Unsettling Travels: A Walk to Hitler’s Camp is Painful Even Today

I left Dachau with moist eyes – the place serving as a reminder that persecution is unacceptable and horrifying.

‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ (Work sets you free).

Nothing was further from the truth. I’m at Dachau, the starting point of one of the darkest chapters of modern history where this sign hangs on the gate.

Dachau was the first of the infamous concentration camps set up by Adolf Hitler’s dark Third Reich just outside Munich (in 1933). Hitler’s meteoric rise started in Munich and many landmarks that survived the Allied bombing or that were rebuilt tell stories of a period when terror was the name of the game.

It’s an uncanny coincidence that on my flight to Berlin I end up watching Labyrinth of Lies – a 2014 German film that profiles the struggle of a public attorney to being the Auschwitz perpetrators to trial. It marked a turning point for Germany – from denial to reminding itself and the world – Never Again.

What Chamberlain Could Have Saved

Jeff Cox is one of Munich’s most seasoned Third Reich trail guides and he tells me about how these tours have gained popularity in the 2010s.

Some buildings – like the SS (Gestapo) headquarters that was originally a castle have been intentionally destroyed. But I could still spot Hitler’s old office (it’s a music school now); this is where the famous Munich agreement was signed between him and Neville Chamberlain in 1938.

(I couldn’t help thinking of all the lives Chamberlain might have been saved if he had been more aggressive instead of ‘pussy footing; for a peace he never really got.)

Hitler’s famous balcony at Berlin’s iconic Olympicstadion might have been removed (along with his name from the event plaque) – but I could still imagine him stunned by Jesse Owens as he debunked Hitler’s Aryan race supremacy theory.

Hitler’s showpiece stadium was the world’s largest sporting venue when it was completed in 1936 – and way ahead of its time.

For me, it’s the stadium’s neo-classical architectural elements and striking tall columns that stand out. The stadium received a major facelift in time for the 2006 World Cup final, when a roof and extra row of stands were added.

Hofbräuhaus and Holocaust

Most of the Third Reich walking trails make stops at Munich’s famous Hofbräuhaus (a Beer Hall where the seeds for Hitler’s National Socialist party were sown). The interiors don’t look like they’ve changed much – and luckily neither has the beer!

The high quality of the local brews are a given  – this is after all the unofficial Beer capital of the world; the oldest brewery here dates back to the 1300s. The walk culminates at the famous Greek inspired Königplatz – the venue for some of Hitler’s most significant parades and rallies. Jeff points to an area near the square where thousands of books would be burnt during those frenzied rallies.

I was largely unaffected by the walking trail – a complete contrast to what I experienced at Dachau. The Nazis documented everything and this left a horrific account of their atrocities against all perceived enemies of the Reich.

The museum’s exhibits don’t hold back and tell the tale of how the persecution of prisoners got progressively worse as the War reached its crescendo. From prisoners being shot at (for attempting to escape) to dying prisoners being forced to walk out for daily roll calls, the scale of inhumanity almost made my stomach churn.

Memories of Loss

The prisoners’ barracks have been preserved and so has the crematorium that was used to end the lives of prisoners. While the Jews suffered the most, almost every group that didn’t fit Hitler’s definition of perfection – from homosexuals to media persons with unfavourable views towards the Nazis, were tortured here.

I left Dachau with moist eyes and yet I’d still recommend a visit here (there are daily tours but I chose to walk alone). It doesn’t just remind you of how lucky we are in the free world but at a time when governments all over the world are tempted to clamp down on individual rights driven by security paranoia, Dachau serves as a reminder that persecution is unacceptable.

Nie Wieder. Never again.

Getting there and around: Munich and Berlin are connected with frequent flights either via Frankfurt or Dubai or Abu Dhabi from all major Indian metros. Both cities have fantastic public transportations systems.

Accommodation: Hotels are more expensive in Munich compared to Berlin. You could check out cool hostel chains like Wombats (www.wombats-hostels.com) or Meininger (www.meininger-hostels.com) or European hotel chains like NH (www.nh-hotels.com) or Ibis (www.ibis.com)

(Ashwin Rajagopalan enjoys communicating across boundaries in his three distinct roles as a widely published lifestyle writer, one of India’s only cross cultural trainers and a consultant for a global brand services firm. Ashwin writes extensively on travel, food, technology and trends)