terezin

I have never been to a concentration camp or war memorial before, so I really wanted to go to Terezin, as it seemed like a good way to ease myself into this kind of thing. I chose to go by myself partly because it was cheaper and partly because I like having time to read information and absorb things at my own pace. I saw a few parties of visitors with guides who rushed past me in some areas, and who I overtook again in other places. I spent about 2 1/2 hours there and that was enough for me!I got myself to Terezin on a public bus from Nadrazi Holesovice (Holesovice station, on the C metro line) and the bus stop was very easy to find. The journey lasted just under an hour. I bought a ticket for everything (gives you entry to Ghetto museum, Small Fortress and Magdeburg Barracks - everything else was open to the public) and started with the Ghetto Museum in the town. The museum was full of really interesting information about the town and the Nazi campaign. Then I did a circuit around the sites in the town (Magdeburg houses information about artists, musicians and prominent figures as well as info about the culture and lifestyle at the camp) before walking back to the Small Fortress. This was quite moving, as it was where the Gestapo officers worked, and you can see the dormitories, bathrooms, underground tunnel, etc. There is also a museum here which contains info about the Nazi officers who ran the operations here.

I met Terezin camp survivor last night . She is 93 years old. Almost 70 years ago she was performing in Terezin as one off a large number of prisoners organized into a choir by Czech Jewish inmate Rafael Schachter. It was a part of the Nazi propaganda strategy for the Red Cross visit . They performed Verdi's Requiem. They had high hopes that the charade of the normal life in the camp created specifically for this visit will be uncovered by the Red Cross. But once the visit was over, the deportations were resumed to Auschwitz including Schachter and most of his chorus.He died one month before the war ended. She survived. I could not bring myself to ask her how she survived. Memories that are surely too painful to share with a stranger. She was a guest at the last night performance in the Lincoln Center, a small woman with a clear mind and unbreakable spirit. The performance in the Lincoln Center in New York City of THE DEFIANT REQUIEM :VERDI AT TEREZIN , memorialized the amazing spirit of the people that endured the daily inhuman conditions in the hands of the Nazi's. Chorus and a large orchestra filled the Avery Fisher Hall stage in Lincoln Center last night. It was very moving and unforgettable experience. The Defiant Requiem : Verdi, was also performed in the St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague to a huge audience.This was the prisoners motto: WE WILL SING TO THEM, WHAT WE CANNOT SAY TO THEM....I thought this may be off interest to tourists visiting Terezin, as It may help broaden their experience as they learn about the prisoners concerts in Terezin.

Plenty of other people have already described their feelings about the Terezin memorial and I don't want to say the exact same thing. It is a very sobering experience and fascinating for anyone interested in World War II. I was always going to go to visit Terezin, but could not decide whether I would 'miss out' on much if I decided to go without an organised tour. I can say emphatically that I did not. There are loads of reasons why I chose to go alone - being able to see things at my own pace, take breaks, spend ages in the museum, better for solo traveller etc. After loads of research I decided to go without a tour and had a great experience still - here are my detailed instructions on how to see Terezin without a tour.(1) Getting to Terezin: First, get to the Praha-Holesovice train station, on the red (A) metro line. If getting off the metro, turn right from the exit and follow the sign marked 'bus station'. You will pass by a few shops selling rolls, sandwiches, pizza etc - this is a very good time to buy some food and drink because Terezin has almost no food on offer in the off-season. After buying your food, head out towards the bus station - you should see the train lines on your left. Keep waking straight until you are about halfway across the bus 'carpark', then look left for a bus bay marked 7, which should be at the far end of the bus station. Check the sign and it should indicate Terezin as one of the stops (but Terezin is not the terminus station). Buses come approximately every half an hour and they cost either 75 kc or 85 kc depending on the bus company. I ended up on the 85 kc bus company on both legs of the journey, which lasts approximately 1 hr. The buses drop at two different stops in Terezin. The first is in between the Small Fortress and the Jewish Ghetto and looks like it's along the main road, the bus driver announced this as the Terezin stop for me. There is a second stop also which is in the Jewish Ghetto itself, around a garden square, approximately 1 minute away from the Ghetto Museum. It's easier to drop at the second stop if you are planning to see the Museum first, also because it's not that obvious to get to the Museum from the first station. However, the first stop is nearer the Small Fortress, so plan accordingly. (2) Jewish Ghetto: Once you are in the Jewish Ghetto, it's not that difficult to figure things out. I went to the Ghetto Museum first, which has fairly prominent signs, where you can buy tickets. A combined ticket to the Ghetto Museum and the Small Fortress is 210 kc (regular) and 160 (discounted, incl for students). The Ghetto Museum itself has loads of exhibits and plenty of information all in English, so this is no problem at all to see without a tour guide, and I much preferred spending ages here reading everything - I spent about 1.5 hours here. There's a WC, and a small cafe with fairly cheap (by Prague standards - cup of tea was 20kc) drinks, snacks and some food if you need to take a break. Back of the ticket has a tiny map which points out where some of the other sites are (Jewish Cemetery, Columbarium etc) and when I bought it the lady explained to me where things were, all about 10-15 minutes from the centre and the buildings have signs so it's relatively easy to find them.Jewish Cemetery, Columbarium: These are out of the town centre, and I was initially concerned about being able to fully appreciate these areas without a guide. But the Ghetto Museum already provided so much information, and not only were there signs (in English) over various exhibits/areas, in both areas there were these wind up audio recordings explaining the exhibits, locations, what happened, and pointing out the landmarks in English. It's a weird machine - you crank it by hand until you hear a beep, then select language (Czech, English or German) and select the topic you want to hear about. This is basically the same as you would have gotten from a tour. Small Fortress: When you first enter the Small Fortress, on the left there is a small gallery explaining the history of the fortress from when it was built by the Austrian empire till World War II - again all in English, and plenty to take in by yourself. There are free guided tours in English included in the price of the ticket lasting approximately 50 minutes, which provided all that one could want to know, with the additional opportunity of asking questions, so you don't need a private guide for this. Inside the Small Fortress is another museum explaining the history of the Fortress during World War II, and the Nazi uses of the fortress, again all in English.Return: Getting back to Prague is basically just the reverse of getting there. Bus stops are opposite the one you were dropped off - either outside along the road or in the Ghetto, same drill.I hope this has been helpful! I would have loved a comprehensive updated guide on seeing Terezin alone and am really grateful for other reviews which explained how to get there alone. I've tried to show how much you can see and absorb and how many English materials were available there, so I really don't feel like I missed out much and instead got to take things in at my own pace. My visit took about 5 hours not including transport both ways.

I recommend Pavel Batel to everybody who wants to experience Terezin deeply as our group did. Knowledge and his narration skills are just outstanding and everything about him on Tripadvisor is for real. Few weeks past and we still are talking about Terezin and Pavel. We traveled back in time with him. Unforgettable experience!

Theresienstadt, built in the late 18th century and named after the Austrian Arch-Duchess Maria Theresa, was originally intended to serve as a fort, but by the late 19th century it was used to house political and military prisoners. The most famous of these inmates prior to WW II was the tubercular Gavrilo Princep, who was incarcerated here after assassinating Arch-Duke Franz Ferdinand. During WW II the fort was used as a concentration/transit camp for Jews bound for Auschwitz, Treblinka, and other extermination camps in Poland. The camp was believed to house nearly 60,000 prisoners at one point, and 30,000 perished while it was in operation. Theresienstadt was chosen by the Nazis as the centerpiece of a propaganda campaign meant to deceive the world to the true intentions of the camp. Fake stores were constructed that overflowed with produce, dry goods, and other basic necessities. Newsreel footage showed the "happy" inhabitants, many of whom were children, dancing, playing games, and enjoying arts and crafts. The Red Cross was even brought in to emphasize the humanitarian treatment the prisoners supposedly received. Many of those filmed were granted a temporary reprieve from being transported to the death camps in Poland but unfortunately most would eventually perish. While the death count was far less than Auschwitz, Theresienstadt was nevertheless an important part of the history of the Holocaust and a sobering reminder that evil is only possible when good men do nothing.

terezin is a unchanged monument to the atrocities of war on Jews. It's very somber, there are few shops for folk that live there. There is a heck of a lot to see. The accommodation, huge shower rooms and when you read about what happened there! It's so sad. The Jews were kept in ever smaller plots here, where there's masses of open space. It must have been hell, knowing the green open space is out there and you're not allowed to see it.The buildings have been kept, run down as they are, which is the right thing to do here. Very somber. But also, a great side trip from Prague.

Prague is a fantastic city- there is so much to do and see and to enjoy yourself. However, it is also important to remember the important historical events- both recent and not-so-recent, that have occurred in the past. During this trip to Prague I made it a point to visit some of the sites outside of the city. Since I had read the book War and Rembrance, I had always wanted to visit Terezin and Theresienstadt. I was travelling with two other colleagues and we were looking for a private tour which could accomodate our varying schedule. I was able to find a tour operator named "Pavel Batel" through some recommendations on Trip Advisor. I cannot rate him more highly. He was absolutely fantastic, knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and flexible. He helped us understand the historical background of the site, why it was important both as part of Prague history but also as world history. His passion is unmatched. He also included all the entrance fees in his fee for us which made it quite convenient to get in and out of the locations.He was also very sensitive to our group's needs in terms of ensuring that we were able to visit all the specific areas, give us time to absorb the impact, and then to continue our visit. It was a very difficult day but it was because of the subject matter- not because of our tour guide. If you are looking for an impersonal bus tour, then Pavel Batel is not for you. If you are looking for a personalized impactful experience which will leave you with an understanding of the historical significance than I highly recommend you reach out to Pavel.

This was a very good tour if you like this sort of thing which I do. Very emotional to think about how the Nazis tried to get rid of Jews from every country.This is particular was very sad as it looks so normal to you when you look at it except there were walls built around about it and life went on for everyone else in the surrounding areas. We went with a guide called Pavel Batel who came highly recommended and no wonder. Boy does he know his stuff. He was so knowledgeable. It was a pleasure to meet him and if you ever go there you should do the tour with him and no one else

We booked with Viator for this trip and while we thought Terezin itself was definitely worth a visit, we would have preferred a bit more guidance from our tour guide. We were left to look around each of the exhibitions quite independently following a short (but very friendly) introduction and quite often I would have preferred a little more time in each one. We had a separate guide for the smaller Terezin 'prison' who was very informative and very enthusiastic about telling the story of the people who went there. Highlight for me was seeing the artwork - not just the well-publicized children's work - but also that of adult artists who hid the pictures that told the real truth about Terezin. Would recommend, especially as a good way to get out of Prague for the day if you're on a longer holiday.

We have visited Terezin with this excellent and passionate tour guide named Pavel, which I highly recommend. Terezin is a very sad, touching place and I cannot find the words to describe how you feel walking around this ghetto and the concentration camp. It was a strong feeling.. Pavel explained us what happened and where and he is open to any question. I highly suggest a visit to Terazin, even though it will leave you with a bitter taste for what happened in the past here, but I think it's important in order to keep the memory of Jews people who died here alive.