Terezin

On Friday, I visited Terezin.

Terezin was originally a fortress, built between 1780 and 1790 by Emperor Joseph to protect access routes to Bohemia. In World War II, the residents were evacuated and it was used as a ghetto/transit camp by the Nazis.
Approximately 140,000 men, women and children were deported to Terezin. Within Terezin, there was also "The Small Fortress". 32,000 prisoners passed through there. Both Jewish and non-Jewish POWs went through the Small Fortress. At least 10,000 people alone died in the Small Fortress. From Terezin, prisoners were sent to other camps, usually Auschwitz-Birkenau. The prisoners were kept in rooms with two tier "bunk beds". There were usually about 100 people in the room. In some of the smaller rooms, about 60 prisoners would be kept, and they would have to sleep standing up.

Naturally, the conditions were horrific. Terezin was used as a "model camp" to convince outsiders that nothing was wrong. In preparation for a Red Cross visit, a hospital was created. The hospital was clean and functioning and had supplies. Needless to say, it was never used. The Red Cross visited, and did absolutely nothing.

After WWII, the town was re-inhabited. Today it's a regular town, although it was a bit gray on the day I visited. Apparently a majority of the inhabitants are mentally disabled. There is a home for many of these people in the center of the town, but they just sort of roam the town. The rest of the townspeople either work at the Terezin museum or in some of the shops.

The museum for Terezin was oddly sterile and cold. Right inside the entrance for the Small Fortress is a cafe. After our tour, we were all hungry, so we sat in the cafe. Then we left. It was strange. I'm still hoping to get to Auschwitz.

 

Not the sign everybody knows. It's strange that it was in Terezin, as Terezin wasn't a work camp.

 

Window in the small room. Only source of light. It wasn't opened, so it wasn't a source of air.

 

Barbed wire.

 

Gavrilo Princip, the man who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand and started WWI, was imprisoned in this solitary confinement cell.

 

Wall used for target practice/executions. You can see four areas that are shot at.

Solitary confinement cells in the Small Fortress.