Things to do in

Terezin

Terezin is located approximately ninety miles north of Prague and just south of Litomerice. The town was built in 1780 by Emperor Joseph II of Austria and named after his mother, Empress Maria Theresa. Terezin consisted of two fortresses. The Big Fortress was surrounded by ramparts and contained a barracks. However, Terezin had not been used as a fortress since 1882 and had become a garrison town, which was almost entirely separated from the rest of the countryside. Terezin changed dramatically when the Nazis renamed it Theresienstadt and sent the first Jewish transports there in November 1941. These workers made up the Aufbaukommando (construction detail), later known in the camp as AK1 and AK2. These men were sent to transform the garrison town into a camp. These workers transformed the town, that in 1940 held approximately 7,000 residents, into a concentration camp which held about 35,000 to 60,000 people. With your certified guide, you will be guided through the Terezin concentration camp, learning about the terrible history of this place. The tour visits most places of significance at the site. Afterwards, you will return to Prague.

Terezin was originally a military fortress built in the 18th century by Emperor Josef II, but it is more closely tied to World War II. The walled garrison town of Terezin (the Large Fortress) served as a holding camp for Jews from all over Europe and was exploited for Nazi propaganda purposes during a Red Cross visit in 1944. The lesser-known Small Fortress was a shockingly inhumane prison run by the Reich’s secret police — the Gestapo. During the comfortable bus ride, your guide will share insight into the events leading up to World War II and the Holocaust. The tour starts with the museum located in the Large Fortress, formerly an all-boys school, which details the personal experiences of prisoners held here. You'll also view an authentic propaganda film before moving on to the cemetery and crematorium. Next, cross the river and tour the horrifying conditions for prisoners held in the Large Fortress, from the cell of Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassin to the cramped quarters and firing squads of the Holocaust era. This trip provides a powerful, personal look into some of the darkest moments in history but also highlights the strength and resilience of the faith maintained by its inhabitants.

Your 5-hour trip begins with a pick-up at your Prague hotel and a drive to the town of Terezín and its fortress. You’ll travel in air-conditioned comfort on a bus complete with complimentary WiFi and bottled water. Terezín was originally built in the 18th century as a strategic fortress for protection against the Prussian armies. During World War II the Nazis established a police prison in the small fortress, and the town itself was turned into a Jewish ghetto. When you arrive at the fortress, the guide will take you on a journey through the wartime history of Europe. You’ll also learn what life in the largest Czech concentration camp was like. Visit the small fortress of Terezin as well as the Ghetto Museum, which was originally built as school. The history of Terezín is important and during your visit you’ll come to understand more about World Word II and its impact on Europe. At the end of the tour you’ll be transferred back to your Prague accommodation or the city center.

Be picked up at your hotel in Prague and travel to Terezín for a half-day trip of the town. Meet your guide in Terezín and visit some of the town’s historic locations. The small fortess was built-in the 18th century by Emperor Joseph II. During WWII the fortress served as a Gestapo Police prison and Jewish ghetto and concentration camp. Visit the small fortress and the Ghetto Museum and learn more about the town’s history. The Ghetto Museum opened in 1994 and is home to a permanent exhibition devoted to the history of the political prison and the persecution of the Czech nation under the Nazi regime.

Starting from the meeting point or with a hotel pickup in Prague, embark on a half-day trip to the Terezín Memorial and the Jewish Ghetto Museum followed by lunch in the historical city of Litomerice. Meet your guide and on board the comfortable air-conditioned minibus equipped with Wi-Fi and refreshments to depart on a journey of about an hour to the Terezín Memorial. Upon arrival, you’ll visit the concentration camp in the Small Fortress where more than 90,000 people were taken during World War II and where about 2,800 people died. From 1940 to 1945 the Small Fortress served as the prison of the Prague Gestapo and you can visit the permanent exhibition devoted to the history of the political prison. Next, discover the Jewish Ghetto, located on the other side of the Elbe River, where more than 150,000 people were sent and more than 33,000 people died. Visit the Ghetto Museum with its stark reminders of the days of horror and suffering that happened there. You’ll also hear stories of the friendship, courage, and bravery that was shown by those living there at the time.  After the excursion, move on to the amazing historical city of Litomerice for a lunch prepared in the beautiful artisan restaurant of a 16th-century Renaissance house. After a food tasting in a unique cozy restaurant, return to Prague with an expected arrival time of 3 PM.

Learn about some of the darkest days in European history on a full-day tour to the Terezín Concentration Camp in the sleepy Bohemian countryside. Following a transfer from Prague city center, explore the former ghetto, concentration camp, and Gestapo prison just 1-hour from the city center. Hear stories from the Czech-Jewish history of World War II and the Holocaust. Central to the tragedy of the Holocaust, Terezín saw 33,000 prisoners perish as a result of malnutrition, disease, and the sadistic treatment of their captors. For many more it was their last stop before being deported to extermination camps like Auschwitz, Treblinka, or Sobibór. Hear how the prisoners defied the direst conditions to maintain a rich cultural and religious life, hold celebrations, and even compose and stage operas. Terezín epitomizes the worst aspects of the human spirit, but its prisoners left the world striking examples of human potential and the power of compassion. Terezín played a double role, both in the Nazi pursuit of the Final Solution, and their propaganda efforts to conceal the Holocaust. See the monuments and memorials at Terezín, and visit the museum to find hidden traces of its dark past. Discuss present-day attitudes towards Terezín, and learn the history of the town, from its time as a Habsburg Empire garrison town, the visit of the Red Cross, and the story of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis and her children's paintings.

Terezin (Theresienstadt) is part of a region that was home to thousand-year-old Jewish communities before 1941. It was at this time that these people were deported through the ghetto and concentration camp located in this area to death camps in Auschwitz, Treblinka, and others.  Terezin must be seen in order to understand the complicated history surrounding it, as it became a work camp designed to mislead those who wished to investigate the Nazis' concentration camps.   See the Terezin Ghetto Museum and the Gestapo prison to learn through precious artifacts, children’s drawings, poetry, and other surviving rarities, about the people who were kept at Terezin.  These relics provide a voice for the people and eloquently speak for those who did not survive.  The crematorium, the newly discovered hidden synagogue and other memorials are also included in the 5-hour tour.

Take this tour of Terezin, the site of the notorious concentration camp run by the Nazis during their occupation of Czechoslovakia. With an expert guide you’ll visit the Memorial of National Martyrdom, built in memory of the victims of Nazi political and racial persecution during World War II. This is the only such site of its kind in the Czech Republic. You’ll also visit the small fortress which served as a prison for the Prague Gestapo. As you explore the site, you’ll learn about the persecution of the Czech nation by the Nazi regime and the fates of Czech prisoners transferred to other concentration camps within Nazi Germany’s Third Reich. Lastly, you’ll see the Ghetto Museum, which was opened in 1991 in the building that housed the former Terezín School. The Museum’s exhibits were arranged with the assistance of former prisoners of the Terezín Ghetto.

Join a 6-hour excursion from Prague to the Terezin Memorial. Visit the site used by the Nazis as a combination ghetto and concentration camp during WWII. Learn about this tragic chapter in the history of the town and the catastrophic fate of many thousands of innocent victims. Explore the entire complex of the former Nazi concentration camp with your guide. Hear narration that includes authentic personal memories, chilling experiences, and episodes from Terezin’s grim history. Learn how people lived, suffered, survived, and died at Terezin. Hear how some of the prisoners managed to maintain their faith, optimism, and dignity.

During this tour you will learn about World War II and its impacts on former Czechoslovakia. Terezín is the name of a former military fortress and garrison town. In the late 18th century the Habsburg Monarchy erected the fortress as a stronghold against the Prussians from the North. They named it after Empress Maria Theresa. Terezín´s most tragic chapter came during WWII (1939-45). In 1940 Prague's Gestapo installed the Minor Fortress police prison. About 32,000 prisoners passed through the Minor Fortress between 1940 and 1945, of whom 2,500 were killed by hunger, disease, tyrannical guards and executions. In 1941 the town of Terezín was changed by the Nazis into a Jewish ghetto-transit camp. Until the end of the war more than 150,000 deportees passed through the camp, 35,000 of whom died there. Russian forces liberated Terezín on May 10, 1945, 8 days after Berlin had fallen to the Allies. Today the camp stands as a memorial to the dead and a monument to human depravity. As you enter the main gate, the sign above it, ARBEIT MACHT FREI (Work Sets One Free), sets a gloomy tone. You can walk through the prison barracks, execution grounds, workshops, and isolation cells. During this tour you will also visit a local museum about the Terezín concentration camp and see an educational movie.