Terezin was originally a fortress, built in 1780. By the 1800s, it was used as a prison. The man who shot Archduke Franz Ferninand in 1914, setting off WWI, was imprisoned and died there. The Nazis saw its unique value. It is a secure fortress, but does not look like one. The double walls made of stone and earth were impenetrable.
When the Nazis took over Terezin, they displaced 7000 residents. By 1942, over 58,000 Jews and political prisoners were crammed into the fortress, in addition to the Nazi guards who also had barracks and offices. It is a stark place, with single building blocks that housed dormitories. From 1940 to 1945, over 150,000 people passed thru Terezin. 33,000 died there, 90,000 were sent to death camps, and 17,000 survived.
The first group sent to Terezin was Czech Jews from Prague. Entire families were sent there, but the children were removed from their parents and housed in a separate area. The families were able to have communication. At the first museum, an entire wall was covered with artwork by a 12-year old girl named Helga Weiss. She drew her father a picture of a snowman, the last pleasant thing before they were sent to the camp. Her father didn't want her to be sad about what they had lost and told her to "draw what you see." She did, and before being sent to Auschwitz (she actually survived there and was rescued) several years later, she hid her drawings in a wall.
Our guide, Pavel Batel, just finished his third book about Terezin, so we were very lucky to get the Terezin expert for our tour. He explained that people died at Terezin from starvation, disease, or beatings. He said that the second group of people sent to Terezin were rich German Jews. They had been told they were just being relocated, so they brought their belongings, belongings that were immediately removed from them. Everyone was forced to write to their friends back home that everything was fine, but in reality, they had little to eat and they were forced to labor for the Nazi war effort.
The German Jews sent here included artists, performers, and muscians. Some of their art, which they hid from the guards, was presented in the second museum we visited. The people were allowed to perform, for each other in exchange for food vouchers, and for the entertainment of the Nazis.
Those who were late to their work assignment or who drew the attention of the Nazi guards were sent to the Smaller Fortress, run by the Gestapo. Those persons never returned, as the best living condition there was the room pictured, which housed at least 70 people. At least this one had a water source and a small window for air. The most sadistic guards were here.
Terezin had no gas chamber and its purpose was not to exterminate. The Nazis, even thru 1944, denied the existence of the "Final Solution." Twice they used Terezin as an extraordinary propoganda set-up. The International Red Cross inspected it, but only saw a town billed as a Jewish refuge, with culture and music. (Nazis put fake bathroom fixtures in, for example). A fake film was made to convince the world that the Jews were being treated humanely. After that 1944 filming was finished, 3/5 of the people involved in it were sent immediately to Auschwitz. The people participated in these because, at least for a short time, they got enough food to stave off starvation. Pavel said that even amidst all this Nazi evil, he learned stories of the sharing of scarce food; the secret Jewish synagogues; the work of Fredy Hirsch, the head of a children's block whom many people he interviewed credit for their survival, and other positive tales.
Yesterday was quite a learning experience, and today was a walking experience... again. On our way to Terezin, we had passed an unusul church, so I Googled "Noah's Ark Church" and we walked to it today. No gargoyles on this Roman Catholic Church built in 1928-1932. It is shaped like Noah's Ark. According to the Prague tourism website, its the most significant Czech sacred building of the 20th century.
We left this area and headed for the train station to familiarize ourselvs with the layout for tomorrow's return to Germany. Near the train station is Wenceslas Square, actually a wide boulevard that stretches several blocks. That's where at lot of the political events happen in Prague. We couldn't get a good picture of the huge statue of Wenceslas because of the sun's location right behind his head at the time we were there.
We took a roundabout way to the Old Town Square, weaving our way downhill. Prague is not steep like Lausanne, but the ground did slope toward the river. On the way, some workers were laying a new sidewalk. So, we stopped so Phillip could watch them for a bit. We had admired the sidewalks here on several occasions. Different colored granite squares, 2" x 2", are layed in a pattern over damp sand, then tapped into place.
Phillip and I both took lots of pictures of centuries old buildings and towers during this stroll. I'm not sure what all of them are, but I am sure that this is the Astronomical Clock on the square. We just missed an earlier "performance" so we wandered around the shops until 2 pm. The Grim Reaper (the skeleton on the right of the blue part), rings the bell that opens the two doors above the round clock faces and the Apostles show themselves. The whole performance lasts 45 seconds, so it's a bit underwhelming, but... we saw it with over thouand of our close friends, probably the ones from Charles Bridge on Tuesday!
Phillip wanted to go up in the Eiffel Tower. No, not the one in Paris. There's a replica on a hill called the Petrin Lookout Tower. Although this Lookout Tower structure is smaller than the Eiffel Tower, because it is on the highest point in Prague, its peak is actually higher above sea level, and hence, according to some Czechs, taller than the Eiffel Tower. We could see it from all over Prague.
We did not climb the mountain to get to it, we rode the funicular (cable car on a track, not a cable). This is a view out the front window as it climbed to the top of the hill.
Another thing, since we'd already walked a couple of miles today, that we did not do was climb the stairs to the top of the Lookout. We sprang for the 60 KC ($2.72) each to ride the elevator. The top did offer a wonderful view of Prague Castle, and of the entire City of Prague.
We could also see the Charles Bridge and it seemed more crowded this afternoon.
We did walk down the hill, taking note of the Hunger Wall. (Nothing to do with "Hunger Games.") It was built in 1362. Charles IV paid the city's poor people with food as they worked on building the wall for him. As we descended, we stopped at a monastery for a beer. Yep, the monks brew and sell their beer.
Tomorrow, we head back to Germany to spend our final European weekend with Becky and her family. She's planning a trip to Regensburg on Saturday and catching the final day of Oktoberfest in Munich on Sunday with us.
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