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Dachau

 
Dictionary: Da·chau   ('kou', -KHou') pronunciation
 

A city of southeast Germany north-northwest of Munich. It was the site of a Nazi concentration camp built in 1935 and captured by the Allies in April 1945. Population: 40,500.

 

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Dachau ('khou) , city, Bavaria, S Germany, on the Amper River; chartered in 1391. It is a rail junction and its industries include the production of paper, cardboard, electrical equipment, and textiles. There is a 16th-century castle. Nearby was (1933–45) the first Nazi concentration camp, which today has a number of memorials and a museum. Records indicate that at least 32,000 inmates died at the Dachau concentration camp, and numberless more were transported to extermination camps in Poland.


 
Wikipedia: Dachau
Top
Dachau
Coat of arms of Dachau
Dachau is located in Germany
Dachau
Dachau
Administration
Country Germany
State Bavaria
Admin. region Upper Bavaria
District Dachau
Lord Mayor Peter Bürgel (CSU)
Basic statistics
Area 34.85 km2 (13.46 sq mi)
Elevation 482 m  (1581 ft)
Population 40,570  (31 March 2007)
 - Density 1,164 /km2 (3,015 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate DAH
Postal code 85221
Area code 08131
Website www.dachau.de
Location of the town of Dachau within Dachau district
Map

Coordinates: 48°15′37″N 11°26′3″E / 48.26028°N 11.43417°E / 48.26028; 11.43417

Dachau: Church of St Jakob

Dachau is a town in Upper Bavaria, in the southern part of Germany. It is a major district town—a Große Kreisstadt—of the administrative region of Upper Bavaria, about 20 km north-west of Munich. It is now a popular residential area for people working in Munich with roughly 40,000 inhabitants. The town contains a historic town centre with a 18th century castle.

Dachau was founded in the 8th century. It was home to many artists during the late 19th and early 20th century; for instance, Ludwig Thoma was born here.

Contents

History

Prehistoric times and Early Middle Ages

There are signs of settlement as far back as the Stone Age. The earliest known reference to Dahauua[1] dates back to 805 AD: on August 15, on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, during Charlemagne's reign, the lady Erchana of the Aribons bequeathed all her landed property in "Dahauua", consisting of 5 Colonenhöfe and some serfs, to the Diocese of Freising upon her death. The deed on which this is recorded represents the earliest known reference to Dachau. 2005 was the 1200th anniversary of this occasion.

Middle Ages

From the 12th century, Dachau was a summer residence for several Bavarian princes. Between 1240 and 1270, Dachau was granted market privileges, first by Duke Otto II, and then by his son, Duke Ludwig II der Strenge.

16th century

Between 1546 and 1577, the House of Wittelsbach built Dachau Palace in the Renaissance style. From June 1715 to Autumn 1717, Joseph Effner converted the Palace to a more modern style.

Second World War

In 1933, the Dachau concentration camp was built east of the city by the German government and was operated until 1945. It became the prototype for all other camps. 190,591 prisoners died or were exterminated.[citation needed]

Geography

Geographical location

Dachau is located just 20 km northwest of Munich. It is situated by the river Amper, with a boundary demarcated by lateral moraines formed during the last ice age and the Amper glacial valley. It is also close to a large marshy area called Dachauer Moos.

Neighbouring municipalities

Adjacent municipalities are Bergkirchen to the West, Schwabhausen and Hebertshausen to the north and Karlsfeld to the south. To the east, Dachau is bordered by the municipality of Oberschleißheim, which is part of the rural district of Munich.

Parts of the town

Dachau consists of three central divisions:

  • The old town: Altstadt, Mitterndorf, Udlding, Etzenhausen, Unterer Markt
  • Dachau East: Oberaugustenfeld, Unteraugustenfeld, Polln, Obergrashof, parts of Prittlbach
  • Dachau South: Himmelreich, Holzgarten, parts of Gröbenried

The areas Pellheim, Pullhausen, Assenhausen, Lohfeld and Viehhausen were incorporated into Dachau in 1972.

Transport

The city is served by Munich S-Bahn (S2) and Deutsche Bahn via Dachau railway station located in the South of the town. The station is also annexed to the central bus terminal. The town is also served by Dachau Stadt Railway Station which serves the local A line with the rural vicinity. There are five bus lines which are operated by Stadtwerke Dachau: 719, 720, 722, 724 and 726. There is no tramway transport.

Dachau has a well developed road infrastructure for regional transportation. The city is connected to Bundesautobahn 8 (via Fürstenfeldbruck) with Munich-Pasing southbound, and westbound terminating in Karlsruhe. Dachau is connected to Bundesautobahn 92 via Oberschleißheim connector which is located east of Dachau. Bundesautobahn 99 is connected with Dachau via Karlsfeld which is located south of Dachau. Bundesstraße No. 471 (via Rothschwaige) connects eastbound towns such as the neighboring city Fürstenfeldbruck and westbound towns such as Oberschleißheim. Bundesstraße No. 304 starts in the south of the city and connects southbound towns until the German-Austrian border. Additionally, several Staatsstraßen connect Dachau with surrounding towns and villages.

Sights

Dachau in autumn 2002
  • Dachau Palace: A medieval castle which became the favourite residence of the Bavarian dukes in the 16th century. It was renovated into an enormous four-wing complex. Only one wing exists today.
  • Palace garden: a landscape garden.
  • Church of St Jakob (St James), built in the 17th century (Stadtpfarrkirche)
  • Old town
  • Town hall
  • Dachauer Moos: a wetland area.
  • Church of St Nicolas, Mitterndorf (1496)
  • Dachau Concentration Camp memorial Site: Dachau is best known for its proximity to the relatively well-preserved site of the infamous Dachau concentration camp, the first large-scale concentration camp in Germany, converted from an old gunpowder factory by the Nazi regime in 1933.
Dachau South
Dachau South

Twin towns

Dachau is a member of Euroart, the European Federation of Artists' Colonies[2].

People

Famous people who lived, worked or were born in Dachau include

References

  1. ^ Dahauua: possibly meaning "clayey wetland"
  2. ^ http://euroartcities.eu/


This article incorporates information from the revision as of 2006-11-24 of the equivalent article on the German Wikipedia.

Literature

  • Hans-Günther Richardi: Dachauer Zeitgeschichtsführer. Stadt Dachau, Dachau 1998 (German)

External links


 
 
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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
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