We went on a walking tour through Munich's Marionplatz (the shopping area in Munich that is for pedestrians only). A lot of the churches and other buildings had to be reconstructed because they were damaged during WWII. Afterwards we visited the Museum of National Socialism in Munich. The tour talked a lot about how propaganda from the Nazis heavily influenced the people of the time.
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| Gate from the wall that used to surround Munich. Now the entrance to Marionplatz. |
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| Church of Priest Rupert Mayer who is now going through the process of becoming a Saint. He spoke out against the Nazis in his sermons and was sent to a concentration camp as a consequence. |
Augustina Brewery and Beer House
Headquarters of the Munich police; formerly the headquarters of the SS
This church was designed to look longer than it actually is. Also the windows were built so that they can't be seen from the back of the church. This was to trick the devil into believing that God was already present in the church and making it light so the devil would leave.
Town hall where we watched the Glockenspeil
Maypole representing Bavaria
One of the seven breweries in Munich
The room in the Hofbrauhaus where Hitler first proposed his ideas for the Nazi party
Model of Munich as it was in the 1900's
Day 3 - Dachau Concentration Camp
We visited Dachau concentration camp. It was not at all what I expected. For one, it is in the middle of a town. You could see people's modern houses from the middle of the central courtyard. There were a lot of people posing for pictures. Also the camp was very pretty. There was a lot of grass and trees all around. It was very hard to imagine what it was like for the people who were imprisoned there because of the touristy atmosphere. I was expected a very solemn memorial. Afterwards, we talked to a Holocaust survivor. His story made it much easier to develop an understanding of what people in concentration camps and the ghettos went through.
Gates of Dachau. It says "Abreit macht frei" or "Work will set you free"
Our group with the Holocaust survivor.
Day 4 - Walking Tour of Nazi Munich and the World Cup
Today we went on another walking tour of Munich. This one emphasized buildings and memorials from the Nazi reign. Many of the buildings built during the Nazi era have since been destroyed. Others have been repurposed to be used for purposes that the Nazis would have disapproved of. In doing so the Germans are trying to distance themselves from their past.
Memorial for a synagogue destroyed by the Nazis during the war
Lion outside the palace gates. Rubbing the bottom of the shield brings good luck.
Palace in Munich from when there was a monarchy
The gold bricks mark the path of passive protesters to the Nazi reign. They took this path to avoid walking through the square where they would have to salute.
The front of the palace
This garden used to be private for the royal family.
This has nothing to do with Nazi Munich, but these people were surfing on a man-made spot in the river.
Memorial for all the victims of the Nazis; those persecuted for their politics, their race, their religion, the sexual identity, and there handicaps.
Memorial for the Sinti and the Roma
Hitler paved over this square in order to conduct marches.
Memorial to the White Rose movement. These plaques set in the ground are replicas of the pamphlets handed out my White Rose members.
Memorial to the 7 members of the White Rose who were killed.
Today we also took a trip to the Olympic Stadium in Munich from 1972. They had a live public showing of the Germany-France World Cup game. It was crazy. Germans are really into their soccer! The cheers after the goal and when the game ended were so loud. Everyone was on their feet screaming.
Olympic Stadium
Yay Germany! The crowd's reaction to the win.
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