Heinrich Himmler, in his capacity as police president of Munich, officially described the camp as "the first concentration camp for political prisoners." The words "Arbeit Macht Frei" are a perverted way of giving hope to the prisoners. It means "Work Brings Freedom."
Dachau
On March 22, 1933, a few weeks after Adolf Hitler was appointed Reich Chancellor, this concentration camp for political prisoners was set up at Dachau. It was located on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory near the northeastern part of the town of Dachau, about 10 miles northwest of Munich.