(Part 3) Germany's Bavarian South: Dachau, the First Nazi Concentration Camp

- December 22, 2018, Saturday.

- The atrocities of the Nazis during World War II cannot be erased from history, as well as the memories of those who directly experienced and escaped from the Nazis inhumane cruelties. Fortunately, Germany has recognized the errors of the Nazis, and has formally apologized to the world after World War II. Today, Germany is still doing its part in not only educating its own people about what the Nazis did during World War II, but German authorities have also preserved many historic sites related to the Nazis in order to constantly remind people of what humankind is capable of doing - not the good kind, of course. One of the Nazi-related sites that serves as a memorial park today is the Dachau concentration camp, which is the first concentration camp built by the Nazis in 1933.

- Going to Dachau from downtown Munich is quite convenient. You may take an S-Bahn metro to Dachau S-Bahn metro station, just make sure that you have a Zone ABC ticket since Dachau is already in Zone C, where Zone A refers to the central/downtown area of Munich. Afterwards, ride Bus 726 from the bus station right outside the train station; the bus stops directly in front of the concentration camp. The bus ride takes around 10 minutes or less. Entrance to the memorial park is free, and there is a visitor's center where people can rent audio guides or get park maps.

Dachau Concentration Camp.

Former factory where the prisoners worked.

Former guard house.

Entrance to the barracks and pirsons.

- The moment I arrived at the concentration camp, I already felt weird. I guess the cold wind, gray skies, and my knowledge of the place contributed to how I felt. I could just imagine how many people were sent to Dachau, or its bigger cousin in Auschwitz in Poland, and the things done to them there. One of the park's main icons is its steel door with the words "Arbeit Mach Frei," which means "works sets you free." This was used as a Nazi slogan. The Nazis, by the way, are part of or in some way serve and support the Nazi political party that believes in and practices an extreme form of socialism. These concentration camps were built in order to not only keep prisoners who defied the Nazis in some ways, but eventually, these camps were also turned into laboratories where scientists would experiment on "racially imperfect" or "racially undesirable" people like the Jews or disabled people. Speaking of the Nazis, the Nazis' most notable and infamous leader, of course, is none other than Adolf Hitler. Hitler's pose (raising/extending the right hand outward and just above the head,) is now illegal in Germany, and those who do this in public can be arrested and jailed by the police.

Entrance.

Gate.

Roll call square and barracks. The roll call square is an open space where prisoners were supposed to line up every morning and evening for a head count, and at times, where some punishments were done.

Maintenance Building. The exhibitions are inside this building.

- Today, the halls of the camp have been turned into museum halls. Apart from showing the different types or torture, punishments, or experiments done to the prisoners, I appreciated how the prisoners were also presented as humans. Some of their things were exhibited, and backstories of chosen prisoners were also told such as their lives with their families, lovers, and friends. Their lives inside the prison, apart from working or being tortured (or killed), were also shown, such as songs that they would sing, or how despite their condition in the camp, some prisoners still tried to find time to "rest" or have casual moments with other prisoners.

"Our last hope: Hitler."

This "no smoking" is original.

Museum.

A punishment stool.

The original gate.

- Outside the main buildings, there are some memorials and guardhouses, but the most important one, hidden at one corner of the concentration camp was the crematorium. Unfortunately, the crematorium was closed when I went there. Inside the crematorium, one would see the gas chambers and ovens where mass killings were done. I might not have seen the interior of the crematorium, but I had some idea of what things looked like thanks to my visit to the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. a couple of years ago (click here to see.)

Guardhouse.

That wire thing in the middle is an artwork called the International Memorial made in 2007.

Pathway.

See the deep trough? That was placed there to prevent prisoners from escaping. However, some prisoners who have "had it" pretend to escape so the guards would kill them, ending the prisoners' misery.

The crematorium; it was closed off for some reason so I wasn't able to go inside. It is usually open to visitors.

Russian Church.

- I had a quick lunch at the cafeteria beside the visitor's center and rode the train back to Munich Hauptbahnhof, and walked to the southern side of the old town to visit the Munich City Museum to take my mind off how I felt while walking through the Dachau Concentration Camp. At first the museum seemed OK, with many galleries telling the story of old Munich. Later on, I found my way to the puppets and marionettes gallery, which was eerily quiet and a bit dark. I swear I had the fright of my life going through that gallery. I was the only person there, and some of those things would even move just as I went pass by them! I am normally not afraid of puppets, but it was probably how they were exhibited. I remembered an episode of "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" that was set in an amusement park's horror house. I left the museum both horrified and amused (and despite this the museum is very much a must-see!!)

The museum has been open since the late 1800s. It used to be the royal armory and stable.

Model of the Frauenkirche (for reference, check Part1 here).

Armore.

A Nazi sash from World War 2.

How marionettes are made.

Dioramas.

Two of the scariest pieces in the puppets gallery.

Carnival-related things.

I like the fact that this was based on a cephalopod, but it still is creepy.

Oktoberfest

Nazi uniform.

Tools used to do experiments on people.

- To take my mind off the creepy marionettes, I went to Asam Church (Asamkirche) along Sendlinger Street, which is just behind the Munich City Museum. This 18th-century Baroque church is tucked into the middle of the busy street. It is not easy to recognize this church since it looks like most of the old buildings around it, and it also does not appear Baroque at first because it looks "squished" unlike most Baroque churches that are wide and gigantic. It is, however, similar to Baroque-era churches in its ornate appearance.

If you think it looks nice from the outside....

....wait 'til you see the inside!!

Life and death.

- Finally, I decided to have a second try at taking my mind off my visit to Dachau in the morning by visiting the Toy Museum or Spielzeugmuseum inside the old town hall (Altes Rathaus) in Marienplatz (click here to see the facade of the old town hall.) Compared to the scary marionettes in the city museum, I think they toy displays in this museum made be feel better. It was very interesting to see what kids even way back in the 1800s liked to play. What impressed me the most were the highly detailed train sets, ships, and doll houses (some dolls, however, were too realistic and looked a bit creepy like the marionettes in the city museum.)

Marienplatz from the old town hall.

Wow!! A collection of old Barbie dolls!!

Whoever owned this in the early 1900s was probably he coolest kid around.

Creepy dolls.

A detailed dollhouse.

One of my favorite parts of the museum.

Micky Mouse lookalikes.

- That night I also decided to eat at the German restaurant called Münchner Stubn. I had a veal steak, and a drink called Spezi. Spezi is a mix of a cola drink and orange soda, and it actually tasted good.

Veal goulash.

- Since I was able to visit one of the places that reminds everyone of one of Germany's darkest pasts, I was able to breathe deeply, shrug off whatever uneasy feeling I had from my visit to Dachau. and looked forward to visiting some of Munich's royal wonders - the Nymphenburg Palace and the Residenz Museum!

- Please don't forget to read about my other adventures in Germany, Austria, and Slovakia here:

GERMANY:

Berlin and Potsdam: Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here

Munich and Schwangau:  Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 4 here

AUSTRIA:

Salzburg: Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here

Vienna: Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here

SLOVAKIA:

Bratislava: Click here

(Part 1) Germany's Bavarian South: Medieval, Modern, Munich!!

- December 20, 2018, Thursday.

- If you think of Germany and the words "lederhosen" (leather pants, sometimes with attached leather suspenders) or "Oktoberfest" (beer festival) pop up in your mind, then I won't blame you. However, I was told by German friends that both these words do not represent the whole of Germany. Instead, these two come from a rather traditional state of the German south called Bavaria, and its capital is the city that boasts both medieval German culture and modernity - Munich!

- From the German capital of Berlin, I took a flight to Munich with one of Europe's popular low-cost airlines, EasyJet. I was surprised to know that in certain cases, booking a flight is cheaper than booking a train. It was especially convenient for me since a train ride between Berlin to Munich could last up to 6 hours, or if by high-speed rail, 4 hours. By plane, however, it would only take an hour or an hour and a half. Munich's airport, by the way, is quite huge, and surprisingly, there are many big airlines that prefer traveling to Munich, but not Berlin.

- Once I arrived in Munich, I rode the subway from the airport directly to Munich Hauptbahnhof (Munich Central Train Station), where my hostel was closely located. Just like in Berlin, I stayed in the Munich branch of Wombat's Hostel; this one is located around a 3-minute walk from the main station! I also came to love the area when I realized that most of the must-sees in downtown Munich are located within a 10-15 minute walking distance from the Munich Hauptbahnhof area. Apart from the Munich Hauptbahnhof, there are also plenty of other U/S-Bahn metro stations located in the area, as well as tram stops. Speaking of transportation, tourists can get day passes or multiple-day passes for all forms of transportation from machines in the subway stations. I bought a ticket that goes to Zones ABC since I had plans to go outside downtown Munich on another day.   

- After checking in and having lunch, I walked to Karlsplatz, an small city square named after Bavarian Elector Charles Theodore. The square is mostly known for its fairy-tale-like gate called the Karlstor ("Karl's Door") that leads to the  Neuhauser Street that eventually becomes Kaufinger Street. This street is one of the oldest and busiest streets of Munich; it has been known as a shopping street since 1200s, and today has many retail stores, touristy shops, cafes, and restaurants.

- The city center, also known as the old town, has a number of historical churches too. The first church that one can see from Karlsplatz is the 16h-century Jesuit St. Michael's Church, the towering 15th-century Frauenkirche (Cathedral of Our Dear Lady) which is perhaps the main church of Munich, and to the north of the old town, the 17th-century Baroque Theatinerkirche (Theatine Church of St. Cajetan.) To the south of the main square, there is the smaller and rather plain-looking St. Peter's Church, but don't let its facade deceive you - it's the oldest church in the area, being built in the 12th century! (Karlsplatz has its own U-Bahn metro station.)

St. Michael's Church.

Interior.

The Frauenkirche was being renovated, and it was difficult to take a photo of it since it was so tall and there was little space to work with, so I couldn't keep going backward.

Visitors may also opt to go to the tower to see thew of Munich and the Bavarian Alps far away.

St. Peter's Church.

The streets were full of musicians.

At Odeonsplatz, the square outside the....

....Theatinerkirche.

As a Baroque church, it is quite wise and ornate as opposed to the narrow but equally-ornate Gothic churches.

- The main square in Munich's old town is called Marienplatz, and has been the main square since the mid-12th century. The square has the 19th-century Gothic-style New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus) which is known for its glockenspiel, and the more colorful 14th-century Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus). I liked how the Old Town Hall more because its toy-like appearance and playful colors looked like something you'd find in an amusement park. 

The New Town Hall.

The glockenspiel that still works!!

The Old Town Hall that is now a toy museum.

Marienplatz. Also, the Bavarian traditional coat I have here is was also bought from Humana, a second-hand clothing store, when I was in Berlin.

- I also took the time to walk northward to visit the Munich Residenz, but unfortunately I did not have time to go inside, so I decided to save it for another day. Instead, I had a stroll through the Marienplatz Christmas market, and the Viktualienmarkt Christmas Market a bit south of Marienplatz. I was not able to buy anything since most of the things sold there were similar to all the Christmas markets that I have encountered during my trip. There will be times when the crowd can get overwhelming, so always take care of your belongings, even if Germany is generally a safe country.

Christmas market.

Went to buy souvenirs, the people there were wearing traditional clothes - just like me!!

This was around....5pm? Sunsets during winter are quite early.

- That evening I had the opportunity to eat at a restaurant called Taklamakan. It is an Uyghur restaurant which was just a 15-second walk from my hostel. The Uyghur people come from China's Xinjiang province, and China's gateway to Central Asia; the name "Taklamakan" comes from the historical Taklamakan Desert in Xinkiang. These people are Turkic people, so although Xinjiang is part of China today (but wasn't always,) the physical features of the people are Eurasian, their religion usually Islam, and their culture has Persian influences. Needless to say, their dishes are unique since their region of origin has always been at the crossroads of cultural exchange between the east and the west.

Near Munich Hauptbahnhof!!

- The staff of Taklamakan know German or Chinese apart from their native Uyghur language, and they also speak some English. While I know that due to some political tensions some Uyghur do not prefer being spoken to in Mandarin, especially hose who are not residing in China, those who work in Taklamakan asked me if I knew how to speak Chinese because they told me that they'd understand me more that way. The restaurant serves really good food by the way, and it was a good breather from European food. (Note: I am not saying that European food is not food, but as an Asian, Asian food is something my body needs every so often.)

It's a no-fuss restaurant that serves good Uyghur food.

A painting of an Uyghur lady.

Probably an Uyghur public square.

My halal Uyghur noodles!!

- After my early dinner I had a good rest at my hostel since I needed all the energy I could get for my trip the next day to one of the most magical and picturesque places in Germany - the municipality of Schwangau with its Disney-like Neuschwanstein Castle!!

- Please don't forget to read about my other adventures in Germany, Austria, and Slovakia here:

GERMANY:

Berlin and Potsdam: Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here

Munich and Schwangau: Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here

AUSTRIA:

Salzburg:  Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here

Vienna: Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here

SLOVAKIA:

Bratislava: Click here