Visiting the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site was an incredibly sobering experience and…read moresomething I am very glad we took the time to do while in the Munich area. There is a tremendous amount to see and read throughout the memorial. The museum does a very thorough job walking you through the history of Dachau, from its opening in 1933 through the years of the concentration camp and its liberation. There are photographs, documents, personal stories and exhibits that really put into perspective what happened here. Being able to walk through the grounds makes the history feel much more real than simply reading about it. Seeing the reconstructed barracks, the rows of bunks, the prisoner toilets, the foundations where the other barracks once stood, the fencing and guard towers was extremely difficult but important to see in person. The grounds are much larger than I expected, and I would recommend giving yourself plenty of time. There is a lot of walking and a lot of information to take in. We spent several hours here and still could have spent longer reading everything. It feels strange to say you "enjoyed" visiting somewhere with such a horrific history, but I am very grateful we visited. It is educational, emotional and incredibly thought-provoking. Seeing a place like this in person is something that stays with you and reinforces how important it is that this history continues to be preserved and remembered.

Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site [Bavaria, Germany]…read more The Memorial is open to visitors daily from 9 am to 5 pm and entrance to the Memorial is free. You can rent a headset for a few euros. We spent about 3 hours doing a self-guided tour exploring the grounds and looking at the various exhibitions. Guided tours are available. We were able to see remnants of the foundations of the main SS guardhouse where the arriving prisoners first entered the concentration camp, the vast open space of the roll call area located between the maintenance building and the barracks complex and all the way to the former crematorium area, the main place of remembrance in the Memorial Site. "Between 1933 and 1945, around 41,500 persons died of hunger, exhaustion, and disease, the direct result of being tortured, or were brutally murdered in the Dachau concentration camp and its subcamps." Visiting Dachau was the most poignant experience in my entire trip to Germany. I didn't leave the place with dry eyes. The grounds is huge so wear comfortable shoes and dress in layers. Review #4082