The History of the Terezin Concentration Camp

Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic, holds a great many great attractions. The added convenience of easy Prague airport transfers and the general accessibility of the city has cemented it as one of the foremost destinations in Europe.

Charles Bridge, St. George Basilica, Prague Castle, and the Petrin Tower are just some of its most famous and historically significant attractions. However, perhaps the most sobering and touching is the Terezin Concentration camp, which is located just outside the city. It's not a site your Prague airport transfers will take you past, but there are some excellent tours that leave from the city centre.

The Terezin Concentration Camp

Terezin is, in fact, one of the most important and visited historical sites in the country. Sites like this, while sobering, remain among the most popular attractions because the human experience, and the strength of the human spirit, can in itself be as beautiful and awe-inspiring as the most ancient natural wonder. There is possibly no better testament to this spirit than Terezin.

Although originally built by Emperor Joseph II of Austria to protect Prague, the fortress of Terezin instead became the site of wartime atrocities during World War II. According to historians, approximately 150,000 Jewish people (many of them children) were captured and imprisoned by the Nazis in the fortress, which came to be known as the Terezin Concentration Camp (also known as the Theresienstadt concentration camp or the Theresienstadt ghetto). Tens of thousands were put to death, and more died from disease and malnutrition. Those that did not die at Terezin faced months or even years of abuse and imprisonment, only to be ultimately sent to their death in other camps such as Treblinka and Auschwitz.

A Sobering Testament to Human Spirit

Walking through the camp can be a bleak and heart-rending experience. Seeing the solitary and punishment cells, the execution grounds and cemetery in the 'small' fortress, the crematorium and columbarium, the museum featuring drawings of prisoners and Nazi propaganda films, and the vile living conditions means it may be hard to find the beauty in such a terrible place - and the merit of preserving it.

However, as you go deeper into its history, you will learn about how even in the midst of despair and struggle, the prisoners worked together to help one another and improve their living conditions. They expanded the water system to bring safe water to the town, saving many residents from dying from typhoid from infected water, and also established a fire department. Taking advantage of the Nazi’s insistence that children work or perform, the prisoners held classes to help educate children, as well as engage them in sports or cultural activities. Musicians such as conductor Rafael Scha?chter and pianist Alice Herz-Sommer, among others, performed concerts. Artists such as Friedl Dicker-Brandeis taught children to draw, and other poets, artists, writers, musicians, craftsmen, and ordinary men and women banded together and left their mark in Terezin. The results are a poignant testament to the human spirit, proving that even during the darkest times, that spirit does more than endure, it shines.

The Terezin Concentration Camp offers one of the most fulfilling experiences to be had in Prague. Once you've settled in from your Prague airport transfers, seek out one of the excellent tours.

Lukas Johannes is a driver for Shuttle Direct. If you’re looking for Prague airport transfers, Shuttle Direct provide pre-booked shuttles to major destinations all over Europe. Wherever you travel, Shuttle Direct can make sure that you don’t miss your car on your holiday abroad.

Writer and Online Marketing Manager in London.