In 1936, the Nazis made camp prisoners forge the gate to the site which said “Arbeit Macht Frei” or ‘work makes free’. This signage was replicated at other Nazi controlled concentration camps, giving an impression that the sites were somehow educational and beneficial when the reverse was true. Unfortunately the original gate was stolen in November 2014, just a few years after the Auschwitz one was stolen. The one that is in place today is a replica made to replace the stolen one, a completely sub-optimal state of affairs and a sinister theft which was likely done to order.
Fortunately, in December 2016 the original gate was recovered under tarpaulin in Bergen, Norway after an anonymous tip-off. No arrests were made, but the museum was no doubt pleased and delighted to be able to have the original back. In the same way that the recovered Auschwitz sign was placed in a secure museum area after it was returned, the same was done at Dachau to prevent a recurrence of the incident. The museum carefully notes that the original lettering was removed by the Americans following the liberation of the camp, so this element dates from the 1970s.