*Contains sensitive material relating to the Holocaust and was written from an observation/ first hand account. Photos were taken by the author in 2010. Nothing sensitive is shown out of respect for those who lost their lives at the hand of Nazis.

This next entry took place in Germany at the Nazi concentration camp, Dachau.

I visited Dachau while stationed in Germany, and wanted to see with my own eyes the memorial site. To never forget the atrocities committed there. Living in Germany I found many Nazi sites, in particular those in the city of Nuremberg, to not be kept up or preserved intentionally, as they should have been. Dachau though, is very well maintained by the Bavarian state and receives over 800,000 visitors each year. It was the first camp of its kind initiated by the SS once they took power. It morphed into a concentration camp though around 1940 and for five more years they proceeded to murder more than 28,000 Jews, Romani, Soviets, Germans and Austrians. In reality though, the actual death count is unknown.

It was a site unlike any place I'd ever been in my life. From the moment you arrive and enter underneath the sign 'Arbeit Macht Frei'(work sets you free), you can feel the heaviness in the air. I could physically sense the death and evil lingering. A tour guide took us slowly through the main areas, stopping to describe what used to be in each space. Large blown up pictures were displayed with descriptions as well, giving you a first hand look at how the prisoners were treated.

What sticks out from this visit to me was the large jail area. Worn heavy rock material and bricks line the building. The guide warned us briefly that the rooms would feel cold, but there was no air conditioning. It was summer out and Germany gets very hot so you knew this was odd. Stepping into the building, a coldness overtook me. The cells were various sizes, some tiny some large. The German Nazis had done unspeakable things to prisoners here. Heinous things that ranged from torture to experimentation. No one lived that went into the jail area.

Once we left that particular building, the air resumed its balmy heat. It was the only building that felt cold to me. Not even the area dubbed 'the ovens' or the 'gas chambers' felt that way and they too saw unspeakable deaths. I can only assume that there were ghosts or spirits lingering there. After such evil had occurred, how could there not be? Also, the US Army liberated Dachau on April 26, 1945. It is estimated that around 50 Nazis still at the camp were executed by those Soldiers.

If you've never visited a Nazi concentration camp site, but want to respectfully understand it better, each camp has online websites with resources for education. I am a strong advocate for education on war atrocities, and on the Holocaust. We must never forget so we never repeat.

Photo above is a memorial sculpture in Dachau

Photo above is also part of a memorial in Dachau.

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

This story is an original work from the author, K E Jennings. If you see this on any other site besides Wattpad, it was stolen without the authors permission.