Dachau head pushes admission fee

The head of the International Dachau Committee called for the establishment of an entrance fee to the concentration camp memorial.At a Sunday ceremony marking the 62nd anniversary of the camp’s liberation, Pieter J. Ph. Dietz De Loos, a Dutch survivor of Dachau, told the audience that a contribution from each of the 800,000 annual visitors would help pay for educational programs and additional staff. It would be the only such site in Germany to charge for admission.The suggestion has drawn criticism from survivors and from directors of other memorial sites in Germany. It also pits De Loos against Dachau memorial director Barbara Distel, who said that fees are charged at such sites “in France, but not in Germany.”The admissions idea is reportedly to be discussed this week at a meeting of leaders of memorial sites in Germany.