Traces of the Past

Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site; Gabriele Hammermann; Anja Henschel; Albert Knoll

doi:10.5771/9783748960089

Summary

In 2016 and 2017, archaeological excavations by the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Monuments in a section of the former Dachau subcamp complex Allach uncovered over 1000 objects from the concentration camp period and the various postwar reuses of the grounds. On the initiative of the Comité International de Dachau, the found pieces passed into the possession of the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site.The site at Allach was the largest subcamp in Munich. Here concentration camp prisoners performed forced labor for BMW in aircraft engine manufacturing and the construction of a bunker for production.The archaeological finds are the focal point of the exhibition “Traces of the Past. The Allach Subcamp Complex” which was presented at the Dachau Memorial Site from 2020 to 2022. These finds are complemented by a historical framework narrative using photographs, plans and maps, and film material. The catalogue presents the whole of the exhibition and also contains essays by researchers involved in the interdisciplinary exhibition project, providing an in-depth coverage of specific issues, both archaeological and historical: the excavation campaign, the analysis of the finds, the Allach subcamp and its importance in the Dachau camp system, the postwar reusages of the former camp grounds, and historical film material. Contemporary witnesses tell of their experiences in the camp complex. The exhibition and catalogue are dedicated to these survivors and the memory of the scores of victims at Allach.