Merkel joins Dachau Concentration Camp liberation anniversary

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday delivered a speech marking the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Dachau Concentration Camp, becoming the first incumbent chancellor to speak here.

During her speech, Merkel thanked survivors for their involvement as witnesses and recalled more than 200,000 people from around Europe who were imprisoned in Dachau Concentration Camp and its satellite camps.

"It is fortunate that people like you are willing to tell us about your life stories, the endless suffering that Germany has brought to you in the era of National Socialism," said Merkel, the first German chancellor who paid a visit to the camp in 2013.

About 120 survivors and their relatives from some 20 different countries, U.S. veterans and several thousand guests from Germany and other countries are expected to attend Sunday's anniversary, according to the organizer.

Dachau was one of the first concentration camps set up by the Nazis and was the sole camp to exist during the 12 years of the Nazi dictatorship. It also served as a model for all later concentration camp. A total of 41,500 prisoners were murdered there, according to the Dachau Concentration Camp.

After the concentration camp was liberated by U.S. troops, the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site came into being in 1965. It receives around 800,000 visitors worldwide every year. Endit