The dark past of Munich

I’m currently in Munich, the heart of Bavaria. While it’s the most popular city to live in Germany with high living standards and a bustling economy, unfortunately the name is often associated with tragic events.

During the Olympic Games of 1972, 17 people were killed in a terrorist incident. But there is an even darker past beneath the surface. Situated 10 miles from the city, Dachau was the first concentration camp constructed. The wrought iron gates still carry the mocking words “Arbeit macht frei”. It’s a horrible place but also an important memorial to all those people who suffered and died there.

But unlike many other cities, Munich doesn’t seem to shy away from the darker bits of its history. Later this year a new documentation site will open on the site of the so-called Brown House, the former Nazi party headquarters in the city.

Englischer Garten in Munich.

The city was almost leveled during the second World War, and later completely rebuilt while preserving its pre-war street grid. Fortunately most of the atrocities seem quite distant when strolling through the city gardens on a sunny day.