![]() ![]() Jews again figured among its prisoner population when death marches brought thousands of prisoners from these camps in the east into the German interior. Following the deportation of German Jews to ghettos and killing centers in the German-occupied east, the population of Jews in Dachau decreased dramatically. Most of the men in this group were released after incarceration of a few weeks to a few months, many after proving they had made arrangements to emigrate from Germany. On November 10–11, 1938, in the aftermath of Kristallnacht, almost 11,000 Jewish men were interned there. The number of Jewish prisoners at Dachau rose with the increased persecution of Jews. The camp's organization and routine became the model for all Nazi concentration camps. ![]() The Dachau camp was a training center for SS concentration camp guards. Dachau thus remained in operation for the entire period of the Third Reich. ![]() The construction was officially completed in mid-August 1938 and the camp remained essentially unchanged until 1945. Prisoners were forced to do this work, starting with the destruction of the old munitions factory, under terrible conditions. In early 1937, the SS, using prisoner labor, began construction of a large complex of buildings on the grounds of the original camp. It also became a training center for SS guards who were deployed throughout the concentration camp system. When Eicke became Inspector of the newly established German concentration camp system, he ensured that the Dachau camp served as a model for all later concentration camps. In October, 1933, Dachau’s commandant, Theodor Eicke, introduced a system of regulations which inflicted brutal punishments on prisoners for the slightest offenses. During the early years relatively few Jews were interned in Dachau and then usually because they belonged to one of the above groups or had completed prison sentences after being convicted for violating the Nuremberg Laws of 1935. Over time, other groups were also interned at Dachau, such as Jehovah's Witnesses, Roma (Gypsies), gay men, as well as "asocials" and repeat criminal offenders. Initially the internees were primarily German Communists, Social Democrats, trade unionists, and other political opponents of the Nazi regime. Prisoners in the Early Years of the Campĭuring the first year, the camp had a capacity of 5,000 prisoners. On March 22, 1933, the first prisoner transports arrived at the camp. It was located on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory near the northeastern part of the town of Dachau, about 10 miles northwest of Munich in southern Germany. Heinrich Himmler, as police president of Munich, officially described the camp as "the first concentration camp for political prisoners." It was the first regular concentration camp established by the National Socialist (Nazi) government. The Dachau concentration camp was established in March 1933. ![]()
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