Terezín

More than 33,000 people (primarily Jews) perished behind Terezin's walls during WWII and the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. Still another 88,000 individuals were sent from Terezín to be slaughtered at Auschwitz and Mauthausen.

On this 6-hour excursion from Prague, your expert guide will explain the key role of this camp in the Holocaust.

During the 1-hour drive to Terezín you’ll hear about the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia and the steady erosion of civil rights for Jews and other groups in the so-called Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, to the beginning of the transports that brought the Jews to the ghetto here. 

You’ll also learn how the camp’s Jewish inmates managed to organize basic health care and social welfare, conduct cultural and secret educational activities, and even hold secret religious services.

Terezín was used for propaganda purposes. In June 1944, officials of the Red Cross were invited to inspect the ghetto. The Nazis opened cafés, schools, and shops and even had a merry-go-round brought in for the occasion. They also made a propaganda film for Western audiences. Although much of the film was destroyed, some footage has been preserved for your viewing at the Memorial.

With careful attention to detail and historical context and sensitivity to the emotional experience of visitors, you will be guided through the small fortress, ghetto museum, Magdeburg barracks, crematorium, columbarium, ceremonial halls, central morgue, and a replica of an attic room.