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'Arbeit Macht Frei' gate stolen from Nazi Dachau concentration camp found

By Amy R. Connolly
Bavarian Police found what is likely the gate that led to the Dachau concentration camp. The gate was stolen from the camp in 2014. Photo by Bavarian Police/European Pressphoto Agency
Bavarian Police found what is likely the gate that led to the Dachau concentration camp. The gate was stolen from the camp in 2014. Photo by Bavarian Police/European Pressphoto Agency

BERGEN, Norway, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- An iron gate bearing the Nazi slogan, "Arbeit Macht Frei," or "Work Sets You Free," that was stolen from the Dachau concentration camp may have been discovered in a Norway suburb, police said.

The gate, one of the most photographed symbols of the camp, was stolen from the concentration camp in southern Germany in November 2014. Bavarian police said they are working with Norwegian authorities to authenticate the gate and return it to the camp where some 200,000 Nazi prisoners were held and an estimated 41,500 prisoners died.

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"On the basis of the transmitted photo, the police believe it is highly likely that this is the iron gate that was stolen from Dachau," German police said. It is not clear if any arrests have been made.

Police said the 220-pound gate was likely lifted from its hinges when it was stolen on Nov. 2, 2014 between midnight and 5:30 a.m. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the theft "appalling." A replica of the gate was installed last year.

The Dachau camp was established in 1933, just weeks after Adolf Hitler became Germany's chancellor. A sign bearing the same phrase that hung over the entry to the Auschwitz concentration camp was stolen in 2009 but recovered after a few days.

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