Fotografo de Bodas, Santiago

September 4, 2009

I sort of felt like taking photos of Dachau was a big responsibility — not in the I must bear witness kind of way — just in the sense that this isn’t the kind of place you take a few snapshots of and then post on Facebook like, oh look what I did last weekend. Seba took way more of these photos than I did. I was mostly either reading information or crying while we were there. It was a very emotional experience.

A little background info before beginning — Dachau was the only concentration camp open for the full 12 years of the Nazi regime. It was the first concentration camp and also the camp that the rest were based off of. Dachau then became the first camp to be converted into a memorial site, and is the only of it’s kind in Germany. Over 20 million people from around the world have visited.

The picture on the right kind of freaks me out because the reflection of Seba’s head looks like he’s wearing the prisoner clothes:

We took so many pictures of the main gate because it was just so eerie.

Me inside the museum. As you can see, I don’t have my camera out.

The memorial on the left says, “Never Again.”

As you’re walking through the bunkers looking at some of the prisoner’s rooms there is information on the walls. The end of this one says, “A shot rings out. A life is extinguished.”

Here the photo shows what the camp looked like during roll call:

And what Dachau looks like now:

A box of ashes of some of the unknown victims.

Seba and I took almost the exact same shot looking into the prisoners’ rooms, except he viewed through the round peephole and I looked through the rectangle window:

Seba’s:

Mine:

Dachau had gas chambers, but for some reason, nobody knows why, they were never put into mass production. I believe that the photo on the left says “Showers,” or something to that effect, but I’m not sure:

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6 Comments

I love the photo of Arbeit Macht Frei, or work sets you free. Brausebad is a shower-bath. I had the chance to go to Dachau when I was studying in Germany, but I decided not to because I didn't know if I could handle it. Your pictures are amazing and they help capture the somber mood.

Comment by Sara — September 4, 2009 @ 3:54 pm

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I can't imagine what it felt like being there. I've only been to the Holocaust museum in Washington D.C. and I really can't describe the horror and sadness I felt; especially seeing all of the pairs of shoes and piles of personal effects that the people had to give up when they entered a camp. It was totally eerie.

Comment by Ritamae39 — September 4, 2009 @ 6:28 pm

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Kyle & Seba,
Your journey through the death camp is incredible, cried just reading it. Great question, how can human beings do that to one another? Because we are human and we are flawed. Stay safe – we love ya!

Comment by Judy Hepp — September 8, 2009 @ 7:02 am

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Sara is right, brausebad does mean shower-bath. Again, SUCH powerful photos, wow. I had to take a moment to collect myself after seeing this post. I'm so sad that other “holocausts” continue to this day.

Comment by GlobalButterfly — September 8, 2009 @ 11:43 am

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Kyle & Seba,
Your journey through the death camp is incredible, cried just reading it. Great question, how can human beings do that to one another? Because we are human and we are flawed. Stay safe – we love ya!

Comment by Judy Hepp — September 8, 2009 @ 2:02 pm

Reply
Sara is right, brausebad does mean shower-bath. Again, SUCH powerful photos, wow. I had to take a moment to collect myself after seeing this post. I'm so sad that other “holocausts” continue to this day.

Comment by GlobalButterfly — September 8, 2009 @ 6:43 pm

Reply