Dachau was the first concentration camp established by the Nazis in 1933, and it became the model for others across Germany and occupied Europe. Today, it stands as a solemn memorial site where visitors can confront history, pay respect to the victims, and reflect on the importance of remembrance. Walking through the preserved barracks, the exhibition halls, and the memorial chapels is both moving and sobering.

The number of people who died in the Dachau concentration camp is officially given as 31,951. Dachau was originally intended to house political prisoners and opponents of the Nazi government for the purpose of forced labor.

After the advent of the Holocaust and Nazi Germany's "final solution" to exterminate the Jewish population of Europe, Dachau was used to house Jews and other groups who were targeted in the Holocaust, such as homosexuals, gypsies, religious minorities, communists, and prisoners from German-occupied countries.

The Nazis established approximately 110 camps (based on the Dachau "model") starting in 1933 to imprison political opponents and other undesirables. The number increased as the Third Reich expanded and the Germans began occupying parts of Europe. When the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum first began to document all of the camps, the belief was that the list would total approximately 7,000. However, researchers found that the Nazis actually established about 42,500 camps and ghettoes between 1933 and 1945. This figure includes 30,000 slave labor camps; 1,150 Jewish ghettoes, 980 concentration camps; 1,000 POW camps; 500 brothels filled with sex slaves; and thousands of other camps used for euthanizing the elderly and infirm; Germanizing prisoners or transporting victims to killing centers. The Berlin, Germany area alone had nearly 3,000 camps. Dachau was liberated by American forces on April 29, 1945, if you are interested in reading more about Concentration Camps, click here to view a good article.

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