Munich - History School Trip

Day 1 - Fly to Munich, walking tour

Arrive in Munich and transfer by coach to your accommodation for check-in. Meet your local guide for a walking tour of Munich including locations significant to Hitler’s rise to power. Students trace the development of the Nazis from the apartment at Thierschstrasse which was Hitler's home in the 1920s to the Hofbräuhaus, the site of the portentous announcement of Hitler’s ideological program and Munich Putsch. While now a famous brewery, the Hofbräuhaus is of undeniable importance in studying extremism. Frequented by Lenin on his many visits to Munich, the headquarters of the Munich Communist Government in 1919 and the location for the first meeting of Hitler and the National Socialists in February 1920, it is at the centre of the tumultuous interwar years.

This Munich history tour for schools counterbalances the rise of Hitler with the activism of his opponents. Learners hear of the valiant resistance from the student resistance group the White Rose. Led by five students and one professor from the University of Munich, this group ran a leaflet and graffiti campaign inciting opposition to the Nazis. They were arrested by the Gestapo before execution in a show trial by the Nazi People’s court giving students an insight into the operation of ‘justice’ in Nazi Germany and the dramatic penalties facing those who opposed in even peaceful ways.

Day 2 - Dachau, Königsplatz, Karolinenplatz

This morning, travel 10 miles north to Dachau to visit the first camp to be opened in Germany by the Nazis, in 1933. As described by Nazi opponent and concentration camp survivor Eugen Kogon:

"Dachau - the meaning of this name cannot be erased from German history. It stands for concentration camps built by the Nazis in their territory."

The camp effectively became a ‘model’ for other camps and operated for nearly the entirety of the Nazi reign. The main exhibition on site is the Path of the Prisoners, which tells the story of how prisoners came to be there and their life, and their liberation or more often death, using first-hand accounts.

In the afternoon spend time at Königsplatz and Karolinenplatz. During the Third Reich era, Königsplatz was used by the Nazis as a location for mass rallies as well as book burnings. The national headquarters of the Nazis is located close by. You can still see the remains of Nazi memorial temples (used to enshrine the Nazis who lost their lives in the 1923 Putsch), which were mostly destroyed by the US Army in 1947. The building that now houses a music school was the location for the signing of the 1938 Munich Agreement.

Day 3 - Full day Nuremberg

Today, students travel to Nuremberg by coach for a full day excursion. Experience the power held by the Nazi party, evidenced by the extensive grounds where the Nazi party held rallies between 1933 and 1938. Explore the 4 square kilometres learning the significance of key locations.

The Documentation Centre is currently closed for remodelling and due to open again in 2025. Instead students visit Signboards distributed around the Rally Grounds themselves – which spread across some 4 square kilometres, or 1.5 square miles – and tell about the history of various locales.

Later, immerse yourself in the aftermath of Nazi rule in the Nuremberg Trials Memorial, housed in the actual courthouse in which the trials took place. The exhibition presents information on what is meant by war crimes, the Geneva Conventions, and also the main Nazi defendants whose cases were heard in the courtroom.

Day 4 - Munich Documentation Centre, fly home

After check out, visit the Munich Documentation Centre. Built on the site of the ‘Brown House’ NSDAP headquarters, this museum addresses Munich’s role as the capital of Nazism and the impact it continues to have even today.

Moving and informative, its permanent exhibition “Munich and National Socialism” explores the Third Reich, critically exploring the grip of the Nazi ideology and crucially exploring how democracy can fail.

Later on, transfer to the airport for your flight home.