Terezin Concentration Camp

Terezin was a concentration camp 30 miles north of Prague in the Czech Republic during the World War II. It was originally a holiday resort reserved for Czech nobility. Terezín is contained within the walls of the famed fortress Theresienstadt, which was created by Emperor Joseph II of Austria in the late 18th century and named in honor of his mother, Empress Maria Theresa.

By 1940 Nazi Germany had assigned the Gestapo to turn Terezín into a Jewish ghetto and concentration camp. It held primarily Jews from Czechoslovakia, as well as tens of thousands of Jews deported chiefly from Germany and Austria, as well as hundreds from the Netherlands and Denmark. More than 150,000 Jews were sent there, including 15,000 children, and held there for months or years, before being sent by rail transports to their deaths at Treblinka and Auschwitz extermination camps in occupied Poland, as well as to smaller camps elsewhere. Less than 150 children survived.

Most WWII travelers know about visiting Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany and Auschwitz in Poland, but not everyone knows you can visit Terezín Concentration Camp from Prague in the Czech Republic.

The sad reality about the Nazi concentration camp system is that it was a vast network of over 1,000 camps and sub-camps spread across much of Europe. What this means today is that travellers have ample opportunities to explore this horrific past up-close. In other words, you don’t need to be travelling through Germany or Poland to visit sites like these.

History 

Although Terezin was not an extermination camp, about 33,000 died in the ghetto. This was mostly due to the appalling conditions arising out of extreme population density, malnutrition and disease. About 88,000 inhabitants were deported to Auschwitz and other extermination camps.  At the end of World War II, there were 17,247 survivors of Terezin (including some who had survived the death camps).

Propaganda

Besides serving as a transit camp, the Theresienstadt concentration camp also served as a propaganda set. Nazi officials scrupulously cleaned up and beautified the space to give the appearance to visiting dignitaries and Red Cross representatives that it was a nice place to live.

They installed fake shops and cafés, planted flowers, and deported most of the Jews to the death camps to dispel any rumors of overcrowding. They literally called it “Operation Embellishment” and marketed Terezín as a “spa town” where Jews could “retire.” You can even see the swimming pool.

The camp has a propaganda movie clip that you can watch to illustrate the absurd way they tried to market the camp.

What to see on a day trip to Terezín from Prague

Unlike Dachau which is just made up of the one large site, the Terezín memorial consists of many different sites that are scattered throughout the town. 

The Small Fortress 

Terezín’s small fortress is what you would call the “concentration camp.” This is the location of the prisoner camp that was located inside the walls of the former military fortress. You can explore the many cells, facilities, tunnels, and various other locations throughout the entire (quite large) camp as well as a couple of permanent museum exhibitions.

The National Cemetery

On the way into the Small Fortress concentration camp you’ll pass the National Cemetery which opened in 1945 and serves as the final resting place for around 10,000 Holocaust victims.

Towered over by a giant Star of David sculpture, the National Cemetery contains 2,386 individual graves and five mass graves that contain the remains of thousands more victims from the Small Fortress, the Terezín Ghetto, and the concentration camp in Litoměřice.

The Ghetto Museum

Located just a 15-minute walk from the Small Fortress in the middle of the town is the Ghetto Museum. This is a small but thorough permanent museum showcasing the history of Terezín as a Jewish ghetto during the Holocaust.

Terezín Memorials

You’ll find a number of memorials to the atrocities at Terezín in and around town. Such as:

  • Memorial on the bank of the Ohře River – commemorating the 22,000 victims who were cremated in the Terezín ghetto. Camp prisoners were forced to throw the ashes into the river.
  • The Park of the Terezín Children – a memorial park to commemorate the child victims of Terezín.
  • Monument of Danish Jews that died in Terezin.
  • Memorial to those imprisoned and murdered in the Terezín Jewish ghetto.

The crematorium

A good half-hour walk from the concentration camp is the camp’s crematorium. Don’t let the fact that Terezín (Theresienstadt) wasn’t a “death camp” fool you; more than 30,000 victims from the camp and ghetto were cremated here. Today it holds a couple of permanent exhibitions as well as original furnaces, a morgue, and an autopsy room.

A short walk from here is the Columbarium and Central Morgue where you can see how the thousands of urns were stored.

Terezín Transports

Located on the site of the old railway is a permanent exhibition detailing how Terezín’s transport system worked. In other words, how the Gestapo transported prisoners from other parts of Europe to the Theresienstadt concentration camp… and then from there to Auschwitz and other death camps.

Magdeburg Barracks

This small museum is located in former army barracks and focuses on the cultural activities of the Terezín ghetto’s prisoners. Things like art, music, literature, theater, and more. There’s also a special exhibit here on the shooting of propaganda films at Terezín.

 Fortress Tunnel System

You can walk through the fortress’s tunnel system which is a seriously interesting thing to do here and a haunting experience. 

Tour or Self Guided Tour

We decided to take a tour instead of arriving ourselves. Our bus transported to the camp. The one disadvantage was not having enough time to really review some of the information, 

How to Get There 

Prague to Terezín by:

Bus

  • Get to Letňany stationin Prague.
  • Get on bus 413.
  • Pay the driver directly for your ticket.
  • Get off at the stop called “Terezín,,U Památniku.”
  • Walk 5 minutes to the Small Fortress

Car

If you have a car for your time in the Czech Republic, by all means, drive yourself to Terezín! Driving there will only take about 45 minutes.

There is an easily accessible parking lot just outside the entrance to the Small Fortress. It costs just 30kč for one hour (that’s about $1.25) or 90kč for all day (about $3.80). (It also has a restroom, WiFi, and refreshments.) 

Organized Tours

Probably the most popular way to visit Terezín concentration camp from Prague is by organized tour. This is by far the easiest method because it requires little thought or preparation at all. 

These organized tours of Terezín from Prague are typically all-inclusive and pretty affordable. They usually include pick up and drop off, private roundtrip transportation from Prague, admission fees, and a knowledgeable tour guide. Sometimes they have extras like lunch or snacks.

For more information on the camp, go to Terezin Conentration Camp.