A Visit To Terezin Concentration Camp And Ghetto – Budget Travel In Czech Republic

Terezin (Theresienstadt) concentration camp and ghetto was established by the Nazis during WWII. It served as a transit camp for Jews who would then be deported to killing centers and forced-labour camps in occupied Poland, Belarus and the Baltic States.

The camp was established in 1942 when the Nazis expelled 7,000 Czechs from the area. The camp was intended to house older, more privileged and famous Jews. Artists, writers, scientists, musicians, scholars and the like lived here. 15,000 children passed through the camp and took part in art and poetry classes. Between 150 and 1,500 survived the war. Conditions were brutal. At its peak, 50,000 people lived in an area that had previously housed 7,000. Food was minimal.

Fooling The Red Cross

After the Nazis sent 500 Danish Jews to Terezin, the Danish government demanded to know what happened to them and insisted that the Red Cross visit the camp.

Whilst the Nazis agreed to the visit, they created a hoax to fool the Red Cross. Many prisoners were sent to Auschwitz so the camp was not overcrowded. Fake cafes were erected to give the impression that life was comfortable. The Nazis even made a propaganda film to show the world that they were looking after their Jewish prisoners.

The ‘cast’ were immediately sent to Auschwitz after filming.144,000 Jews were sent to Terezin of which 33,000 died. Of the rest, 88,000 were moved to Auschwitz and other death camps. Of the original number, only 19,000 survived the war.

How To Get To Terezin From Prague 

Getting to Terezin from Prague is straight forward. Buses leave from Prague main bus station several times a day. It takes just under an hour to reach the site.

Terezin Concentration Camp

We spent most of the day at the concentration camp. We explored the camp on our own and there was not much information on display. I would recommend a guided tour.

Terezin Memorial – Ghetto Museum

After the camp visit, we headed into the town of Theresienstadt from which we would be taking the return bus. It was eerily quiet.

Before that, we had the ‘Terezin Memorial – Ghetto Museum’ (map) to visit. The museum documents the horror of the Holocaust in this area.

It is housed in what used to be the children’s barracks. A lot of children’s art from the Holocaust is on display.

Is Terezin Worth Visiting?

Anyone with an interest in the Holocaust should definitely make the short trip out of Prague to visit Terezin. The camp itself is not very informative unless you take a guide but the whole experience of visiting the camp then heading into the town which was the former ghetto is very strange. People live here yet the town still has a downbeat atmosphere. We barely saw anyone in the huge square. I’m not sure I could live in a place where so many people lost their lives.

For further information, visit http://www.terezin.org/the-history-of-terezin