A coupla weeks ago we went to München (Munich), HauptStadt Bayern (Capital of Bavaria), our main excuse being to celebrate (Uncle) Matthias’ 40th Geburtstag (no translation required, one hopes).

We spent a couple of days with Lee & Abi (& Ariella & Harrison) in Berg at the start of the week, then (much to the kids’ disgust) headed into the city to meet up with UM & Aunty Lorna. The weather was excellent and we saw Loads of Stuff (viel Stoff).

Arriving late on Tuesday, we started with going to a surprisingly lovely hotel on the edge of Augsburg (surprising as it was a bargain, not because it’s in Augsburg!). The next morning we took the short 20 minute journey to Dachau, which is surprisingly near Munich. Apparently it was one of the first camps established during the Nazi regime and so housed more dissidents than jews. We didn’t see as much of it as we might have done, as Joel decided he was starving as soon as we got there – right after Lily threw up in the car park on arrival, in fact…

On the way into the main camp it’s hard to get your bearings. There are several maps which all assume you know where the main complex is in relation to where you are. We followed the crowds and the way we were largely being herded (oh dear) and emerged from the gate above into the main parade ground of the camp.

Reader, you know what went on here. Lily & Joel are largely innocent of this: we explained the facts but they’re only young, they don’t really get it.

So, at the station where the poor unfortunates arrived, Lily & Joel played a “make each other jump” game…

where one hid in the gap you see to the left, and the other crept up at them from above.

Steve took this pic of the smaller crematorium, which is next to the larger one they built later. With integral gas chamber. The children didn’t see this: I went in by myself and it was quite unsettling. Even with teenagers on a school trip being teenagers around me…

Seeing this (malaria research station) briefly reminded me of work, although when I mentioned this to my colleague Ian he seemed to get quite offended ~ “yes, it’s only a brief step from what we do to Mengele” or something along those lines. What??!? It’s not like we’re the doctors…

There are many memorials here, indeed the location is signposted as “memorial town”.

As I said – the people brought here comprised a larger number of non-jews than other camps (possibly – my sources here aren’t concrete) – and the Catholics got in first with their chapel which consequently has the best view.

I also like to think that in addition to the location, they also chose the best name. Protestants: chapel of reconciliation, Jews: the Jewish memorial, Catholics: Chapel of the Mortal Agony of Christ.

No messin’, it was bad.