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What could be more incongruous
than a traditional Bavarian beer garden in the middle of a town whose name
evokes one of the most terrible periods in German history? In fairness,
though, Dachau the town has little to do with Dachau the concentration camp.
Also, it has much to be proud of in its long history and in -- for our purposes
-- Zieglerkeller (Bräustüberl)
the beer garden in the center of town and far removed from the concentration
camp. The camp (abbreviated "KZ" in German) was originally an
abandoned munitions plant well outside of town before the Nazis stole the
name in 1933 of a nearby village that had been around since medieval times.
If years were pages, the history of this Bavarian town would be a thick
1200-page tome. Yet a thin 12-page subchapter is all the world knows --
or cares to understand -- about Dachau. They don't know it was once an art
colony that attracted poets, authors and painters from around Europe. Ludwig
Thoma, the famous German author, once lived and wrote here and a beer is
named after him at Zieglerkeller. Fewer still know that when Hitler was
elected chancellor in 1933 it was without the help of a majority vote from
the electorate of Dachau. The fact is, life goes on for the 34,000 citizens
of Dachau, some 80 percent of whom weren't even alive when the concentration
camp was operating. Today, the KZ is a memorial that all should visit, so
the world will always remember and never forget what terrible deeds were
done in Dachau's name and against her will. Then visit the Dachau city center,
walk through the old town, the art museum, and stroll up the hill to the
Schloß (palace). After that visit the beer garden just below. Raise a beer
at the Zieglerkeller Bräustüberl
and say a toast, and a prayer, for the future. |
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