A sign reading “ARBEIT MACHT FREI”—“WORK SETS YOU FREE,” the false-hope slogan posted at a number of German concentration camps—has been stolen from the memorial on the site of the Dachau camp. From the New York Times:
The theft of the gate at Dachau was discovered early Sunday by the private security service that keeps a 24-hour watch on the site, in addition to frequent patrols by the police. Records suggested the theft occurred between midnight and 5:30 a.m., officials said.
The sign was apparently part of a metal door that was more than 6 feet long and around 225 pounds, so it’s believed that at least two thieves would have been required to carry it away.
A similar sign at Auschwitz was stolen in 2009 by thieves contracted by a former neo-Nazi from Sweden whose motives remain unclear. The Auschwitz sign was recovered three days after the theft.
