My wife and I were in Munich and took a train out to Dachau. It was an interesting tour. You see…read morethe crematorium and some rebuilt barracks and a lot of history of the first concentration camp. Our tour guide was very good and seemed to enjoy his job. The tour does not take you to some of the areas, but there are plenty of displays in those as well. The visitor center is also pretty nice and helpful service. Worth a half day trip while in Munich.

Dachau was one of the first concentration camps and was the longest running one spanning from early…read more1933 to 1945. I have been to other camps around Europe, but this one was larger than the others that I've seen. They all are similar in that it is very sobering and sad to walk amongst these sites where so many atrocities occurred. It's insane to visit a place like this and to realize there are people on this planet that believe this is fake and never happened. It's free to enter and is a short drive from Munich. There are many different buildings and outdoor areas to walk amongst, the main ones being the small museum, the barracks, and the worst of all which was the gas chamber. This place is absolutely packed with history and is a very important educational experience for everyone. It's important that these crimes aren't forgotten and hopefully prevented in the future. It's honestly a sad visit but I would definitely recommend that everyone should visit this site at least once. Understanding history is the best way to prevent it from occurring again so it's really important that these lessons aren't forgotten and that these victims are remembered.

It's fairly hard to imagine that an extremely wealthy and influential family decided to dedicate a…read morecluster of housing, meant to mimic a small city, to those living in poverty in early 16th century Europe. Well, the Fugger family did just that and its 'experiment' in social housing has lasted for almost five hundred years. Visitors are able to view a 'model dwelling' decorated as it would have been during the genesis of this project. In an adjacent room a film (auf Deutsch) about the Fugger family and how it came to create the Fuggerei runs on a loop. Pamphlets at the entrance are offered in a multiplicity of languages (including Chinese and Japanese), so non-German speakers are also able to gain a solid understanding of what's what. The on-site WW II bunker is quite worth a visit. One sees how the Fuggerei was severely damaged during the war and how quickly and determinedly those in charge decided to rebuild. While I very much enjoyed visiting the Fuggerei, I was constantly aware of walking around a complex in which people live. One is cautioned to be respectful and to not 'take pictures'. It's hard not to look at the facades of all the buildings when one walks by them. Well, it's hard for me, at least. Being a fan of architecture, I walked the streets of Augsburg en route to the Fuggerei pretty much doing the same thing. I happened to walk past a small boy kicking a soccer ball around, presumably, the front of his Fugger flat. He scowled at me when I passed him. That's when I decided it was time for me to go. There is information regarding who is eligible to live at the Fuggerei (adherents to the Catholic faith) and how much one pays (0,88 euro annually & three prayers daily, apparently). What I wasn't able to find out was how one is picked to live on premises. Not that I'd qualify...

This is a must-see for any visitor to Augsburg. I learned so much about Augsburger history, German…read morehistory, European history, social history...HISTORY. The story of the Fuggerei - a "social settlement" started during the late Middle Ages/early Renaissance by Jakob Fugger to help the poor and disenfranchised get their feet back under them and become self-sufficient citizens during a time where social Darwinism and caste-like class stratification were ravaging Europe - is one that will touch your heart and provide leagues of depth to your big picture understanding of life. It doesn't take long to come here, but the impact will stay with you for life. Added benefit: Almost everything that's written down is also translated into English.

Everything in this gorgeous place is perfect. This is the sort of town you want to live and die in…read more Absolutely picture perfect, utterly tranquil, and off the beaten path. A very neighborly atmosphere, for Germany, with fantastic places to hike and a beautiful old bridge crossing the low, wide river.