The gate was taken from the former Dachau concentration camp in Germany . The slogan ` ` ' Macht Frei '' became emblematic of the Nazi camps . The Dachau center 's director , Dr. Gabriele Hammermann , described this weekend 's theft as a `` deliberate , reprehensible attempt to deny and obliterate the memory of the crimes committed in this place . '' Director : Theft is an attempt ` ` to preserve ... the memory of the crimes committed in this place '' The ' Macht Frei '' sign at the Auschwitz camp in Poland was stolen in Germany .
The gate was taken from the former Dachau concentration camp in Germany . The slogan ` ` ' Macht Frei '' became emblematic of the Nazi camps . Director : Theft is an attempt ` ` to preserve ... the memory of the crimes committed in this place '' The ' Macht Frei '' sign at the Auschwitz camp in Poland was stolen in Germany .