Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial

Dachau's gatehouse slogan "Arbeit macht frei" became the template for the camp system that imprisoned political opponents, Jews, Roma, clergy, and prisoners of war. Liberated by U.S. forces in April 1945, the site became a memorial in 1965 on the initiative of survivors.

Barracks, the crematorium, and religious memorials draw more than 800,000 visitors annually. Staff emphasize remembrance over ghost tourism, yet many visitors report overwhelming emotion near the gas chamber ruins — a human response to place saturated with suffering.

Open daily with free admission; visitors must behave respectfully, and children under 12 are discouraged from the crematorium area.