Dachau

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This article is about the town of Dachau. For the concentration camp, see Dachau concentration camp. For the massacre, see Dachau massacre.

Coordinates: 48°16′N 11°25′E

Dachau


Country	Germany
State	Bavaria
Administrative region	Upper Bavaria
District	Dachau
Population	39,922 (2005)
Area	34.85 km²
Population density	1,131 /km²
Elevation	480 m
Coordinates	48°16′ N 11°25′ E
Postal code	85221
Area code	08131
Licence plate code	DAH
Mayor	Peter Bürgel
Website	dachau.de

Dachau is a town in Bavaria, in the Southern part of Germany. It is a major district town—a Große Kreisstadt—of the administrative region of Upper Bavaria, about 20 km North-West of Munich. It is now a popular residential area for people working in Munich with roughly 40,000 inhabitants. The town contains a historic town centre with an 18th century castle.

Dachau was founded in the 8th century. It was home to many artists during the late 19th and early 20th century; for instance, Ludwig Thoma was born here.

1 Geography
- 1.1 Geographical location
- 1.2 Parts of the town
2 History
3 Sights
4 Twin towns
5 People
6 References
7 Literature
8 Weblinks

[edit] Geography

[edit] Geographical location

Dachau is located at 48°15′N 11°27′E, just 20 km to the North-West of Munich, at an elevation of 482 m. It is situated by the river Amper, with a boundary demarcated by lateral moraines formed during the last ice age and the Amper glacial valley. It is also close to a large marshy area called Dachauer Moos.

The town has an area of 35 square kilometres.

Adjacent municipalities are Bergkirchen to the West, Schwabhausen and Hebertshausen to the North and Karlsfeld to the South. To the East, Dachau is bordered by the municipality of Oberschleißheim, which is part of the rural district of Munich.

[edit] Parts of the town

Dachau in autumn 2002

Dachau consists of three central divisions:

the old town: Altstadt, Mitterndorf, Udlding, Etzenhausen, Unterer Markt
Dachau East: Oberaugustenfeld, Unteraugustenfeld, Polln, Obergrashof, parts of Prittlbach
Dachau South: Himmelreich, Holzgarten, parts of Gröbenried

The areas Pellheim, Pullhausen, Assenhausen, Lohfeld and Viehhausen were incorporated into Dachau in 1972.

[edit] History

Church of St Jakob

[edit] Prehistoric times and Early Middle Ages

There are signs of settlement as far back as the Stone Age. The earliest known reference to Dahauua^[1] dates back to 805. On August 15 of this year, on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, during the Charlemagne's reign, the lady Erchana of the Aribons bequeathed all her landed property in "Dahauua", consisting of 5 'Colonenhöfe' and some serfs, to the Diocese of Freising upon her death. The deed on which this is recorded has the earliest known reference to Dachau. 2005 was the 1200th anniversary of this occasion.

[edit] Middle Ages

From the 12th Century, Dachau was a summer residence for several Bavarian princes. Between 1240 and 1270, Dachau was granted market privileges, first by Duke Otto II, then by his son, Duke Ludwig II the Strenge.

[edit] 16th Century

Between 1546 and 1577, the Wittelsbachs built Dachau Palace in the Renaissance style. From June 1715 to Autumn 1717, Joseph Effner converted the Palace to a more modern style.

[edit] Sights

Dachau Concentration Camp memorial Site: Dachau is best known for its proximity to the relatively well-preserved site of the infamous Dachau concentration camp, the first large-scale concentration camp in Germany, converted from an old gunpowder factory by the Nazi regime in 1933.
Dachau Palace: A medieval castle which became the favourite residence of the Bavarian dukes in the 16th century. It was renovated into an enormous four-wing complex. Only one wings exist today.