On Tour

This week I am on tour. Where’s Jon?

Report upon my return.

Arbeit Macht Frei - Dachau, Germany

Arbeit Macht Frei translates as Work will set you free. 

These are the words welded into the wrought-iron gate at the Dachau Concentration Camp outside of Munich.  What does this phrase really mean?  Is it to be taken literally?  Some prisoners were released.  Hoess, the first commandant at the Auschwitz main camp, described in his autobiography that the phrase meant that work sets one free in the spiritual sense.  Misery is lost in toil, I suppose.   Was this phrase SS propaganda to mask the nature and purpose of the camp?  To those living outside of the camp, the words, Arbeit Macht Frei, might suggest the purpose of the camp as a labor and re-education facility.  This connotation might diminish and sanitize its true objective.  

Commandant's quarters

First established as a concentration camp for political prisoners, the camp later held captive citizens from a number of countries and ethnic groups as Nazi aggressions rose throughout the 1930s and 1940s. 

Dachau camp layout

Upon arrival to the camp, prisoners would pass though the Jourhaus building with the wrought iron gate shown above.  The Jourhaus was the main office of SS camp personnel.  This building segregated the camp from the outside world.  Each day, camp work-groups would march out through this gate to the factories and then back at the end of the work day. Each day, the prisoners would be reminded that Arbeit Macht Frei. 

Jourhaus

Having passed through this gate, the visitor is met with a stark expanse of the camp grounds.  Where thirty-four barracks once stood, the ground is barren with the exception of two reconstructed barracks and foundation outlines remaining from the thirty-two razed barracks.  Dotting the landscape are several watch towers.  For these long gone barracks, remaining as a testament to their existence is the foundation outline circumscribing each of thirty-two cement barracks' numbers.

Camp where barracks once stood

Foundation outline with barrack number
Guard tower in background

Near the entrance to the camp is the International Memorial which reads,

May the example of those who were exterminated here between 1933 -1945 because they resisted Nazism help to unite the living for the defence of peace and freedom and respect for their fellow men

International Memorial

At one end of the compound is a large, U-shaped Maintenance building that today houses the memorial exhibitions and movie theater.  The exhibitions provide details on each room's historical function.  Prisoner kitchen, laundry, baths, storerooms, and workshops are all presented.  Also on display is the Shunt room whereby newly arrived prisoners were processed for admission into the camp.  At this stage, a new arrival was stripped of everything including individuality.  On the roof of this building was once painted the phrase,

There is one path to freedom. Its milestones are: obedience, honesty, cleanliness, sobriety, diligence, orderliness, self-sacrifice, truthfulness, love of the fatherland

Prisoners would face this building during Roll Calls with this phrase as a constant reminder.

Maintenance Building with Memorial in foreground

Two of the barracks have been reconstructed for the memorial illustrating the living conditions under which the occupants lived.  Each barrack housed 140 people.

At the opposite end of the camp and segregated from the main camp is the crematorium.  The crematorium is divided into several rooms, each with a specific purpose.  At the height of operations the furnaces were working 24 hours a day.

Crematorium

The crematorium at Dachau has a gas chamber in an adjoining room as well but was not used for that purpose.  Exhibits in the Maintenance building suggest that while it may not have been used for its designed purpose, it was used for SS interrogations and torture.  

Gas Chamber

When we first discussed travel to Austria and Germany, Dachau was one of the sites that my wife wanted to visit if we could fit it into the schedule.  Well, Dachau is an easy half-day trip from Munich and can be reached in about 40 minutes using a combination of train and bus.

I pondered sharing this visit long and hard.  The camp was not easy to experience firsthand.  The exhibits were heartbreaking.  Reviewing these photos of our Dachau day-trip, the thoughts and sensations relived tempted me to reconsider this post more than once.  In the end, sharing this horrific piece of history seemed appropriate.  

Quite an overpowering experience.  With memorials such as Dachau, how could such brutality ever be forgotten?

Innsbruck, Austria: A Sightseeing Stroll

Maria-Theresien Strasse looking north

Having recounted some of the Innsbruck attractions in earlier posts, (see: Panorama and Hofkirche), and to break up the long line of troops marching off the painting desk, time to explore the beauty of Innsbruck, itself.

The Maria-Theresien Strasse is a major pedestrian area with shops lining both sides of the town square.  Our hotel was situated on this square near the church on the left.  The column seen in the photo is that of St. Anne commemorating the liberation of the Tirol from Bavaria in 1703.  On the top of the column is a statue to St Mary. 

Maria-Theresien Strasse looking south

Maximilian I's Golden Roof

Clock Tower

Nancy posing for a photo op

Triumphal Arch

River Inn

With high mountains dominating the Innsbruck skyline and easy access via public transportation, we opted to spend a few hours making the excursion to the top of Hafelekarspitze using a combination of tram and two gondolas.

Schematic showing routes up the mountain

Once up on top of the mountain and enjoying partly sunny skies, the Innsbruck Valley below unfolds.  Looking south, the winding River Inn is seen with the Brenner Pass in the center background.  Even from this height and distance, the Olympic ski jump at Bergisel can be seen in the center background.  The Bergisel ski jump is only a stone's throw from the Tirol Panorama featured in an earlier blog post. 

Innsbruck Valley with Brenner Pass in back center

Zoomed: Bergisel ski jump is seen in upper center

The views of the Innsbruck Valley below are spectacular as is the high mountain scenery on top.  The rough, jagged rock outcroppings are plentiful and still capped with snow in May.

Innsbruck Valley looking east

From the upper gondola station, the Hafelekarspitze juts out from the mountaintop.  With a well-maintained and worn trail winding its way to the top, it is obvious that the hike to the top is a popular activity.   

Hafelekarspitze 

Hafelekarspitze 

Small warming hut above Gondola station

Upper gondola station with valley below

Having spotted the Bergisel ski jump and gotten our bearings, we descended back into town to catch a bus to Bergisel.  Bergisel was the site of the ski jumping competition in both the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympic Games.  Once at Bergisel, we took the tram up to the top of the ski jump.  At the top of the tram line, a short walk around the building is required to find the elevator to the top of the jump.  From the top of the jump, Innsbruck unfolds splendidly below.  The steepness of the jump is deceiving and seems not so intimidating.  I might try this!

Bergisel ski jump with Innsbruck as a beautiful backdrop

Steeper than it looks!

Landing area

Olympic cauldrons

With the Kaiserjager Museum nearby and to add a bit of military history or wargaming content to this post, below is a photo taken in the museum of an early jager uniform from the Kaiserjager Regiment. 

Switzerland: Chateau de Grandson

Charles the Bold's hat captured
 following Battle of Grandson

When we visited Switzerland in May 2017, one of our planned day trips from Lausanne was a visit to Chateau de Grandson on the banks of Lake Neuchatel.  The visit to Chateau de Grandson was prompted by a recommendation from Oli from Camisado blog.  A good tip it was too!  Since Grandson was within an hour of Lausanne and it was a drizzly morning, wandering around a chateau seemed a good way to spend half a day.

From Lausanne, we took a train to Yverdon les Bain and then a quick fifteen minute bus to the chateau, itself.  When we arrived it was still raining and cold.  A drizzle not uncommon to someone accustomed to rain in the Pacific Northwest.  The rain did not dampen our spirits...much.  After being dropped off in front of the Chateau, we showed our pass and entered the chateau.  Before entering the building, we took a quick stroll around the ramparts.

After entering the chateau, we wandered into the armory with its many displays.  Included in the displays was a wall of toy soldiers,

a large camp scene diorama,

and a diorama depicting the Battle of Grandson in 1476. 

After scrutinizing the dioramas, I moved on to the arms portion of the museum laid out on display along the walls of a Great Hall.  All manner of Medieval weapon was on display but the assortment of crossbows was most impressive.

The exhibit even included a more modern weapon: a Swiss cannon from the time of the Seven Years War.

In addition to case after case of arms lining the walls of the Great Hall, a fine display of armor was present as well. The armor display I will save for another installment of Swiss travels.