Newsletter Issue 8, Summer 2017
Dear Readers,
This newsletter in its new form contains, first and
foremost, insights into the broad spectrum of work currently being done at Dachau
Concentration Camp Memorial Site, whose tasks include commemoration and
education, exhibitions, applied research, and meetings. The significance relevance
of memorial sites, both historically and with relevance to the present day, is
greater than ever in a time when extremist attitudes and populist right-wing
parties are resurgent, and international refugee movements are increasing.
According to the most recent study by the Bertelsmann Foundation, one-third of
all Germans hold populist views. The results of the analysis of last year’s
visitors to Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site show that these visitors
are increasingly international and, especially with regard to their prior
expectations, heterogeneous.
Hence we are very pleased
that the “Remembrance, Responsibility, and Future” Foundation has approved the
project “Diversity, Remembrance, History – Education for Advocates of a
Heterogeneous Society”. It was developed by the staff of the Max Mannheimer
Study Center in cooperation with Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, the
Dachau Forum – Katholische Erwachsenenbildung e.V. Catholic
adult education group, and the Netzwerk Rassismus- und Diskriminierungsfreies
Bayern e.V., a Bavarian anti-racism and anti-discrimination network. The
project involves planning, implementing, and performing follow-up work for a
training course aimed equally at people with and without a migrant background,
immigrants, and refugees. Concepts for tours and study programs are being
developed, which take account of the challenges of historical-political
education in an immigration society.
The staff members
are also taking up construction issues, especially considering the upcoming thorough
renovation of the Memorial Site. Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site
offered various themed tours[1]
in its capacity as a cooperation partner in the “Authenticity as Capital of
Historic Places” conference (March 1 – 3, 2017) developed by the following educational
and historical research institutes: Zentrum für Zeithistorische
Forschung, Institut für Zeitgeschichte, Georg-Eckert-Institut für internationale
Schulbuchforschung, Leibniz-Institut für Europäische Geschichte Mainz and the
Leibniz-Forschungsverbund Historische Authentizität. The renovation of the parking area
is also taking on ever more tangible form. The detailed planning and call for
tenders will begin in the autumn. Construction is to start in February 2018,
and the two-stage project is intended to be completed in the autumn of 2019.
Another important concern of our staff is to continue improving
accessibility, not only to the buildings themselves, but also in the area of
educational opportunities. This year, new ramps are being set up to facilitate
access to the main exhibition.
Of the many projects currently ongoing at Dachau
Concentration Camp Memorial Site, I would like to introduce you to three that will
greatly enhance the current exhibition. First, there are the new multimedia
stations “From 1916 to the Present. Dachau concentration camp in the course of
time”; and then there is the project sponsored by BMW AG, “Media Stations on the
Former Subcamps of Dachau Concentration Camp”; and finally, the refurbishing of
the eight glass cases in the former shunt room with original effects. These
projects will conclude the continuous revision and addition to the current
permanent exhibition, which began in 2011.
I hope you enjoy reading this newsletter, and would
like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest and support. We
are looking forward to being able to welcome you at our upcoming events.
Best regards,
Gabriele Hammermann
[1] ”Dachau as an Authentic Site? Memorial site tour focusing on preliminary considerations and the planned reconception of exhibitions at Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site”, “Transformation as Authenticity – Constant Change as an Essential Characteristic of the Site. Questions concerning the productive handling of the situation at Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, which has been overly transformed in an artistic sense”, “Is That Real?” – Questions, opportunities, and problems related to visitor expectations as reflected in the educational work at Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site”, “Authenticity as a Consequence of Vacancy, Lack of Upkeep, and Utilization without Investment.
Tour focusing on the history of the buildings of the former prison camp and the “Herb Garden” with the historical buildings of the former educational and research institute of the SS commercial enterprises”.
Coming dates
From 1916 to the present. Dachau concentration camp in the course of time
The area that accommodated Dachau concentration camp from 1933 to 1945 has been constantly changing from ...read more
Repatriation in Europe, 1945
We extend a heartfelt invitation to you to attend the presentation of the new issue of the journal “Konzentrationslager”: Tuesday, October 17, 2017, at 7:00 pm in the Visitor Center of Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, Pater-Roth-Straße 2a For further information on the journal please refer to the literature tips below. ...read more
Thematic tours and excursions
More detailed information on the respective tours is available in our event calendar Bildungsprogramm (pdf in German, 868 KB). Please note that the thematic tours and excursions will be given in German. Thematic tour: Tweetup – digital tour of the Memorial Site Saturday, August 26, 2017, 2:00-4:30 pm Guide: Steffen Jost, Guide ...read more
News
Presentation of the historic camp gate in the permanent exhibit
Representatives of the political community and the Memorial Site received the gate in Dachau when it was returned in February 2017. The Board of Trustees of the Stiftung Bayerische Gedenkstätten (Bavarian Memorial Foundation) decided not to continue using it at its former location. Following the restoration work and a ...read more
New tour brochure
The tour brochure will briefly present the current state of research on the history of Dachau concentration camp and its subsequent history from 1945 to the present, illustrated by many current and historical photographs, as well as drawings and reports by survivors. Using the general maps, visitors will be ...read more
Memorial Site app available for free download
Apart from practical tips on how to get there, visiting hours, and service facilities, the app also provides information on all the opportunities offered by the Memorial Site for coming to grips with the place and its history. The app provides insights into the main exhibition in the former ...read more
Audio guide in Turkish
In 2016 around 180,000 audio guide devices were loaned out. The demand for English, French, Italian, and Spanish is especially high. However, the use of audioguides in Mandarin, Portuguese, and Hungarian is also increasing. The audioguides provide an overview of the history of the place and the topics of rights ...read more
New concept for the folders of reading materials
The reports and pictorial documents in the folders are ideal for individual visitors, in particular, who want to get a better idea of specific exhibits in the exhibition. Arranged on lecterns, they make use of reports by the inmates themselves and other source documents to give their readers insights ...read more
Learning – Remembrance – Meeting
Guiding principle of the Education Department at Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site The Education Department explains its self-concept and the overriding goals of its educational work in this brochure. The cornerstone of the educational work done at Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site is the historical site itself – a place with ...read more
News from the Archive
The Archive and the collection at the Memorial Site got their start from an initiative of the survivors of Dachau concentration camp, who collected material for an exhibition in the former maintenance building in the late 1950s. In the process, contact and communication with their former comrades was of ...read more
New staff at Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site
Maximilian Lütgens has been standing in for Rebecca Ribarek as educational assistant in the Education ...read more
Projects
Sign language app
Like the Memorial Site app, the planned sign language app is intended to be available for download free of charge from Apple Store and Google Playstore. It will enable hearing-impaired and deaf persons to discover the premises and the permanent exhibition of the Memorial Site on their own at ...read more
Media stations on the former subcamps and external work details of Dachau concentration camp
The project, sponsored by BMW AG, plans to provide future visitors with basic information on all 140 former subcamps and external work details of Dachau concentration camp on large, interactive displays in the Memorial Site and digitally on the website. The information provided will include how long the camps ...read more
Revision of the glass showcases in the “shunt room”
The new concept places the focus squarely on the function of the “shunt room” as ...read more
Commemoration days
Commemoration days
50 years ago Ludwig Wörl (1906−1967) died on August 27, 1967. A Munich native, he was arrested while handing out leaflets in May 1934 and taken to Dachau. In his function as nurse at the inmate infirmary, he was able to save the lives of many prisoners. He continued his ...read more
Literature tips
Literature tips
Meyer, Beate: Fritz Benscher. Ein Holocaust-Überlebender als Rundfunk- und Fernsehstar in der Bundesrepublik, Göttingen − Wallstein 2017 Jew, concentration camp survivor, Hamburg native in Bavaria, yet still a favorite of the public: the actor and quizmaster Fritz Benscher. “Unfortunately, the ‘Fuehrer’ didn’t like me very much.” This is how Fritz Benscher ...read more
