Dachau & Andechs
This past wekend reminded me a lot of our Vienna trip because we started with the concentration camp on saturday and ended with the monastery on sunday.
Dachau Concentration Camp
On the gate : "Arbeit macht frei" - "Work frees"
The charming and idyllic town of Dachau that lies just 10miles north of Munich is a sad reminder of the bygone days of the Nazi era. While a gentle breeze blows and the town has a charming feel to it, there stands KZ Dachau with high walls and electric fencing - so glaringly out of place. Dachau holds the sad distinction of being the first town to ever have concentration camp established by the Nazis. Soon after Hitler's rise to power, Himmler and the SS converted what used to be the remanants of a armaments factory of World war I into a concentration camp. During its notorious history, between 1933 and 1945, more than 206,000 prisoners from 30 countries were imprisoned at Dachau, perhaps a lot more.
The Memorial
The Krematorium
Inspite of having a gas chamber disguised as a shower it was never really used. This however, did not mean that no killings happened here.
The Shower (of death)?
The gas pipes disguised as showers
Numerous other methods had been devised for the purpose. The short movie that is screened is definitely worth the time and opens your eyes to the suffereing of the prisoners. Dont be surprised if you leave the place with a dreary feeling. The treatment metted out to the prisoners goes beyond one's imagination. I cannot believe how one can treat a fellow human being in such a grossly inhumane manner.
The barracks that held prisoners almost 5 times their capacity
The new crematorium - in an effort to keep up with the death rates
The old crematorium
To learn more about the camp visit the official site.
Andechs Monastery
The Andechs Monastery
Andechs, a Benedictine monastery close to the Starnberger see was such a delight after the grim trip to Dachau the previous day. R & I made the trip with a friend of ours and her mother. The monastery is set on the mountain of Heiliger Berg (meaning Holy Mountain). While the pilgrims visit to venerate, the not so devout make the journey for the beers and cheeses produced by the monks. Yes, you read it right, MADE by the MONKS :-). Several monateries in this region seem to have that trend. The monateries had to be self sufficient and the money from the products were used to sustain the place. There is a huge biergarten and a restaurant that sells Andechs beers.
The chapel
Yes, they are beer bottles!!
Once inside the monastery, you can climb all the way to the top of the structure which involves very narrow and steep steps. I should add here that the steps are constructed in a manner that is very discriminating for the vertically and horizontally endowed (for those less refined, I mean tall & stout). The view from the top is quite amazing and one can see both Ammersee and Stanberger see lakes.
The narrow stairs
The view from the top
The Stanberger see
The Ammersee
To learn more about the monastery, visit the official site.
Dachau Concentration Camp
On the gate : "Arbeit macht frei" - "Work frees"
The charming and idyllic town of Dachau that lies just 10miles north of Munich is a sad reminder of the bygone days of the Nazi era. While a gentle breeze blows and the town has a charming feel to it, there stands KZ Dachau with high walls and electric fencing - so glaringly out of place. Dachau holds the sad distinction of being the first town to ever have concentration camp established by the Nazis. Soon after Hitler's rise to power, Himmler and the SS converted what used to be the remanants of a armaments factory of World war I into a concentration camp. During its notorious history, between 1933 and 1945, more than 206,000 prisoners from 30 countries were imprisoned at Dachau, perhaps a lot more.
The Memorial
The Krematorium
Inspite of having a gas chamber disguised as a shower it was never really used. This however, did not mean that no killings happened here.
The Shower (of death)?
The gas pipes disguised as showers
Numerous other methods had been devised for the purpose. The short movie that is screened is definitely worth the time and opens your eyes to the suffereing of the prisoners. Dont be surprised if you leave the place with a dreary feeling. The treatment metted out to the prisoners goes beyond one's imagination. I cannot believe how one can treat a fellow human being in such a grossly inhumane manner.
The barracks that held prisoners almost 5 times their capacity
The new crematorium - in an effort to keep up with the death rates
The old crematorium
To learn more about the camp visit the official site.
Andechs Monastery
The Andechs Monastery
Andechs, a Benedictine monastery close to the Starnberger see was such a delight after the grim trip to Dachau the previous day. R & I made the trip with a friend of ours and her mother. The monastery is set on the mountain of Heiliger Berg (meaning Holy Mountain). While the pilgrims visit to venerate, the not so devout make the journey for the beers and cheeses produced by the monks. Yes, you read it right, MADE by the MONKS :-). Several monateries in this region seem to have that trend. The monateries had to be self sufficient and the money from the products were used to sustain the place. There is a huge biergarten and a restaurant that sells Andechs beers.
The chapel
Yes, they are beer bottles!!
Once inside the monastery, you can climb all the way to the top of the structure which involves very narrow and steep steps. I should add here that the steps are constructed in a manner that is very discriminating for the vertically and horizontally endowed (for those less refined, I mean tall & stout). The view from the top is quite amazing and one can see both Ammersee and Stanberger see lakes.
The narrow stairs
The view from the top
The Stanberger see
The Ammersee
To learn more about the monastery, visit the official site.
posted by gayathri | 8:10 PM
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