Willkommen in Deutschland

28th November 2014

I’ve been told that all good things come to an end and our time in Salzburg is apparently no exception. We checked out of our beautiful hotel and with very heavy hearts made our way to the train station. From here we caught the train to Munich which was not only cheap but highly scenic and actually on time. You’ve got to hand it to the Germans, they are punctual.

When we arrived in Munich we headed straight to our hotel, dropped off our bags and were back out the door and on our way to Dachau. Thanks to some forward planning Rory knew which trains and buses to get and so with very little effort on my part we arrived in Dachau, the first concentration camp opened by the Nazis in Germany.

In 1933, six full years before we went to war with Germany, Himmler opened Dachau to hold political prisoners. It was further expanded to include forced labour, the imprisonment of Jews, communists, professors, writers, Catholic priests, ordinary German and Austrian criminals and eventually foreign nationals. Dachau became the prototype for the concentration camps that followed but despite its “importance” I knew very little about it.

There were over 40,000 documented deaths at Dachau and it was the site of numerous medical experiments. I can tell you facts and figures, I can even try to explain what the people went through but I would never do them justice. Before going to Dachau I had heard all the cliche stories of grey skies and silent birds but I never really believed them. There’s no reason why a small geographical area would “feel” different to another but there was something very different about Dachau. The gates which read “arbeit macht frei” - “work will make you free”, had been stolen a few days before we arrived but when we passed through the gate house and saw the vastness of the camp, I felt the enormity of the place.

It was grey and desolate. There was a feeling of hopelessness about the place, even all these years later and it was cold. I can’t even begin to imagine how awful role call, in the rain, sleet and snow would have been for those poor, malnourished and overworked prisoners. We followed the audio tour for a few stops but soon decided to make our own way around, stopping to read the information on display and to really look at what we were seeing.

If you are ever in Munich I would strongly suggest a trip to Dachau. We know the stories and we’ve seen the Hollywood movies but there is something about going to these sorts of places - it’s important. To see what happened, to acknowledge how awful it was and to realise how lucky we are today is priceless. Yes, it was sad. Standing where thousands before me had come to die was hard to fully comprehend but I think it’s necessary

After a few hours we made our way back to Munich to explore the Christmas market. How different. The main market, in front of the very impressive town hall, was busy beyond belief. After our relatively quiet and quaint Salzburg markets, Munich was quite a shock. The stalls seemed to sprawl along the side streets and we were quite happy to spend the evening wandering from one to the other in an attempt to not only see the city but also avoid the crowds!

My first day in Germany was quite an eye opener. We travelled through beautiful countryside, explored a busy and thriving city centre and saw what can happen when we are at our very worst. After the Holocaust and to this day we say “never again” but a few years ago I visited Cambodia and saw the aftermath of another, more recent, genocide. When I wrote about my time in Cambodia I found it hard to comprehend the reality and finality of what happened there. I struggled with the scale, brutality and senselessness of the genocide and standing in Dachau I felt exactly the same. I finished that Blog post with these sentences; “nothing I write will ever do these places or these people justice but I am so glad I got out of my bed this morning and learnt something. Maybe if a few more people did that the world wouldn’t be in such a mess.” I still believe that and I really do hope that one day, when we say “never again”, it really will mean never again.