30 AM so she can get back to work on Monday.
I LOVE the black and white photos, very appropriate!
ReplyDeleteActually, Neil did not say that! Neil is there. Christine said that!
ReplyDeleteThe Hofbrauhaus was the favorite stop for most of the boys in 2008 - how many different ways can you cook pork? Followed by bell-ringers, dancers and the infamous chicken dance! We were very surprised to pass Mrs. Redekop on the road today - she made it home safely!
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