A horrible place with a dark past

72

By goody7

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It's a horrible place with a dark past, and it's a place on this earth like no other. The gates forever hold the hatred and horrors of a time gone mad in this world. Dachau was one of many Nazi concentration camps with the sole purpose of the extermination of fellow human beings. I was personally there just thirty years after the camp was liberated by the allies, and all of the photographs in this hub I personally took at that time. I debated for a long time on if I should do this hub, and I finally decided to go ahead with it. Those that are responsible for what transpired at Dachau, and so many other camps like it have most likely already answered for what they have done. Sure there are those that probably squeezed through the cracks and escaped man-made justice, but if it hasn't happened already when their judgment day comes they will answer to a much higher power for what they have done.

Dachau unfortunately was in operation from 1933 to 1945, and I'm not about to post any of the statistics here. But it's in this writer's opinion that what happened to just one person there, much less the masses, was totally unacceptable in the eyes of all of man kind. Hopefully the lessons from what happened at Dachau, and what was learned there will never be forgotten. However some of the reporting from wars since world war two have shown that was not to be quite true, and a different story all together. It's hard to imagine that not to far away from Dachau, nestled in the German Alps was a place called the Eagles Nest. That's where the Nazi leadership vacationed without a worry in the world about what was happening around them.

I discovered many years latter of what I know now about Dachau. In a confined area of that size, there's no way so many people could have perished without leaving some kind of presence behind. When I exited through those gates of Dachau something has always stayed inside of me to this day, which is why I wanted to write this hub. Someone just the other day in a totally unrelated conversation mentioned the word "poor soles" to me, and immediately my mind drifted back to all of those who never made it out of the gates of Dachau. There's not a whole lot I can tell you about this horrible place that you don't already know, so this hub is merely just a collection of my thoughts. But there is something that I heard a while back that I would like to share with you, before I go. That is that inside the fenced compound of Dachau, no flowers grow on the ground and you'll never hear any birds singing. Thinking back this all is so very true. I don't remember anything growing on the ground at Dachau, and I know I never saw a bird, much less heard one single bird sing.

Comments

stessily profile image

stessily Level 8 Commenter 3 months ago

goody7, One spiritual view of this earthly existence is that this planet is a patchwork of sacred and profane spaces. Whatever the land on which Dachau concentration camp is located was before it was converted from an abandoned munitions factory into the first Nazi concentration camp is unknown, perhaps forever unknowable. What is known is that the place is now profane, so profane that, as you point out, nothing grows or lives there.

These two sentences you wrote are compelling and haunting: "In a confined area of that size, there's no way so many people could have perished without leaving some kind of presence behind. When I exited through those gates of Dachau something has always stayed inside of me to this day. . ."

Dachau and all places like it are sad, mute testaments to the dark side of the human mind.

Thank you for sharing your personal experience with this haunting reminder "of a time gone mad in this world."

dazzlejazz profile image

dazzlejazz Level 1 Commenter 3 months ago

Lest we forget.

nityanandagaurang profile image

nityanandagaurang 3 months ago

Very horrible history about dachau goody7.The is quite matching with your hub.These places atleast should give some lesson to modern politician that leave all hatred,arm race and move toward peace.Interesting and voting up.

Derdriu profile image

Derdriu Level 8 Commenter 3 months ago

Goody7, What an elegant, eloquent, enduring tribute to those who experienced the horrors of Dachau! It's because of elegies such as yours that the world remembers and will not forget. Birds don't sing, and flowers don't grow, but the spirits of those who were there persist. Nature is letting us know that this place is distinct, not for good reasons in terms of its purpose. But the place must stand out so that those who were there do not suffer or die in vain. We know, we remember, we care.

Thank you for sharing, voted up + all (but funny),

Derdriu

Parks McCants profile image

Parks McCants Level 3 Commenter 2 months ago

I have cell memory that is jolted by the immages shared here. Cooper.Gettiman.Kaufman. Gone!

We can't afford to forget...

Kayleesnider profile image

Kayleesnider 8 weeks ago

Good to know about this. Thanks for sharing goody...

SubRon7 profile image

SubRon7 Level 7 Commenter 6 weeks ago

Wow, great hub, Goody7. What you said about no flowers or birds caused a huge rumble of goosepimples down my back, but I do believe that Mother Nature would know.

Rosemay50 profile image

Rosemay50 Level 8 Commenter 6 weeks ago

That no birds sing and no flowers grow, brings on overwhelming thoughts.

This is too horrendous and heart breaking for me to say more

mizjo profile image

mizjo Level 3 Commenter 6 weeks ago

Goody7, you very eloquently put into words what many feel about the evil and horror of Dachau and other places of suffering and death like it.

May the memory of the suffering endured there stop us in these modern times from perpetuating that same story. We pray that our governments will be wise and kind to the vanquished in our perpetual wars.

Voted up and beautiful. And I'm following you.

old albion profile image

old albion Level 4 Commenter 5 weeks ago

Hi Goody7. 'Lest We Forget' Thank you.

Graham.

xstatic profile image

xstatic Level 6 Commenter 3 weeks ago

An excellent reminder of the evil that men can do in the name of patriotism and the grasp for power.

BeyondMax profile image

BeyondMax Level 5 Commenter 7 days ago

Heartfelt and thoughtful story. It's just so scary and chilling to look at the pictures and read about it, horrible history of humankind. 'Lest we forget'

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