Terezin

Terezin, a set on Flickr.

We visited the Terezin Concentration camp on a cold grey day, kind of fitting for the experience. Terezin was actually built between 1780-1790 and was a really amazing place, a fortress and hub of life for the people who lived there. Over the years it went through many changes and unfortunately its final moment in history is that of a Nazi Concentration Camp. Although Terezin was not a death camp, it is still tainted with the deaths/murders of 1000’s of Czech’s, Jews and Roma. We were all shocked with the images and stories that were dotted around the camp. It has certainly not been cleaned up for tourists! Although personal items and bedding have long gone the fireplaces still have burnt rubble in them the bathrooms are dirty. Terezin was a holding camp were an estimated 144,000 people transitioned through before being sent by train to the Auschwitz Extermination camp. Many died in Terezin(74,000) before reaching the extermination camps as the conditions were so bad and they were literally worked to death. There were numerous images of piles of dead bodies, mass graves and people being executed. Exact numbers are not known as the German soldiers burnt as much evidence as possible. We also visited the Muzeum Ghetta which is dedicated to the children of Terezin (we were not allowed to take photos here). About 15,000 children under the age of 15 died in Terezin, all of their names fill the first room and their stories and those who tried to help them are throughout the museum. I was shocked at proud photos of some of the most feared Nazi soldiers, they didn’t look evil or mean … just young men! All but one of the warders of Terezin was hung or given life imprisonment sentences after the war, all of which is documented and photographed (very chilling). The museums and monuments are filled with stories and images that we will never forget, we came away with many questions, thoughts and pondering many ideas and definitely thankful for the lives we have. Although the horrors of war are well documented … I really question how much man has really learnt when we turn our eyes on places like Mali and still see brutal killings by the 1000’s.