Terezín (original) (raw)

Terezín is a town in the Czech Republic with around 3,000 inhabitants. It is mainly known for its fortress, and for the Theresienstadt concentration camp; see Holocaust remembrance.

This camp is located in the Sudetenland, annexed by Germany in 1938. It could be described a "showcase" concentration camp, built to make the internment look better than it actually was. The camp was mainly a temporary holding place for Jews before deportation to the gas chambers at Auschwitz.

Take the D8 highway, get off at exit 35 or 45. There are multiple parking spots, biggest ones (but there is no shortage of parking space usually) are 50.513314.15921 east and 50.504114.14912 south of the city.

You can go from Prague, from the Nádraží Holešovice bus station. It takes about 1 hour and takes you to the 50.51070814.1488883 bus station at the "Terezin -- U památníku" bus stop. To avoid full bus, you can buy the tickets beforehand at the main bus office on Florenc B C metro station or online.

From 2023 Terezín is served by bus No. 413 departing mostly every hour from metro station Letňany in Prague (58 min, 100 CZK).

It takes 1.5h to Bohušovice nad Ohří 50.49131114.1494554 train station, which is 4 km away (approx. 45 minutes by foot).

You can also come from Litoměřice - it's approx. 4 km away too.

The city is small enough to visit it by foot. But bring at least some refreshments - as there will be plenty of walking if you visit at least the areas listed here.

Fortress walls

Crematory

National cemetery

The main "attraction" here is the concentration camp area, which consists of several places:

• 50.511814.14961 Ghetto museum (Muzeum Ghetta). Placed in the building of a former school, it contains an extensive exhibition about the purpose and life in the ghetto - including cinematic artefacts. Expect at least 2-3 hours, if you will study the details. You will learn here about the life and death in the camp, the destinies of people coming in and out, and also about propaganda movies which were shot here to show the camps as a "good and safe place for living" for the imprisoned people. (updated Feb 2017)
• 50.513914.16642 Small fortress. A military citadel, which was used as a political prison during WW2 and as an internment camp for Germans after the war. The exhibition here is mainly devoted to the political prison aspect. (updated Feb 2017)
• 50.51314.16283 National cemetery (Just outside Small fortress). A cemetery mostly with victims from the fortress, approx. 10 000 in total. Of them 2 386 are named, rest are in mass graves. Both Christian cross and Jewish star are here. Many more 10s of thousands people who died here don't have any grave, because they were cremated and the ash dumped into the Ohře river. (updated Feb 2017)
• 50.50227814.1513064 Jewish cemetery and crematory. A relatively big remembrance area, with information about the crematory operation - including interior access, which is quite an unsettling experience. Approx. 9 000 people are buried here (mostly Jewish). (updated Feb 2017)

The whole city, being a former fortress from year 1780, is surrounded by a star-shaped wall.

• 50.518214.14691 Golf Kotlina. A modern golf course with a restaurant (both closed in winter). (updated Feb 2017)

Multiple restaurants (local cuisine and pizza) and cafés are located 50.5118914.148141 nearby the museum, around the "Smetanovy sady" park. The food is not nearly top-notch, but acceptable for the price.

Lidice is a city completely destroyed by the Nazis, as a retaliation for assassination of Heydrich, with a remembrance area in place now - if you still feel like it after Terezin (very unlikely).

Prague - capital of Czechia is easily reachable by PID bus 413