2. Purpose of Dachau
Established in 1933
First regular concentration camp
Started by the Nazis
Built for political prisoners of the Nazi Party
Also built to train SS Concentration Camp
guards
3. General Information
Located 10 miles northwest of Munich,
Germany
On the first day opened, there were 1,200
inmates
During its first year, there were 4,800
prisoners
Most of the prisoners were German
communists
4. Capacities
The camp was built to hold about 5,000
prisoners by 1945
By this year, there were approximately
206,206 prisoners registered to be held
there
5. Deaths
The actual number of deaths is unknown
Registered deaths as an estimate was around
31,591 dead
These deaths were mostly caused by natural
means, exposure, disease, or executions
6. People of the Camp
Started out holding only German communists
Grew to hold social democrats, trade
unionists, political opponents of the Nazis,
Jehovah’s Witnesses, Gypsies, homosexuals,
asocials, and criminal offenders
7. Jews
Jews were held in the camps previously
After November 10-11 (Kristallnacht), a larger
number of Jews were incorporated into the
camp
About 10,000 Jewish men were sent to
Dachau
8. The Grounds
Dachau was made up of 2 sections
Camp Area
Crematorium
Made up of 32 barracks
Had a courtyard made to execute prisoners
in
Surrounded by an electric barbed fence, a
large ditch, and 7 guard towers to prevent
prisoners from escaping
9. Medical Experiments
Prisoners were used as test subjects for
medical experiments
Experiments led by Dr. Sigmund Rascher
Benefited the German Air Force by
conducting high altitude tests
Experiments done on 180-200 prisoners
70-80 of those died from the experiments
10. Disposing of the Dead
The deaths at Dachau estimate around
32,000
Initially, the dead were buried in graves
In 1941, there was a body disposal issue
Used crematorium to dispose of bodies in
response to the problem
