Germany: Munich

Saturday morning started the day off in a somber mood.  The plan was to arrive at Dachau Concentration Camp right when it opened so we got up early to get on the road.  Joe went to get the van while the rest of us packed our suitcases and hauled them over to the Oldham's room.  Amber opted to stay at the hotel to do our laundry and read while the rest of us visited the camp.  While I was moving my suitcase, Joe called and said that the battery in the van was dead.  He had accidentally left the lights on all night.  I started to walk over to the parking lot that was around the block hoping to grab somebody to come help us.

When I arrived, there was a big tour bus idling in the lot.  Joe walked over to the door and asked the bus driver if he had any jumper cables and if he would jump the van.  Much to our dismay, he didn't have any cables and after searching all through our van, reading the manuals, and pulling off sections of the seats, we didn't have any either.  A few minutes later, a couple of college students came out to their car and we asked them if they could help us.  They told us no because they were going to be late to class.  Joe pleaded with them that it would only take a minute and they finally agreed to help.  But it took longer than a minute because they couldn't find the battery in their car.  There were jumper cables but they were driving a family member's car and didn't know where the battery was.  After tearing their car apart, we finally found the battery in a compartment under the driver's seat.  We hooked up the cables, jumped the van, and the engine started.  Joe tried to give the students' some money for their help but they wouldn't take it.  They just smiled and nodded as we emphatically said our thanks.  We all jumped in the van and drove around the corner to Muller Bakery to grab some breakfast.  Ironically, the students and the bus driver were doing the same thing so Joe bought their breakfast as a thank you for their help.

We then dropped Amber back off at the hotel and were on our way.  Dachau concentration camp was the first Nazi concentration camp opened in Germany, located on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory near the medieval town of Dachau, almost 10 miles northwest of Munich.  Opened 22 March 1933 (51 days after Hitler took power), it was the first regular concentration camp established by the coalition government of the Nazi Party.   Heinrich Himmler, then Chief of Police of Munich, officially described the camp as "the first concentration camp for political prisoners."

Dachau served as a prototype and model for the other Nazi concentration camps that followed.  Almost every community in Germany had members taken away to these camps.  Newspapers continually reported of "the removal of the enemies of the Reich to concentration camps".   The camp's basic organization, layout as well as building plans, were developed by Kommandant Theodor Eicke and were applied to all later camps.  He had a separate secure camp near the command center, which consisted of living quarters, administration, and army camps.  Eicke himself became the chief inspector for all concentration camps, responsible for molding the others according to his model.
The entrance gate to this concentration camp carries the words "Arbeit macht frei", meaning "through work one will be free".

The camp was in use from 1933 to 1960, the first twelve years as an internment center of the Third Reich.  From 1933 to 1938 the prisoners were mainly German nationals detained for political reasons. Subsequently the camp was used for prisoners of all sorts from every nation occupied by the forces of the Third Reich.   From 1945 through 1948 the camp was used as a prison for SS officers awaiting trial.  After 1948 the German population expelled from Czechoslovakia were housed there and it was also a base of the United States.  It was closed in 1960 and thereafter, at the insistence of ex-prisoners, various memorials began to be constructed there.


Estimates of the demographic statistics vary but they are in the same general range.  History may never know how many people were interned there or died there, due to periods of disruption.  Over its twelve years as a concentration camp, the Dachau administration recorded the intake of 206,206 prisoners and 31,951 deaths.  Crematoria were constructed to dispose of the deceased.  These numbers do not tell the entire story, however.  Although there is no evidence of mass murder within the camp — by methods other than poor sanitation, deprivation of medical care, withholding of nutrients, medical experiments, or beatings and shootings for infractions of the rules or at random — beginning in 1942 more than 3166 prisoners in weakened condition were transported to Hartheim Castle near Linz and were executed by poison gas for reason of their unfitness.  In 1941 and 1942 an unknown number of prisoners of war from the Soviet Union were executed by shooting at the camp's surrounding firing ranges, some for target practice and for sport.  In early 1945, there was a typhus epidemic in the camp due to influx from other camps causing overcrowding, followed by an evacuation, in which large numbers of the weaker prisoners died.  Toward the end of the war death marches to and from the camp caused the expiration of large but unknown numbers of prisoners.  Even after liberation, prisoners weakened beyond recovery continued to die.

On 28 April 1945, the day before the surrender, Camp Commandant Martin Gottfried Weiss had left the Dachau camp, along with most of the regular guards and administrators in the camp.  On that same day, Victor Maurer, a representative of the Red Cross, had tried to persuade Untersturmführer Johannes Otto, the adjutant of Commandant Weiss, not to abandon the camp, but to leave guards posted to keep the prisoners inside until the Americans arrived.  Maurer feared that the prisoners would escape en masse and spread the active typhus fever epidemic.  Lt. Otto declined to remain and fled.

On 29 April 1945, the watchtowers of the Dachau camp remained occupied and a white flag was hoisted.  Red Cross representative Maurer persuaded SS-Untersturmführer Heinrich Wicker, an NCO in the SS-Totenkopfverbände, to accompany him to the main gate of the complex to surrender the camp formally.  That afternoon, Dachau was surrendered to the American Army.  The Americans found approximately 32,000 prisoners, crammed 1,600 to each of 20 barracks, which had been designed to house 250 people each.  After more than 60 years, the liberation day is still celebrated with flowers to remember the victims.

 

 

Together with the much larger Auschwitz, Dachau has come to symbolize the Nazi concentration camps to many people.  Dachau holds a significant place in public memory because it was the second camp to be liberated by British or American forces.  Therefore, it was one of the first places where these previously unknown Nazi practices were exposed to the Western world through firsthand journalist accounts and through newsreels.

The day was overcast and the mood was quiet and somber as we walked through the museum reading the history of the camp for the 12 years it was functioning.  There were shocking accounts and pictures of prisoners, political leaders, and survivors that were imprisoned there.  Although it was a difficult place to visit and see, the history is important and I'm glad that we made the time to visit.

We drove back to the hotel to pick up Amber and our luggage and then made our way back to Munich. 
Munich is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany.  It is the third largest city in Germany, behind Berlin and Hamburg.  About 1.35 million people live within the city limits.  Munich hosted the 1972 Summer Olympics.  Its native name, München, is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place".  The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat of arms.

We visited Marientplatz, the shopping and tourist district of Munich.   In the Middle Ages markets and tournaments were held in this city square. Marienplatz was named after the Mariensäule, a Marian column erected in its center in 1638 to celebrate the end of Swedish occupation.  Today the Marienplatz is dominated by the New City Hall (Neues Rathaus) on the north side.  The Glockenspiel in the tower of the new city hall was inspired by these tournaments, and draws millions of tourists a year.  At the east side Munich's Old City Hall (Altes Rathaus) is located.  It's a gothic council hall and ballroom and tower, which have been reconstructed.  The pedestrian zone between Karlsplatz and Marienplatz is a crowded area with numerous shops and restaurants.  It was very crowded and busy. 

In honor of our Amber

The Mariensäule is a Marian column located on the Marienplatz.  It was erected in 1638 to celebrate the end of Swedish occupation during the Thirty Years' War and is topped by a golden statue of the Virgin Mary standing on a crescent moon as the Queen of Heaven, created in 1590.  The figure was originally located in the Frauenkirche.  Mariensäule was the first column of this type built north of the Alps and inspired erecting other Marian columns in this part of Europe.

At each corner of the column's pedestal is a statue of a putto.  The four putti are each depicted fighting a different beast, symbolizing the city's overcoming of adversities: war represented by the lion, pestilence by the cockatrice, hunger or famine by the dragon and heresy by the serpent.

The Rathaus-Glockenspiel of the New Town Hall, is a famous tourist attraction and it dates from 1908.  Every day at 11 a.m. (as well as 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. in summer) it chimes and re-enacts two stories from the 16th century to the amusement of mass crowds of tourists and locals.  It consists of 43 bells and 32 life-sized figures.  The top half of the Glockenspiel tells the story of the marriage of the local Duke Wilhelm V (who also founded the world famous Hofbräuhaus) to Renata of Lorraine.  In honour of the happy couple there is a joust with life-sized knights on horseback representing Bavaria (in white and blue) and Lothringen (in red and white).  The Bavarian knight wins every time of course.
This is followed by the bottom half and second story: Schäfflerstanz (the coopers' dance).  According to myth, 1517 was a year of plague in Munich. The coopers are said to have danced through the streets to, "bring fresh vitality to fearful dispositions."  The coopers remained loyal to the duke, and their dance came to symbolize perseverance and loyalty to authority through difficult times.  By tradition, the dance is performed in Munich every seven years.  This was described in 1700 as, "an age-old custom", but the current dance was defined only in 1871.  The whole show lasts somewhere between 12 and 15 minutes long depending on which tune it plays that day.  At the very end of the show, a very small golden bird at the top of the Glockenspiel chirps three times, marking the end of the spectacle.

Sam was so excited for the Glockenspiel Cuckoo bird that he just couldn't contain it

St. Peter's Church is a Roman Catholic church in the inner city of Munich.  It is also the oldest church in the district.  Before the foundation of Munich as a city in 1158, there had been a pre-Merovingian church on this site.   At the end of the 12th century a new church in the Bavarian Romanesque style was consecrated, and expanded in Gothic style shortly before the great fire in 1327, which destroyed the building.  After its reconstruction, the church was dedicated anew in 1368.

The Frauenkirche (Cathedral of Our Dear Lady) is a church that serves as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising and seat of its Archbishop.  It is a landmark and is considered a symbol of the Bavarian capital city.

The church towers are widely visible because of local height limits.  The city administration prohibits buildings with a height exceeding 358 ft in the city center.  Since November 2004, this prohibition has been provisionally extended outward and as a result, no buildings may be built in the city over the aforementioned height.  The south tower is open to those wishing to climb the stairs and offers a unique view of Munich and the nearby Alps.
The cathedral, which replaced an older romanesque church built in the 12th century, was commissioned by Duke Sigismund and erected by Jörg von Halsbach.   For financial reasons and due to the lack of a nearby stone pit, brick was chosen as building material.  Construction began in 1468.  The two towers were completed in 1488 and the church was consecrated in 1494.  However, the building's famous domes atop each tower were not added until 1525.  Their design was modeled on the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, which in turn took a lead from late Byzantine architecture.  The cathedral suffered severe damage during World War II — the roof collapsed and one of the towers suffered severe damage.  Much of the interior was also destroyed. A major restoration effort began after the war and was carried out in several stages, the last of which coming to an end in 1994.

The cathedral can hold approximately 20,000 people, and Catholic Mass is held regularly.  The interior of the cathedral, which is among the largest hall churches in southern Germany, consists of the nave and two side aisles of equal height (102 ft). The arches were designed by Heinrich von Straubing.

Constructing a church with a capacity of 20,000 is surprising when one considers at end of the 15th Century the city only had about 13,000 inhabitants.  The interior does not overwhelm despite its size because the double-row of 72 ft high columns helps enclose the space.  From the main portal the view seems to be only the rows of columns with no windows and durchlichtete "walls" between the vaults through which the light seems to shine.  The spatial effect of the church is connected with a legend about a footprint in a square tile at the entrance to the nave, the so-called "devil's footstep".
The Gothic nave, several of the Gothic stained-glass windows, some of them made for the previous church, and the tomb monument of Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor are major attractions.

The tomb monument of Louis IV

Another attraction is the Teufelsschritt, or Devil's Footstep, at the entrance.  This is a black mark resembling a footprint, which according to legend was where the devil stood when he curiously regarded and ridiculed the windowless church that Halsbach had built.  In another version of the legend, the devil made a deal with the builder to finance construction of the church on the condition that it contain no windows.  The clever builder, however, tricked the devil by positioning columns so that the windows were not visible from the spot where the devil stood in the foyer.  When the devil discovered that he had been tricked, he could not enter the already consecrated church.  The devil could only stand in the foyer and stomp his foot furiously, which left the dark footprint that remains visible in the church's entrance today.

 Devil's Footstep

The Theatine Church (Theatinerkirche) is a Catholic church that was built from 1663 to 1690 and was founded by Elector Ferdinand Maria and his wife, Henriette Adelaide of Savoy, as a gesture of thanks for the birth of the long-awaited heir to the Bavarian crown, Prince Max Emanuel, in 1662.

The church was built in Italian high-Baroque style and the two towers were added and the dome finished in 1690. The facade in Rococo style was completed only in 1768 by François de Cuvilliés.   Its Mediterranean appearance and yellow coloring became a well known symbol for the city and had much influence on Southern German Baroque architecture.

The Munich Residenz (Munich Palace) is the former royal palace of the Bavarian monarchs.  The Residenz is the largest city palace in Germany and is today open to visitors for its architecture and room decorations, and displays from the former royal collections.

 

The first buildings at this site were erected in the year 1385.  The sturdy new castle replaced the difficult to defend Old Court in the middle of the town as residence of the Wittelsbach rulers.  The dukes of the divided country felt the urge to keep some distance from the frequently rebellious city dwellers and their warlike relatives.  So they sought to build themselves a shelter.  The gothic foundation walls and the basement vaults of the old castle are the oldest surviving parts of the palace. After more than four centuries of development, the giant palace had practically replaced a whole former city quarter with barracks, a monastery, houses and gardens.  The palace was severely damaged by bombing during World War II, but most of the rooms were reconstructed by the 1980s.  

We went into this building, which was a library, and it was completely empty of people.  We thought that maybe a door was left open by mistake but we stayed in there anyway.  We enjoyed walking around, making echoes, finding restrooms, leaping and turning down the long hallway (Marquessa didn't dance because her lipgloss had spilled all over inside her purse so she was cleaning it up instead), relaxing on the steps, and debated on whether it would be appropriate and mature to start a game of Hide N Seek through the empty building.

We had a lunch of wraps, doner kebabs, fresh fruit, and gelato on the Marienplatz while touring Munich.  Late afternoon we drove to Garmisch and checked out the U.S. Army Garrison Garmisch military base.  We tried to get some gas there on base but the station was closed.  There was a man sitting inside a little shack at the gas station and Joe tried to talk him into letting us gas up but he wouldn't budge.  Instead he told us all about the Zugspitze, the highest peak in Germany with an altitude of close to 10,000 feet.

We headed back to Haus Sissi where we would stay for the night.  They messed up our reservation so the Aikeles stayed in the one hotel room that was booked in the main lodge and we and the Oldhams  stayed in a 2-bedroom apartment down the road that the hotel owned and used for extra lodging.  We tried to get one for all six of us but they were strict about the reservation and the price that was already negotiated.  We window-shopped through Garmisch and grabbed some dinner at a yummy restaurant before turning in for the night.

Here are pictures of our apartment.  Joe and I slept on the twin beds and the Oldhams took the room with the Queen bed.  It was a perfect place for a week's stay.  Too bad we are in a new hotel every night!