Evangelische Versöhnungskirche in der KZ-Gedenkstätte Dachau

The concentration camp Dachau was established as the first official concentration camp shortly after the rising of the National Socialists. From 1933 to 1939 mainly political opponents of the National Socialist dictatorship were arrested. After the beginning of the Second World War people from over 27 nations were arrested in Dachau who had performed either resistance to occupation and forced labour or were prisoners of war and racist persecutees as well as Jewish citizens. After the liberation the survivors had the wish to found a " zone of the meditation " for a significant area of the memorial place. Former dutch prisoners gave an impulse for the founding of the Evangelic reconciliation church, which was realised in 1967. The church is directly located on the ground of the memorial place. The task of the reconciliation church are: -to clarify about the history of the place during 1933-45, -to keep the memory on the victims alive, -to create a consciousness in the public discussion that the defence of civil and human rights is necessary. The Evangelic Reconciliation Church stands in the maintenance of the Evangelic church in Germany (EKD). It offers contact partner for the guests in a talk space, offers guided tours and seminars and on Sundays services. The reconciliation church is accompanied in its textual work by an international board of curators. In 1998 a youth guest house was opened in Dachau to give particulary young guests from different countries the opportunity to learn about the history of the holocaust. The guest house offers an overnight accommodation and a learning environment for groups of educational programs as well as public events.The annual international youth meeting Dachau also takes place here.