It’s quite complicated to describe my feeling today, I had seen both the dark and the bright side of Germany, which are Dachau concentration camp, BMW welt and happiness Christmas market in Munich city center.
Memorial statue of Dachau concentration camp
Dachau concentration camp was the very first concentration camp established in 1933. The SS had evern took control of the camp and there were thousands of people died in the period of 1933 to 1945. The memorial park preserved the origitnal buildings at that time and redesigned as a museum for people to visit.
Entrance of the camp
The day we (Me. Stephanie, Toto and their coach surfer Daisuke from Japan) went to the camp was bright sunny sky with some snow fell down on us. But after we arrived the camp, the atmosphere became serious and everyone stayed silent for 1 or 2 minutes. Maybe that was sending a little prayer for the ones who ceased their lives on the site.
Dachau concentration camp (German: Konzentrationslager (KZ) Dachau, IPA: [ˈdaxaʊ]) was the first Nazi concentration camp opened in Germany, located on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory near the medieval town of Dachau, about 16 km (9.9 mi) northwest of Munich in the state of Bavaria, which is located in southern Germany. Opened 22 March 1933, it was the first regular concentration camp established by the coalition government of the National Socialist Party (Nazi Party) and the German Nationalist People's Party (dissolved on 6 July 1933). Heinrich Himmler, Chief of Police of Munich, officially described the camp as "the first concentration camp for political prisoners."
Ironically, the statement “ARBEIT MACHT FREI” appears in almost every gate of concentration camps, which means “Work will make you free.” Nevertheless, none of the prisoners would ever thought of leaving this living hell.
"Arbeit macht frei" (German pronunciation: [ˈaɐ̯baɪt ˈmaxt ˈfʁaɪ]; literally "work makes free") is a German phrase that can be translated as "work will make you free," "work liberates" or "work makes one free". The slogan is well-known for being placed at the entrances to a number of Nazi concentration camps, including most famously Auschwitz I, where it was made by prisoners with metalwork skills and erected by order of the Nazis in June 1940.
We booked the English tour at 11:00, while waiting, we wandered in the little book shop to kill time. There are so many literatures or motion pictures describe about how people suffered from the scare, horrifying atmosphere in the past.
Following the guide.
Sadly, our tour guide was from England, and he’d like to keep us in frozen snow ground for 10 minutes. The accent, the cold weather were the distractions for me, I knew 40% of what he talked about, so that I escaped from him and started the tour by my own. (There were English explanation of all the display.)
Strangedly, I reminded of the days I spent in the military camp very often while I was visiting. Maybe I had no freedom or rights I used to had that time.
They' had set so many unreasonable rules to the prisoners and killed them whatever they liked. Worst of all, they used the prisoners to do medical experiments carelessly.
It was the original building so that we can easily imagine how things happaned in the past. I was really very distressed that why can human being did those kinds of things to others.
Does the society knew about the reality that time? Did antbody do something? No, they tried to cover everything and put pressure on the press for broadcasting fake photos and description of the camp. They paraphased the concentration camp as a camp for “re-education.”
I saw many teenagers visited the sites as an educational tour. Some of them realized how things happened and started to think about this issue, while some students took this trip as a chance to have fun, hanging out with friends. I was not asking them to be that serious about it, but it’s quite annoying when I paid attention to the display and someone just fooled around with stupid laughter.
There is a chapel for people to pray for the deceased and pray for NEVER AGAIN. I prayed a little for them as well.
The statue is consist of many skeletons of people in memory of prisoners who died in that period. Everythig was covered with snow, seemed so pure and silent, but the scar remained and still need time to recovery. We should never forget about the past, as a reflection to our decision, but on the other hand, it’s time to get over and moving forward.
Between 1945 and 1948 when the camp was handed over to the Bavarian authorities, many accused war criminals and members of the SS were imprisoned at the camp.
It’s kind of weird that things happaned like this. In my mind, we have to move on, the history is a reference for decision making but not for all.
Then we went all time favorite McDonald’s for lunch. After the heavy morning, Daisuke and I decided to go BMW welt, Stephanie and Toto went back home.
Do you know what are the words abbreviated into “BMW”? Those are “Bayerische Motoren Werke” in English means “Bavarian Motor Works” Needless to say, visiting BMW is a typical tourist thing.
BMW is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini brand, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands. BMW is known for its performance and luxury vehicles, and is in fact global leader in premium car sales.
The place we went was called “BMW Welt” (English: BMW World), is a multi-functional customer experience and exhibition facility. The place is designed to present the current products of BMW, be a distribution center for BMW cars, and offer an event forum and a conference center.
They use many interactive facilities to introduce the newly hybrid technology to the public, for example, standing on a slide board to experience different angle of the car turns right or left in different mode, sport or normal mode. I saw they try very hard to promote hybride technology and environmental-friendly cars, since I’ve learned German customers care a lot about how the product would affect our living world, maybe one of the most serious customer groups.
BMW has taken measures to reduce the impact the company has on the environment. It is trying to design less-polluting cars by making existing models more efficient, as well as developing environmentally friendly fuels for future vehicles. Possibilities include: electric power, hybrid power (combustion, engines and electric motors) hydrogen engines.
Then we went back to Munich city center for more fun. Marienplatz is the center and shopping street of Munich, and there were so many Christmas market spread in Munich. Local says that Christmas market in Marienplatz is for tourists only, I think that’s true coz most of people walking around here with a camera on the hands, just like me.
Huge Christmas tree, street vendors, hot wine, heavy snow and crowded people make the Christmas world come alive, plus live chorus of holy songs, I am glad I had experienced so many different kinds of Christmas this year.
Since the weather was cold, I suggested Daisuke that we grab a beer at the pretigious Hofbrauhaus.
The Staatliches Hofbräuhaus in München (state court-brewery in Munich, also Hofbräu München) is a brewery in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, owned by the state government. The Hof (court) comes from the brewery's history as a royal brewery in the Kingdom of Bavaria.
The house was a paradise for tourist, locals and beer lover. There was a band played live music every 5 minutes, and people enjoyed the happiness and warm in the haus.
White beer and original one
Beer partner: White sausage mit sweet mustard
When the band played particular songs, the local ladies would dance together, as if nobody’s noticed them. The atmosphere were joyful. I really like this bar house, thank you Tobias!
Our final spot was: Asian market! Since I missed Chinese spicy hot pot, and Toto & Stephanie were so nice invited me to their home to have the pot. We went to Asian for traditional hotpot friend- meat balls and tofu, and to the other market for essence of the soup.
It’s awesome to have somthing extreme hot in a freezing weather! At first the girls were in the kitchen helping us, and then the boys remain to finish the rest of the cooking.
I have to say being able to cook is a blessing. I’d like to make friends through foods. Food is a best way to experience different culture and when you talk about cooking, most of people put smile on the face.
We watched “FRIENDS” while we had our meal. It was a wonderful night, and the last night in Munich. Take a look back of the day I’ve been through, I had a grieve morning and joyable for the rest of the day. Such a complicated feeling in a same day.
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