Dachau one of the first concentration camps established by the Nazis, was located in the small town of Dachau approximately 10 miles northwest of Munich. The location at Dachau was selected by the Nazis because it was the site of an empty munitions factory from World War One, which was ideal for the establishment of a camp.
The opening of the camp, with a capacity for 5,000 prisoners was announced by Heinrich Himmler, Reichsfuhrer SS at a press conference held on 20 March 1933. The first group of so-called protective-custody, consisting mainly of Communists and Social Democrats was brought to the camp on 22 March 1933. They were guarded by Bavarian state police until the camp was taken over by the SS on 11 April 1933.
Theodor Eicke was appointed commandant and he was responsible for drawing up detailed regulations which covered all aspects of camp life, later on when Eicke was appointed Inspector General for all concentration camps these regulations were adopted, with local variations elsewhere.
With Dachau as his model, Eicke developed an institution that was intended, by its very existence, to spread fear among the population, an effective tool to silence every opponent of the Nazi regime
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