On to Germany...

An hour train ride from Salzburg and we were in Germany.  Munich is just the other side of the mountain.  Hitler actually had his little hideaway not too far from Salzburg (the Eagles Nest) and apparently on a clear day you can see Salzburg from the Eagles Nest.

Hofburg Haus

The decimation of Munich during WWII was near complete.  Hitler refused to surrender which led the Allied forces to attempt to bomb them into submission.  Not wanting the population to have a poor view of their chances of winning the war he made the decision to not move valuable art, furniture and the like into a secure location.  That would look defeatist.  At least not the large conspicuous items, he had moved many, many other smaller precious works of art.  So ... instead knowing that they would be severely bombed Hitler had his folks take lots and lots of photos. 
 

Shell Grotto

And that is how the Germans came to re-create that which had been completely destroyed, like this shell grotto.  Re-created from shells collected by locals after the war to perfectly match the original grotto you would never know that the grotto is in fact not ancient.

Dining hall

In the Munich Residenz, the room in the photo is the only room in the entire palace that actually dates to the 1600's.  Everything else was rebuilt guided entirely by the Hitler photos.  The level of craftmanship, dedication and commitment to re-create not only the palace structure but the items inside is nothing short of extraordinary. 

Theatinerkirche

And it wasn't just the Munich Residenz - the entire city was re-built with history and re-creation in mind.  Where other cities in Germany saw a clean slate, an opportunity to build a modern city however they chose, Munich was committed to preserving history.  Its a great illusion - you think you are strolling through history but in reality its re-created history.  That certainly does not diminish Munich - if anything it is even more astonishing.  

Work will set you free

 While in Munich we felt it necessary to visit Dachau.  Not because we wanted to be severely depressed but because everyone should bear witness.  That is why the concentration camp became a memorial so people will never forget.  As it turned out the weather was such that the only nice day for walking around Dachau was my birthday.  So... I may now have the best story for "worst things to do on your birthday"😀.  

 

Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial

To read about Dachau or Auschwitz or any of the other camps is one thing, to see it is another.  There were things we could not bring ourselves to witness.  We were totally unable to step foot in the "gas chamber" - it was enough to see the building but no way were we stepping inside.  The other thing we refused to see were the videos in the "museum" - it was just too much for us.  So we walked around and contemplated how human beings can be so cruel and evil.  And the other thing that struck us was how people in the town of Dachau could possibly say that they did not know what was going on there.  There is just no way that they did not know.  We can believe that maybe they did not know the manner in which some folks died but they certainly knew that many, many people were dying there.  The concentration camp is just not that far out of town - there are residences nearby.  Granted it may have been further out back in the 1940s but still we can't believe that folks were ignorant of the killing taking place. 

Foundations of baracks for prisoners

We tried to not have this be a WW II trip but its hard to be in Germany and not be immersed in WWII history.  So after a very depressing birthday we decided to look for some Indian food for dinner (our favorite) and switch gears completely.  For the next day we decided to go visit the BMW museum.  

 

BMW Museum

The BMW museum was a surprisingly popular museum and very well done.  I did not think I would be too interested but it was actually very interesting.  A thoroughly enjoyable day!

 And surprisingly they were very honest about their part in abetting the war.  They had one whole display outlining their part in subjugating and abusing Jews as well as others.  There was an honest confession to lying and manipulating in order to support the war and Hitler.  And then they discussed how they had to face what they as a company had done in order to change.  So... now they are multinational and multicultural with a commitment to respecting all humans.  It was both eye opening and refreshing.  

There is much to see in Munich and so unique in their approach post WWII.  Would recommend visiting in the off season however as its another popular place.  It is also cheaper in the off season which is a definite plus - Munich is not cheap.