Written by Katie and Jordan
Visiting Dachau was the most difficult experience on this trip. We had talked about it in class and watched the video of a tour, but nothing could truly prepare us for the emotions we felt.
Entering the camp through the gate, it was eerie to think that so many thousands of people walked through the same gate and never walked out. There were so many things that were so hard for us to handle, thinking about the many people that stood there before us and suffered through... We learned so much more about the daily lives of the people in the camps, which gave us a more thorough understanding of how hard it was on the bodies and the spirits of those who were brought there. Men would have to stand in the roll call square for hours, sometimes over night, until every single prisoner was accounted for. Sometimes this meant dragging dead bodies to the square to be counted. We learned that while the 38 bunks that housed the prisoners were made to have up to 50 men in each room at a time, the bunks were always overcrowded, often having more than 200 men per room. This made living conditions worse, as they were immediately made weak by diseases that ran rampant through the unsanitary bunks. It was saddening to read the quotes that were on the plaques on the walls, from survivors talking about the terrible conditions, but it made the experience more personal.
Our guide also showed us photos that were taken of Dachau and shown to the public. It was interesting to note that all of these pictures were forms of propaganda; only Nazis were allowed to photograph the camps, so of course they only show the strongest men, occasionally smiling, to show that Dachau "wasn't that bad". It reminded us of our tour of Berlin, when our guide really explained to us how thorough and widespread the propaganda extended. The Nazis used every single part of the empire they tried to create, including these disgusting concentration camps, as ammunition for their mission.
One thing that wasn't brought up in any of the research done by us or ou
Visiting Dachau was the most difficult experience on this trip. We had talked about it in class and watched the video of a tour, but nothing could truly prepare us for the emotions we felt.
Entering the camp through the gate, it was eerie to think that so many thousands of people walked through the same gate and never walked out. There were so many things that were so hard for us to handle, thinking about the many people that stood there before us and suffered through... We learned so much more about the daily lives of the people in the camps, which gave us a more thorough understanding of how hard it was on the bodies and the spirits of those who were brought there. Men would have to stand in the roll call square for hours, sometimes over night, until every single prisoner was accounted for. Sometimes this meant dragging dead bodies to the square to be counted. We learned that while the 38 bunks that housed the prisoners were made to have up to 50 men in each room at a time, the bunks were always overcrowded, often having more than 200 men per room. This made living conditions worse, as they were immediately made weak by diseases that ran rampant through the unsanitary bunks. It was saddening to read the quotes that were on the plaques on the walls, from survivors talking about the terrible conditions, but it made the experience more personal.
Our guide also showed us photos that were taken of Dachau and shown to the public. It was interesting to note that all of these pictures were forms of propaganda; only Nazis were allowed to photograph the camps, so of course they only show the strongest men, occasionally smiling, to show that Dachau "wasn't that bad". It reminded us of our tour of Berlin, when our guide really explained to us how thorough and widespread the propaganda extended. The Nazis used every single part of the empire they tried to create, including these disgusting concentration camps, as ammunition for their mission.
One thing that wasn't brought up in any of the research done by us or ou