by Nick Schommer and Tyler Albright
In our second day in Munich, our day started with a trip to the Dachau Concentration Camp. Dachau was the first concentration camp to open, and the only one to serve the entire reign of Adolf Hitler, 1933-1945. Dachau was also a concentration camp for men only, and was not a death camp. Prisoners here were not only Jews, they were political rivals and other groups oppressed, and the majority were German. The concentration camp was huge, and the only things that were not replaced and are the originals were the gate, the crematory, and the main hall, where they checked prisoners in, and tortured them. The camp also has four chapels in memory of those who died here. There is a Protestant, Jewish, Catholic, and Russian Orthodox chapel. The pictures are some that I took and I think really sum up the tour. This picture is a view of the crematory, which was connected to a gas chamber that was supposedly not used.
Going into the building had an eerie feeling because you know what happened there, and you’re at a loss of words. This picture is a list of all the concentration camps that were in use during the reign of Hitler.
I was surprised to find out how many there were, and that there were satellite camps. This was also where they told us that Dachau wasn’t a death camp, it was a camp that was used to produce weapons for the Nazi army. The next picture is a picture of the entrance to the camp, where the word “arbeit macht frei,” which translates to, “work sets you free.”
I think this is important because it showed the Nazis tried to trick the prisoners into thinking they were there work is good for them. The mind games the Nazis used is what helped them gain so much power to do what they wanted and it showed throughout the camp. The last picture is of where the former barracks are.
The tour guide said that in its use, there were 32 barracks, but were all destroyed with only 2 rebuilt for show. I like the picture because it shows how big the camp was, and how they fit 188,000 estimated prisoners there. The trip to Dachau was truly eye-opening, and I think we all enjoyed the tour.
Following a stop back at the hotel, we then travelled over to the Audi Dome, home of FC Bayern Munich Basketball. We proceeded to take a tour of the facility beginning with the press room. We continued down through the venue to the locker rooms and practice court where we snuck in a quick round of knockout.
After seeing the practice court, we were able to step onto the actual court where the team would be playing a few hours later. The tour took us through two membership lounges on the way back to the press room where we then listened to a lecture given by the manager of corporate partnerships and internationalization, Adrian. He delivered a great lecture, detailing the future goals for the club and direct objectives and steps to achieve each directive.
Following Adrian’s lecture, we left the arena for dinner and ate some traditional Bavarian food in a biergarten right next to the Audi Dome. After our good meal, we then headed back inside for the semifinal matchup between FC Bayern Munich Basketball and Bamberg Brose. The crowd of around 6,000 people filled the arena with noise as they cheered on Bayern. The excitement from the crowd showed passion I have never quite seen before in any fanbase; the singing and chanting began after the introduction of the team and did not stop until the arena was empty. Bayern beat Bamberg 95-72 in a blowout lead by former NBA player, Jared Cunningham.
The fans returned home in high spirits and we took a trip to the original Hofbrauhaus. The place was filled to max capacity and everyone seemed to be having a great time. A band played traditional Bavarian songs and were clad in lederhosen giving a true Bavarian feel throughout the restaurant. Following our visit to the Hofbrauhaus, we returned to the hotel and slept, anxious to start another fun day in Europe!
