Why Dachau
Dachau is a major district town in Upper Bavaria, situated roughly 20 kilometers (12 miles) northwest of Munich in southern Germany. Home to approximately 45,000 residents, it serves as a popular residential area for commuters working in Munich. The town lies along the Amper River at an elevation of 483 meters above sea level, set beside lateral moraines from the last ice age, the Amper glacial valley, and the Dachauer Moos wetlands. Its historic center is situated on an elevation known as the Schlossberg.
Traces of human activity in the area date back to the Stone Age, followed by Celtic settlement around 1000 B.C. and Roman integration into the province of Rhaetia. Dachau was first documented in August 805 A.D. as Dahauua, a name tied to Celtic and Old High German words for loamy soil and flooded land. During the Middle Ages, the town became a residence for a branch of the Wittelsbach family, who purchased the land and granted market rights during the 13th century.
Between 1546 and 1577, the Wittelsbachs constructed Dachau Palace in a Renaissance style, which architect Joseph Effner later remodeled in the early 18th century. After three wings were demolished in the early 19th century due to decay, the surviving west wing retained a dance hall with garden views and a carved Renaissance wooden ceiling. Between 1890 and 1914, Dachau flourished as a prominent landscape art colony, attracting numerous artists and authors.
Visitors to the town can explore the historic center, which includes the Town Hall, the 17th-century Church of St. Jakob, and the 15th-century Church of St. Nicolas and St. Mary in Mitterndorf. Dachau is also globally recognized for the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site. Constructed by the Nazi regime in 1933 at a former gunpowder factory, it was the first large-scale German concentration camp and operated until 1945, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of prisoners.
The city spans three main areas—Historic Center, Dachau-East, and Dachau-South—and is crossed by watercourses including the Würm, Gröbenbach, Mühlbach canal, and surviving portions of the 18th-century Schleißheimer Canal. Local public transit relies on the main railway station, which connects to Deutsche Bahn and Munich S-Bahn line S2 services, alongside a central bus terminal. Regional road transport is facilitated by Autobahns A8, A92, and A99, as well as Bundesstraßen 304 and 471.
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