On the afternoon of our first full day in Bavaria, we headed out to Dachau, which is not only the first
concentration camp, but also
a city that has existed for hundreds and hundreds of years.
Just like it is depicted in movies, the camp is surrounded by trees and rich foliage, making it completely hidden to people passing by. I can see how it would be easy for people to go on with their daily lives in spite of what was happening in Dachau in the 1930s and 1940s, either because they had no clue, or because it was so well-hidden that they didn't need to think about it: out of sight, out of mind.
At the camp, we watched a 20 minute movie on the history of the camp, and then set off to explore. I felt it was important to see the various buildings and walk the same ground that the prisoners had walked, and it was an ominous and incredibly sad feeling. So much so, that after about 15 minutes of it, I decided I had seen enough. It's sickening really, what happened during the war, and I've seen enough movies and read enough history to know how awful it got, and I didn't really feel like delving too deep into that kind of emotional space, so after walking the barracks and seeing the main buildings, I decided to leave the camp and go wait on the outskirts.
Visiting Dachau (or any other concentration camp) is something I'd highly recommend to any and everyone, as an awful yet essential reminder of exactly what humans are capable of doing.
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