Dachau, Historic town in Upper Bavaria, Germany
Dachau is a town in Upper Bavaria located approximately 20 kilometers northwest of Munich at an elevation of 480 meters above sea level. The town spreads across gentle hills and is surrounded by meadows, fields and patches of woodland that give it a rural character.
The first written record dates back to 805, when the settlement emerged in the early medieval period. During the Middle Ages the place gained market rights, and between 1546 and 1577 the Wittelsbach family built the Renaissance palace that still shapes the town today.
The town name comes from Old Bavarian and likely means "settlement on clay ground", a reference to the soil conditions that shaped local agriculture for centuries. Visitors can still see traces of this farming heritage in the surrounding fields and traditional farmhouses that dot the outskirts.
S-Bahn lines connect the town regularly with Munich, and from the station you can reach the center on foot in a few minutes. Local buses serve the different neighborhoods and surrounding communities, making destinations outside the center easy to reach as well.
The palace on the hill was built between 1546 and 1577 and offers views as far as Munich from its terrace. The accompanying Renaissance-style garden is laid out in terraces and follows the natural shape of the slope.
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