80th Anniversary of the Liberation of Dachau
Official badge from the 80th Anniversary ceremony, held on May 4th, 2025.
Commemorating a Historic and Emotional Milestone – May 4th, 2025
On Sunday, May 4th, 2025, I had the honor of attending the solemn ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Dachau Concentration Camp. Organised by the Comité International de Dachau and the Bavarian Memorial Foundation, the event brought together survivors, dignitaries, military representatives, and descendants of liberators to reflect on history, honor the victims, and pay tribute to those who liberated the camp on April 29th, 1945.
Wreath laid by the 42nd “Rainbow” Division, whose soldiers liberated Dachau in 1945.
A Moment of Living History
Among the most moving parts of the ceremony was the appearance and speech by Bud Gahs, a veteran of the 42nd “Rainbow” Infantry Division—one of the units that liberated Dachau. At 100 years old, Mr. Gahs shared these powerful words:
“In the months leading up to April 29th, 1945, we continually risked our lives in countless engagements and found how combat changed our perspectives. However, when we opened the gates of Dachau it was only then that we truly understood what we had been fighting for.”
— Bud Gahs, 42nd Infantry Division.
Reflection and Responsibility
The ceremony featured speeches, music and wreath-laying at the International Monument by representatives of multiple countries and religious traditions. The atmosphere was quiet, respectful, and at times heavy with both grief and gratitude.
Wreaths placed in front of Nandor Glid’s International Monument to commemorate those who suffered and died in Dachau.
Why It Still Matters
This year’s anniversary served not only as a commemoration of past atrocities, but also as a solemn reminder of our collective responsibility to remember, educate, and resist the forces of hatred and intolerance in our world today. Dachau stands not only as a historical site, but as a warning.
As a guide who regularly brings visitors to Dachau, I was deeply moved to witness history alive in the presence of someone who helped shape it.
Never forget!
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Dachau was the first concentration camp established by the Nazis and became a model for others. Its liberation on April 29, 1945, by the U.S. Army’s 42nd and 45th Infantry Divisions marked a turning point in revealing the full extent of Nazi atrocities to the world. The images and testimonies from Dachau shocked the global conscience.
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Bud Gahs served in the 42nd “Rainbow” Division, one of the U.S. Army units that liberated Dachau. Now 100 years old, he was one of the last living liberators to attend the 80th anniversary ceremony in person. His words offered a rare, firsthand perspective on the moment of liberation and the moral clarity it brought.
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Yes. The Dachau Memorial Site is open to the public and welcomes visitors year-round. It includes original buildings, exhibitions, memorials, and audio guides. Guided tours offer deeper historical context and help interpret what you’re seeing.
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Yes. We offer guided tours that provide historical background, personal stories, and insights into the site’s memorials and symbols. Our tours are designed to be respectful, educational, and reflective.
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Photography is allowed in most areas of the memorial site, but visitors are asked to be respectful at all times. Video filming is permitted for personal use. Please refrain from taking selfies or disruptive content in places of remembrance.
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Dachau is not just a historical site—it is a warning. As the number of survivors and liberators dwindles, it’s our responsibility to preserve their memories and ensure future generations understand what happened, why it happened, and what must never happen again.
Dachau Memorial Site Closed May 4th for 80th Anniversary Commemoration
Please note: The Dachau Memorial Site will be closed to the public on Sunday, May 4th, 2025 for a private ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the camp’s liberation. No tours will be offered that day. Saturday's tour is still available.
WW2 Veteran and US military personnel at Dachau, April 29th 2025
We want to inform our guests and visitors that the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site will be closed to the public on Sunday, May 4th, 2025.
This closure is due to a private commemorative ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Dachau by U.S. forces. Survivors, dignitaries, and invited guests will gather to honor this solemn occasion, and public access will be restricted for the day.
As a result, we will not be able to offer any tours on Sunday, May 4th. We understand this may affect your travel plans, and we appreciate your understanding and respect for this important memorial event.
If you're planning to visit that weekend, please note that our regular tour on Saturday, May 3rd, is still available and running as scheduled. We encourage you to join us then if your schedule allows.
Thank you for your understanding.
10 Days Standing Punishment
Yurij Piskunov was born on December 22nd 1925 in Ukraine.
After the occupation of Ukraine by the Germans, Yurij got a job at a railway station. On April 3, 1943, he was arrested by the Gestapo (Secret State Police) for the sabotage of German trains. He was deported to the Mauthausen concentration camp near Salzburg, Austria, where he was forced to work in the quarry. Here the conditions were severe and the death toll was high. His prisoner number was 36227. In November 1943 he was transferred to the Dachau concentration camp, where he received another prisoner number - 57588.
At Dachau he had to work outside of the camp repairing bombed out railway tracks. One day he found a German newspaper amid the rubble which he quickly hid and tried to smuggle back into the camp. News from the “outside world” was very valuable to the prisoners. On his way back into the camp he was searched and the newspaper was found. He was sent to the dreaded “Bunker”.
The “Bunker” or Camp Prison is on the right.
He was locked up in a “Standing Cell” which measured just 70cm x 70cm (2.5 x 2.5 feet).
"It was dark. Wherever I turned, I immediately came against a wall. I could only sit a little by leaning my back against one of walls and with my knees against the opposite wall. I was very frightened and did not know if I would come to live the next morning. It was damp and cold in the cell. This is how a day would pass. Then they began to mock me. When the food was brought, the SS officer forced me to bark or grunt like a dog on all fours and scolded me "a filthy Russian pig." He always had the whip ready. If something did not please him, he would whip me immediately. So all I could do was to turn to the All Mighty, so that he would take my soul and save it from these torments.” - Yurij Piskunov
Yurij survived 10 days and was released back into the regular barracks of Dachau. The day after he spat blood. He contracted tuberculosis. The experience changed his life and would never be forgotten. On the 29th of April 1945 US infantry liberated 32,000 people at Dachau including Yurij who was then in barrack number 13.
After the war he became a fashion designer and won many awards. He spoke about his experience and warned people of the dangers of fascism. He lived with his daughter Larysa and grandson Yurij until his death at the age of 81 in 2007. He is buried in Kiev.
The Standing Cells are located in three cells on the left. Each cell had four Standing Cells.
Identification Badges at Dachau
Dachau ID badges
A system of control and dehumanisation.
When Dachau was established in March 1933 the vast majority of the prisoners were German political opponents of the Nazi Party. All political parties, with the exception of the Nazi party, were banned within a year. After crushing the political opposition the Nazis spread the net of oppression by targeting other “undesirable” groups. These new groups of prisoners had to wear not only numbers but also a coloured identification badge.
A red triangle signified a person classified as a “political” prisoner.
Green meant “Professional Criminal”.
Blue meant “Emigrant”.
Purple had to be worn by Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Pink was worn by men persecuted under the anti-homosexual laws.
Black meant “Asocial” which was vague enough to include Roma and Sinti people, sex workers, homeless people, and a whole range of other people who did not fit into what the Nazis would consider normal or correct.
Jewish prisoners were required to wear two triangles: for example a red triangle pointing down in front of a yellow triangle pointing upward - hence this prisoner is labelled as “Jewish political”. For Jews this amounted to what was in effect double persecution: for example persecuted as a Jew and as a political opponent.
Not only was the badge system a way to dehumanise and objectify the prisoners at Dachau, it was also a way to try to split the increasing numbers of prisoners into smaller factions which could be potentially turned against each other. This was one of the many tactics used by the SS to control prisoners in the concentration camps.
Names, not Numbers.
Upon arrival at Dachau men, women and children were given a number which had to be displayed on their uniform at all times. This number was their camp identity, their camp name. It was part of a system of control used by the SS guards to dehumanise and humiliate those they incarcerated at Dachau.
A temporary exhibition at the Dachau Memorial Site focuses on the over two thousand Dutch prisoners who were imprisoned at Dachau between 1941 and 1945. The exhibition was researched and created by school pupils starting in 2010 with guidance from the Dutch Resistance Museum in Amsterdam.
The exhibition is quite interactive with a large projection and touchscreen which can be used to search through individual stories and find out what may have happened to each prisoner. Different stations focus on certain prisoners and display incredible items from camp life. It is a powerful exhibition which goes a long way in the effort to remind visitors that behind every number was an individual human being. It is of course doubly impressive when you consider the young age of the researchers!
Projection of names and images