Dachau is a major district town of the administrative region of Upper Bavaria, in the southern part of Germany, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) north-west of Munich. It is now a popular residential area for people working in Munich with roughly 40,000 inhabitants. The historic centre of town with its 18th-century castle is situated on an elevation and visible over a great distance. Between 1546 and 1577, the House of Wittelsbach had the Dachau Palace erected in the Renaissance style. From June 1715 to Autumn 1717, Joseph Effner remodelled the palace to suit the contemporary taste in style. At the beginning of the 19th century, the castle’s north-, east- and south-wing had to be demolished due to their state of disrepair. The west-wing housing the dance hall with a superb view of the enchanting gardens, still remains today. On the first floor the original renaissance wood carved, coffered ceiling can be admired by visitors.
Dachau was founded in the 8th century. It was home to many artists during the late 19th and early 20th century; well-known author and editor Ludwig Thoma lived here for two years. Beginning during the second half of the 19th century the town became home to numerous artists. The Dachau artists’ colony gave the town recognition as one of the most important artist’s colonies in Germany beside Worpswede.
In 1933, the Dachau concentration camp was built east of the city by the Nazis and was operated until 1945. It became the prototype for all other camps. 25,613 prisoners died in the camp and almost another 10,000 in its subcamps. Dachau concentration camp was the first of the Nazi concentration camps opened in Germany, intended to hold political prisoners. It is located on the grounds of an abandoned ammunition factory. Opened in 1933 by Heinrich Himmler, its purpose was enlarged to include forced labor, and eventually, the imprisonment of Jews, Sinti, Roma, Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals, ordinary German and Austrian criminals, and eventually foreign nationals from countries which Germany occupied or invaded. It was finally liberated in 1945. In the postwar years it served to hold SS soldiers awaiting trial, after 1948, it held ethnic Germans who had been expelled from eastern Europe and were awaiting resettlement, and also was used for a time as a United States military base during the occupation. It was finally closed for use in 1960. Several memorials have been installed there, and the site is open for visitors.
[caption id="attachment_161465" align="aligncenter" width="460"] William Shakespeare by John Taylor[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in th...
