Commemoration and remembrance work at the Dachau concentration camp memorial site

On March 22, 1933, the Nazi regime established a concentration camp on the grounds of the decommissioned "Royal Bavarian Powder and Ammunition Factory" in Dachau. This site of detention and terror existed for twelve years and was liberated by units of the U.S. Army on April 29, 1945. More than 200,000 people from over 40 nations were imprisoned in Dachau Concentration Camp and its satellite camps. At least 41,500 of them died there as a result from hunger, disease, torture, murder and the inhumane conditions of their imprisonment.

Thanks to the initiative of the survivors who united in 1955 to form the Comité International de Dachau (CID), the former prisoner camp was transformed into a memorial and place of remembrance. In May 1965, the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial was inaugurated with its first documentary exhibition. A new main exhibition was introduced in 2003. Its central theme follows the "path of the prisoners" documenting the fate of those persecuted – from their arrival at the camp, through their daily life, suffering, and death, to their eventual liberation.

With over 900,000 visitors from all over the world, the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial is the most visited memorial of its kind in Germany. It is both a place of remembrance and a center for learning. The work of the Memorial’s research department focuses on the history of the former concentration camp, its 140 satellite camps, and the site’s postwar legacy, which now spans 80 years. Responsibilities also include the preservation and documentation of former satellite camp sites in Landsberg-Kaufering and Mühldorf, as well as the former SS shooting range in Hebertshausen.

In collaboration with national and international partners, the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial develops exhibition projects, conferences, training programs, excursions, and workshops. An important aspect of this work is the ongoing exchange with the Committee of Former Dachau Prisoners and their descendants, the Comité International de Dachau, and survivor associations in various countries.

In recent years, the Memorial has increasingly expanded its digital offerings. One example of this is the graphic novel Ein Überleben lang ("A Lifetime of Survival"), which is available on the Memorial’s website as both an animated short film and an ePaper/flipbook. Accompanying educational materials are also provided, making it a valuable resource for preparing for or following up on a visit to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial.

In addition, virtual 360° tours showing past and current special exhibitions are available. Currently on display are the special exhibitions "Traces of Time", which explores the history of the Allach satellite camp complex, and "Dachau Trials", which focuses one of the largest Nazi trial proceedings. A new tour presenting the grounds of the former Dachau Concentration Camp is scheduled to be offered in the near future.