It’s not like it’s Auschwitz.

I remember thinking that as I embarked on my trip to Dachau Concentration Camp in late April 2023. I mean, yeah, the Nazis did horrible things here too, I’m sure (I didn’t actually know what had happened at Dachau), but still…it wasn’t Auschwitz.  

No one could have prepared me for what I saw, which was just a shadow of its previous brutal self, curated as a museum with its clean walls and pleasant smell. It must have been a far cry from what it had been by April 1945. Most of the buildings no longer exist, and the horror of those days has been long replaced by birds chirping in trees near the parade ground.

Yet the curators did a good job of showing the historical reality that made Dachau the dark blotch on Germany’s history that it is. Himmler had made it his prototype in 1933, shortly after the Nazi party came to power. Under his guidance, a level of brutality unmeasured by most civilizations in human history displaced any effort of real rehabilitation. Most of the early prisoners were political opponents. Seldom did they return to German society.

Then came the early victories in Poland and the annexation of Czechoslovakia. This only served to swell the ranks of Dachau’s prisoner population. In the peak of Dachau’s operations, some 60,000 persons were housed there at any given time. Many would not leave.

The ways they died are legion. Surely their blood calls out to God from the ground even now. As I toured the grounds, I was struck over and over again at how brutal humanity could be against those already made helpless. Whether dead from gunshot at a makeshift shooting range, cremated in ovens, shot attempting to escape, starvation, or from a disease, they all died without dignity under the oppressive rule of an evil authority.

I learned that several prisoners died from rushing the fence. They knew they would not escape. That was never the aim. They simply wanted to end their own suffering. I stood along part of the old fence, near a guard tower, and tried to wish they hadn’t done that. I couldn’t. I probably would have too. Or at least have considered it. Horror and brutality does something to a person. Who am I to judge someone in such agony?

I cried a little reading about the liberation, how US Soldiers liberated the camp and took out their anger on some SS men nearby. It was wrong, as far as rules of war went, but then again, I had a hard time judging them in my spirit. Then I read about how Soldiers literally killed some of the prisoners with kindness, feeding them more than they could handle. Their bodies, in shock, couldn’t process the food.

And I’d been blind to it, dreaming instead of my heroic grandfathers who flew in B-26 Marauders and B-24 Liberators into the air over France and Germany. They probably didn’t know much about Dachau either. In my childhood daydreams, I would pretend I was a pilot over Germany in 1944, never once thinking about Dachau. I only knew of Auschwitz because it was more famous for the murder of so many Jews. Even then, my knowledge went only so deep.

When I was a child, that was perhaps understandable. But as an adult, it is a travesty. I have no excuse to be in Dachau as clueless as I was in April. What else was I blind to? If I’d been in such denial about the horrors of Dachau, what else was I in denial about? Was I even fully cognizant about the gruesome history in my own country?

I wanted to be fair to myself. No one can know the width and depth of history. Even those who study it for their vocation focus on one general area (or even a specialized one). The scope of human history is too broad. But that doesn’t give me permission to be clueless about history either. Like always, there’s a balance, and I want to find it. I hope you do too.

Until next time…

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I went to Burg Hohenneuffen on the recommendation of a German neighbor, and I couldn’t have been happier. So first off, if you’ve stumbled upon this blog post because you’re thinking about going to Burg Hohenneuffen, think no more. Go!

Hohenneuffen was built between 1100 and 1120, which makes it roughly 900 years old. It’s another stark example of just how little frame of reference an American traveler like myself has for this level of history. I’m so grateful for this trip.

Getting to Burg Hohenneuffen is fairly simple. I was coming from Stuttgart, so about an hour drive, but wherever you are in Germany or eastern France, you’re not far and putting the location in your GPS will take you right to it. I found out the hard way that some castle ruins aren’t so easy to find. There’s one I still have to go look for again because I drove around what should have been the entrance for almost an hour before giving up and going home.

That’s not the case with Burg Hohenneuffen, however. The directions get you right to it and parking is easy. Once you’re parked, it’s a simple 15-minute walk to the castle itself.

The owners of the fortress host many events there, such as weddings, office holiday parties, and the like. I got a little worried that maybe that’s all they did (meaning that I couldn’t go an poke around on my own), so I reached out to the contact on the website and received a wonderful email back from the owner, saying, “You can visit the castle by your own. We are looking forward to welcome you.” – Pascall

Just as soon as you go through the entrance, you’re face to face with the daunting walls of the castle proper. No picture will really do. You have to see it for yourself. Having said that, the walls are tall, sturdy…the word impregnable comes to mind. Since I’ve also toured the Wartburg Castle in Germany and the Warwick Castle in England, I feel like I know a thing or two about that word, and it is suitable for Hohenneuffen.

Something I enjoyed immensely about Burg Hohenneuffen is that you’re literally seeing how it was built up from the rock base (the walls were built from a nearby quary). Obviously that rock face makes it impossible for an invading force to attack it. The only way into the castle was through the entrance that you take from the parking lot. It’s just wonderful to see how it was laid out, and to try and imagine what the original designers were thinking.

The castle had a main corridor just off the courtyard (where the restaurant and coffee shop are). Like a 5 year old who’s parents turned away from him for a minute, I went through the corridor, almost slipping a few times on damp rocks, to uncover a part of the castle that “needs” renovation. I hope they never do it. There’s a certain level of history that needs to be left as time has affected it. That’s just my opinion, of course, but I enjoyed finding a few rooms that were in states of decay.

Back in the courtyard, I enjoyed a cappuccino in the cool morning air and took in my surroundings. For some reason, I failed to take a photo of the courtyard. Oh well. Guess I’ll just have to go back!

If you want to see a castle that isn’t over-hyped but still gives you a good feel for the history of Germany’s medieval period, I can’t recommend Burg Hohenneuffen enough. If you’ve gone to the castle, let me know what you thought in the comments. If you plan to go, shoot me a note to ask any questions!

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I was privileged to visit Germany for several weeks this spring for business, and in doing so, I was also presented the amazing opportunity to tour several areas of the country. Long story short, Germany is quickly becoming a favorite country for me. Of course, I say that about almost every country I visit.

Erfurt was a part of my mini-pilgrimage to learn more about Martin Luther from the sites where he lived and worked. In his late teens and early 20s, Martin Luther was a student at Erfurt University. After entering the monastery in Erfurt, he was ordained at the Erfurt Cathedral and, as a Protestant Reformer, preached at the Barefoot Church in 1529.

Speaking of the Barefoot Church, I stayed at the Ibis Hotel right across a narrow street from it. The Ibis was a really nice hotel. Rooms were small, but effective (efficient?) and up to the task. I needed a desk, a chair, a bed, and a shower. I got all those things and a great view of the Barefoot Church. The disadvantages of staying there are the additional cost of parking (15 Euros) and the cost of staying so close to Old Town. My room was close to 200 Euros.

Food and Language

I had been warned by a member of the hotel staff at home base that, the further I went away from the city, the less English would be spoken. I knew that would be true (it had been true at every place I’d visited overseas before), but I didn’t realize how much it would affect me. When traveling through Asia, I know the other person (whether hotel staff, restaurant staff, or a tourist location staff) would know it. I was a white guy in Korea, Taiwan, or Japan.

Germany, however, was a different situation altogether. People expected me to communicate with them in German. I was not prepared for how uncomfortable it would make me feel. I wish I didn’t feel that way, and to combat it in the future, I intend to focus on my German so the next visit doesn’t feel that way.

Having said that, once I found a restaurant that spoke enough English to accept my halted efforts at ordering food, I enjoyed dinner immensely. The Restaurant Schnitzler was really good. Very affordable. The staff was amazing. Made me feel comfortable with communication, had great service, food was amazing (currywurst and fries), and they had a great beer list. Full view of the Domplatz and Erfurt Cathedral, providing ample opportunity to people watch and enjoy a warm evening. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Old Town Erfurt.

It began to rain shortly after dinner, so while walking around Old Town Erfurt, I happened upon Pub Molly Malone. I figured an Irish pub had a good chance of having someone who could speak English, so I gave it a go. Very grateful I did! It was a fun place to grab a few drinks and enjoy a football (soccer) match.

The Barefoot Church and Layered History

On to the walking tour!

The Barefoot Church is very interesting. It’s part of a concept I’ve been thinking about called “Layered History.” Not something many of us Americans have reference for. When our country only goes back several hundred years, it’s difficult to imagine looking at a cathedral that was first built in 1244 by Franciscans, rebuilt with the original stained-glass windows in 1316 and finished in the 1400s. Luther preached there in 1529, after the Reformation was well underway, it was bombed in an allied raid in 1944 and never fully rebuilt, and I, a traveler in 2023, gazed on its beauty from the hotel across the street. I want to delve more into this in the coming weeks and months in terms of religious history, specifically the Reformation up to the modern church, but even considering the secular architecture, it’s a fascinating concept.

The Cathedral of St. Mary and Church of St. Severus.

Since my visit to Erfurt was part of my Martin Luther pilgrimage, I was, of course, drawn to the Erfurt Cathedral (known officially as The Cathedral of St. Mary and Church of St. Severus). On April 3rd, 1507, Luther was ordained a Roman Catholic priest at the cathedral. While not necessarily part of reformation history, it is nevertheless part of Luther’s “making of the man” and therefore important to me.

Honestly, it’s just a gorgeous building, full of rich history and architecture. The plaza where it is located is just as pretty, for different reasons. It’s a must for any trip to Erfurt, whether you’re Roman Catholic or not.

St. Augustine’s Monastery

Martin Luther studied here from summer of 1505 to autumn of 1511 after declaring to St. Anna in a thunderstorm that he’d become a monk if she saved him. Visiting the monastery was important for me because it was part of Luther’s life. I had, admittedly, also hoped for some inspiration on my own behalf while visiting Erfurt, and part of that would have come from the monastery. Still, the overall focus was to see where Luther had lived, prayed, and worked.

Krämerbrücke

So the Krämerbrücke is an interesting site to visit. I didn’t spend a great deal of time there, mostly because my focus was on sites pertaining to Martin Luther, but I did visit. It’s a bunch of shops along a walking bridge. The claim to fame is that it’s the largest of its kind north of the Alps. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it in my travels. Again, while I wasn’t there for things like Krämerbrücke, I was glad I visited.

Anyone wanting to see some of Germany’s history should put Erfurt on the list. The Old Town area is lovely. Great sites to see, food to eat, people to watch, and history to learn and experience. Let me know in the comments if you’ve been there, or if you intend to go there!

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