Dachau concentration camp Dachau concentration camp Dachau concentration camp (; , ) was the first of the Nazi concentration camps opened in Germany, intended to hold political prisoners. It is located on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory northeast of the medieval town of Dachau, about northwest of Munich in the state of Bavaria, in southern Germany. Opened in 1933 by Heinrich Himmler, its purpose was enlarged to include forced labor, and eventually, the imprisonment of Jews, German and Austrian criminals, and eventually foreign nationals from countries that Germany occupied or invaded. The Dachau camp system grew to include nearly 100 sub-camps,
Dachau concentration camp reporters, as a result, Linden's detachment generated international headlines by accepting the surrender of the camp. More than 30,000 Jews and political prisoners were freed, and since 1945 adherents of the 42nd and 45th Division versions of events have argued over which unit was the first to liberate Dachau. The first Dachau subcamp discovered by advancing Allied forces was Kaufering Lager IV at Landsberg am Lech by the 12th Armored Division on 27 April 1945. Subcamps liberated by the 12th Armored Division included: Hurlach, Erpting, Kaufering, Schrobenhausen, Schwabing, Langerringen, Türkheim, Lauingen, Schwabach, Germering. During the liberation of the sub-camps surrounding