Sunday on the way home from Munich we went to Dachau. It was the first of 1600 concentration camps built from 1933-1945. This is the only gate into the complex. The sign above the gate says "Work will set you free". How ironic since no one was every set free, they just died. The prisoners represented many different people. People who opposed the government were sent here, Jews, Gypsies, Russians, and prisoners of war. I think it was 16 different countries were represented among the population.
The prison barracks in 1933 housed 40 prisoners. Each had a wooden bunk about 3x7 feet and a small shelf above the bed. The increasing population forced the same barrack to house 400 people by 1943. The beds were now smaller and 3 people had to share a bed. The average weight was 80 lbs. Dachau was only for men, the women were sent somewhere else.

This is a picture of the security system. The electric fence is about 10 feet tall. There was enough voltage in the fence to kill anyone who touched it. The ditch is about 1 meter deep and 2 meter wide. There was no water in it, just another barrier. The 8 meters of grass in front of the ditch was actually a deadly area. The guards in the seven towers surrounding the camp were given orders to kill anyone who stepped onto the grass. They were armed with machine guns. If a guard did not like you, they might grab your cap, throw it on the grass and then order you to get it. You had only 20 seconds to respond to any order given or you were shot immediately. So either way, you were killed.

The entire camp is very somber (as it should be), but when we got to the creamatorium the sadness hangs in the air. The prisoners themselves had to do the work here. The ovens were operated 24 hours a day and could not keep up with the dead bodies. Just before this room is the gas chamber where 150 people at one time were executed. A total of over 200,000 people died at Dachau during those 12 years. It is now a memorial to those who died.

Today I went with two new friends, Gudula and Agnes to the palace near Fulda. It is actually the summer residence of the prince and was built in the 17th cnetury. This first picture is one of several gazebos throughout the grounds. It is enclosed with doors on 2 sides. Groups still reserve this for events or luncheons. The grassy area in front is huge and will accomadate big groups.

The palace is now used as a museum of furniture, artwork, and ceramics dating back as far as 1200BC. It is quite amazing. This is just the front of the building. Through the main entrance is another huge courtyard, another gate and then the horse stables. The tour we took was in German, but they gave me a printed explanation of the rooms and antiques so I wasn't completely lost. No pictures were allowed inside the building and if you touched something, an alarm would sound. You were responsible for the cost of the police coming if the alarm went off. Needless to say, everyone kept their hands off!