Dachau opened in Germany in March 1933. It was the first regular concentration camp of the Nazi regime. Prisoners were subjected to horrific conditions, forced labor, and medical experiments. Dachau became the model for all Nazi concentration camps. It was liberated by American forces on April 29, 1945.
![View of barracks and the ammunition factory in one of the first photos of Dachau concentration camp. [LCID: 55229]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/7802116f-0bb3-4c11-a035-3c3477458198.jpg "View of barracks and the ammunition factory in one of the first photos of Dachau concentration camp. [LCID: 55229]")
View of barracks and the ammunition factory in one of the first photos of the Dachau concentration camp. Dachau, Germany, March or April 1933.
Item View![US soldiers discovered these boxcars loaded with dead prisoners outside the Dachau camp. [LCID: 0555]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/0ae16251-9995-4a8a-aefd-17321553512f.jpg "US soldiers discovered these boxcars loaded with dead prisoners outside the Dachau camp. [LCID: 0555]")
US soldiers discovered these boxcars loaded with dead prisoners outside the Dachau camp. Here, they force German boys—believed to be members of the Hitler Youth (Hitlerjugend; HJ)—to view the atrocity. Dachau, Germany, April 30, 1945.
Item View![Human remains found in the Dachau concentration camp crematorium after liberation. [LCID: 0315]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/97eaf954-6948-417a-a89a-d4ab44ffab2a.jpg "Human remains found in the Dachau concentration camp crematorium after liberation. [LCID: 0315]")
Human remains found in the Dachau concentration camp crematorium after liberation. Germany, April 1945.
Item View![Camp survivors after liberation. Dachau, Germany, after April 29, 1945. [LCID: 0481]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/e279b76d-9695-4b07-add6-6b83cdf48b45.jpg "Camp survivors after liberation. Dachau, Germany, after April 29, 1945. [LCID: 0481]")
Camp survivors after liberation. Dachau, Germany, after April 29, 1945.
Item View![Camp survivors in barracks at liberation. Dachau, Germany, April 29-May 1, 1945. [LCID: 85559]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/97ac8386-e923-4fa2-b4a2-6cbe5816d6cb.jpg "Camp survivors in barracks at liberation. Dachau, Germany, April 29-May 1, 1945. [LCID: 85559]")
Camp survivors crowded in barracks at liberation. Dachau, Germany, April 29-May 1, 1945.
Item View![Survivors of the Ampfing subcamp of the Dachau concentration camp soon after liberation by US troops. [LCID: 67871]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/05b7da55-aa45-434b-be70-4ebc6469ec26.jpg "Survivors of the Ampfing subcamp of the Dachau concentration camp soon after liberation by US troops. [LCID: 67871]")
Survivors of the Ampfing subcamp of the Dachau concentration camp soon after liberation by US troops. Ampfing, Germany, May 4, 1945.
Item View![American soldiers view bodies of victims of Kaufering, a network of subsidiary camps of the Dachau concentration camp. [LCID: 74577]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/6c0c360b-46c6-48d4-b3d8-19adc5ee39e1.jpg "American soldiers view bodies of victims of Kaufering, a network of subsidiary camps of the Dachau concentration camp. [LCID: 74577]")
US soldiers view bodies of victims of Kaufering, a network of subsidiary camps of the Dachau concentration camp. Landsberg-Kaufering, Germany, April 30, 1945.
Item View![View of barracks after the liberation of Kaufering, a network of subsidiary camps of the Dachau concentration camp. [LCID: 82763]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/75a7778c-d2fb-4eb1-bdb5-e9c77222878f.jpg "View of barracks after the liberation of Kaufering, a network of subsidiary camps of the Dachau concentration camp. [LCID: 82763]")
View of barracks after the liberation of Kaufering, a network of subsidiary camps of the Dachau concentration camp. Landsberg-Kaufering, Germany, April 29, 1945.
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A Romani (Gypsy) victim of Nazi medical experiments to make seawater safe to drink. Dachau concentration camp, Germany, 1944.
Item View![Medical experiment performed at the Dachau concentration camp to determine altitudes at which German pilots could survive. [LCID: 78615]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/9765ff4c-888a-4144-96be-46dd30ce4c60.jpg "Medical experiment performed at the Dachau concentration camp to determine altitudes at which German pilots could survive. [LCID: 78615]")
Medical experiment performed at the Dachau concentration camp to determine altitudes at which German pilots could survive. Germany, 1942.
Item View![Prisoners at forced labor. Photo taken during an SS inspection. [LCID: 11251a]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/aac24d14-505d-4c39-aa1f-3e84a7d79f4f.jpg "Prisoners at forced labor. Photo taken during an SS inspection. [LCID: 11251a]")
German Jews at forced labor in Dachau. Photo taken during an SS inspection. Dachau concentration camp, Germany, June 28, 1938.
Item View![The crematoria at Dachau concentration camp, soon after the liberation of the camp. [LCID: 85670]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/1382a538-7f5f-43d9-b604-685606249508.jpg "The crematoria at Dachau concentration camp, soon after the liberation of the camp. [LCID: 85670]")
The crematoria at Dachau concentration camp, soon after the liberation of the camp. Germany, after April 29, 1945.
Item View![View of the crematorium building at the Dachau concentration camp. [LCID: 08057]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/60dc26eb-3e51-4789-96ba-9b6678abe730.jpg "View of the crematorium building at the Dachau concentration camp. [LCID: 08057]")
View of the crematorium building at the Dachau concentration camp. This photograph was taken after the liberation of the camp. Dachau, Germany, after April 29, 1945.
Item View![View of prisoners' barracks soon after the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. [LCID: 37255]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/780ce3a1-2bff-4dcf-8641-aceb10347de7.jpg "View of prisoners' barracks soon after the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. [LCID: 37255]")
View of prisoners' barracks soon after the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. Dachau, Germany, May 3, 1945.
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![View of the Dachau concentration camp, after liberation. [LCID: 55026]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/6fce4a45-5d8a-44fa-919d-5749c15c439f.jpg "View of the Dachau concentration camp, after liberation. [LCID: 55026]")
![American soldiers finish their inspection of Dachau's first crematorium. [LCID: 02068]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/18eb20e6-21c0-4ae9-a787-d9de6f3fb728.jpg "American soldiers finish their inspection of Dachau's first crematorium. [LCID: 02068]")