Hauterives and Facteur Cheval

4 September
Went to the town of Hauterives where we had an absolutely delightful lunch with the Moulins (even tried frogs legs but agree that eating chicken gives the same taste and you can eat more chicken more quickly).

and then walked through the village to experience ‘Facteur Cheval’. Ferdinand Cheval (1836-1924) was a postman who built his dream ‘Le Palais Idéal’.

It is an amazing and imaginary castle which he built himself, stone by stone. He believed that there were geniuses in all levels of society and set out to prove it. He believed that will power could triumph over all manner of physical and mental difficulties, and also achieve a more perfect understanding of the nature of things and the nature itself. From the first to the last stone took some 93,000 hours. He included images of most things that existed in his lifetime – Adam, Eve, the 2 main religions in the world, serpents, animals, the tree of life etc. No plan existed but he built each section as he dreamed it and it all came together in the end. He passed away and joined the Eastern and Western fairies. His tomb at the village cemetery is simular to his palace and took just 8 years to build.

Dachau – never again!

DACHAU, 4 September 2010.

There is a memorial within the site that says: NEVER AGAIN.

Neither Viktor nor Boris nor Hobson went to Dachau. This story is too important to be taken lightly.

When I arrived in Munich we had flown over forests, fields and villages. The scenery was remarkably green. It was in stark contrast to walk through the main gate of the Jurhaus in Dachau. This barren scene was a mixture of white and grey. It was a dirty white. Also the sky was a severe grey, mostly because it had been raining all morning, but also it was highlighted by our sombre mood.

No one goes to Dachau out of delight. I went to learn. A few went to remember. Many had gone in a state of terror.

Every smile was out of understanding a shared acknowledgement of the terrible history. Every word was spoken in hushed tones. Every action was a free movement to search for reasons. For twelve years no one had gone to Dachau out of free will.

When entering the gates during that time, the prisoners were confronted with the irony of the sign, “Arbeit Macht Frei – Work makes you free” None were free to enter and none could leave. They were compelled to make the journey, and at the gate surrendered their freedom, their dignity and their identity.

From that point, all had to work or die.

Now, just beyond the gate is a wall that marks the edge of the parade ground. On the wall is a message written in French, English, German and Russian: “May the example of those who were exterminated here between 1933 – 1945 because they resisted Nazism help to unite the living for the defence of peace and freedom and in respect of their fellow men.”

This wall marked a continuation of the terror. Beyond the wall were the existing inmates, spearated from the new by a measurable distance, but united with them in an uncertain and immeasurable future.

The construction of the entry route was designed to instill further terror. When prisoners were herded from the train, they shuffled through the gate and into the maintenance building. The route had several turns to ensure no one could see ahead, and it added to personal confusion and an overwhelming sense of fear.

In the administration hall the prisoners shuffled forward to tables where they were processed. The clerks seated at the tables were prisoners too. The line of tables disproportionately divided the hall with one-third of the area allocated to prisoners and two-thirds behind the tables occupied by a few SS overseers. On the opposite wall was a sign with 30 cm high letters: Rauchen verboten (Smoking forbidden). It was in this room the prisoners were stripped of all clothes and possessions. It was a cruel irony to tell they could not smoke, as all possessions had been taken.

Now the building is a museum, called the documentation centre. On this day we walked slowly through the displays marking the history of this place, from establishment to liberation. I remember seeing a mix of posters depicting the many nationalities and beliefs of prisoners.

The population had included more then Jews. There were Gypsies, French, Italians, Czechs, English and Russians. Other groups included communists, trade union officials, priests and bishops, and any opponent of the Nazi regime.

On a poster there was the story of a Ukrainian soldier who had been captured. He had been sent to Dachau for escaping. The information on the poster showed his date of birth. There was no indication of his release or demise. Had he survived Dachau, he also faced a cruel fate upon his return to the Soviet Union.

Outside we went to the cell block. This building contained 92 cells. Some were large, and set aside for special prisoners, such as Georg Esler, who had attempted to assassinate Hitler in a Munich beer hall. He had three cells. Some clergy had two cells each, however, most had one. Another form of cruelty was presented as standing cells, where a single cell was divided into six, allowing the inmate to stand only.

From the cell block we waled to the crematorium, an area screened from the general prison population, and known as Barrack X. The complex contained several ovens and a gas chamber (labelled as a bathroom).

Records and evidence show that the gas chambers was not used extensively. The SS had other means. Some prisoners were hanged in front of the ovens. Others were shot on a firing range, in front of a blood drain and beside the cinder pile from the ovens. Again the process was designed to maximize terror.

When we left the site, everyone was subdued, but as we drew closer to Munich the mood lifted.

I walked on Marienplatz and had a meal in a cafe. It was good to be free.

Ian