Join our official and accredited "Explore Munich" tour guides on a deeply moving and educational tour of the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial, the first Nazi concentration camp, a symbol of the horror of Adolf Hitler's regime and of the human spirit's resistance in the face of barbarism.
This sightseeing tour will take you to one of the most harrowing places in Germany, where history, memory, and reflection come together to offer an experience that leaves its mark.
Just half an hour from Munich, Dachau is not just a place, but a living lesson that invites empathy, understanding, and a commitment to peace and human rights.
The Dachau Concentration Camp was opened on 22 March 1933, just weeks after Adolf Hitler was appointed Reich Chancellor. Initially designed to house political prisoners, it soon became the model and training center for all other concentration camps of the Third Reich.
During the twelve years of its operation, thousands of people were imprisoned here. Political opponents, priests, Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, and prisoners of war were subjected to forced labor, medical experiments, and unimaginable torture.
More than 200,000 prisoners were detained and tortured by the Nazis, of whom more than 40,000 were murdered.
On 29 April 1945, American troops liberated the camp, finding about 32,000 survivors in extreme conditions. Dachau thus became an eternal testimony to suffering, but also to courage, resilience and hope.
Today, the Dachau Memorial is one of the most visited memorial sites in Europe. With its exhibitions, original buildings, and an atmosphere of respect and contemplation, the site invites you to reflect on the past in order to build a more humane future.