Criminality - Thieves' Den in Memorial Sites Flossenbürg and Dachau
From the KZ-Memorial Sites Flossenbürg and Dachau, several objects have recently been stolen. The police are investigating and asking for witness tips on the identity of the unknown perpetrators. The security concept in the two former concentration camps should be reviewed and optimized accordingly in response to technological developments, a spokeswoman for the Bavarian Memorial Sites Foundation stated.
The motive for the thefts is still unclear, as stated. However, the police do not rule out the possibility that the thieves are trophy collectors. From the KZ-Memorial Site Dachau, according to reports, a showerhead from the former crematorium - the so-called "Barrack X" - and the handle of a door from a former gas chamber were stolen.
A washbasin holder and a fireplace cover were stolen from the KZ-Memorial Site Flossenbürg. In addition, a memorial plaque for the former prisoner Rudolf Nowak, who died in the camp in January 1945, was stolen, according to a spokeswoman for the foundation. Furthermore, historical granite slabs were stolen at the beginning of the year from a pathway that were being stored for restoration.
Stolen Tor reappears
The gate of the KZ-Memorial Site Dachau with the cynical inscription "Arbeit macht frei" was stolen in November 2014 and reappeared about two years later near the Norwegian coastal city of Bergen. There was an anonymous tip about the location.
At the memorial site, a replica was installed after the disappearance of the door and the original, which returned in February 2017, was restored and integrated into the exhibition. The "Arbeit macht frei" inscription was removed from the original door after the war and rebuilt in 1965.
The KZ Dachau was the first large, permanently established concentration camp of the Nazis. Between 1933 and 1945, over 200,000 people from all over Europe were imprisoned there, 41,500 of whom died. The KZ Flossenbürg was liberated by the US Army on April 23, 1945. Of the approximately 100,000 people who were imprisoned there or in the auxiliary camps, around 30,000 died.
- The theft of objects from the KZ-Memorial Sites in Bavaria has raised concerns about criminality, with several items going missing from both Flossenbürg and Dachau Memorial Sites.
- The police in Munich are actively investigating the incidents of theft at the KZ-Memorial Sites, hoping to identify the perpetrators and recover the stolen artifacts.
- The recent thefts have prompted calls for a review and potential optimization of the security measures at the KZ-Memorial Sites in response to advancements in technology and security protocols.
- The stolen objects from the KZ-Memorial Site Dachau include a showerhead from the former crematorium and the handle of a door from a former gas chamber, items with profound historical significance.
- The theft of a memorial plaque for Rudolf Nowak, a former prisoner who died in Flossenbürg in 1945, serves as a grim reminder of the ongoing impact of the criminal actions that took place in these concentration camps.
- The theft of historical granite slabs from a pathway being restored at the KZ-Memorial Site Flossenbürg highlights the importance of preserving and protecting the physical reminders of these dark chapters in history, which serve as monuments and testimonies to the past.
