First Nazi Concentration Camp

On March 22, 1933, the Nazi regime opened its first concentration camp at Dachau, near Munich, on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory. Established by Heinrich Himmler, then Munich's police chief, the camp initially held approximately 200 political prisoners — communists, social democrats, and trade unionists. Dachau became the organizational template for the concentration camp system that followed. Over its twelve years of operation, more than 200,000 prisoners were held there. At least 32,000 deaths are documented, though incomplete records suggest higher figures. US forces liberated the camp on April 29, 1945.