Usually we're not intimidated by the subway or trains. It's a little different here because the language looks a little like someone sat on a keyboard. Going from tram stops at Ujezd to Malostranska to Vitavska is a little different than say even Paris where you would get on at Tour Eiffel and end up at Sacre Coueur. Even tonight, I was looking for a bar named Hospudka Na Cevtoce! What? My Spanish is broken, my French is limited, but my Czech is non-existent. After finally figuring out where to buy tickets and what general direction we were to go, we made our way down the river on the tram (which is an excellent way to travel by the way) and to the train station appropriately called Holesovice. We grabbed some sketchy pastry-looking lunch/breakfast (The ONLY thing we ate until 8 o'clcok) at the station and began the 30 minute wait for the bus.
The history of the camp is of course, bleak, sad and troubling. The Nazis were cruel and sadistic. Most of those that were at the camp at some point did not survive the holocaust.
We left the museum and visited the barracks. Apparently, Terezin was a location that the Nazis brought Jews that they deemed worthy or valuable through their trade such as doctors, lawyers, writers, artists and other high profile positions. The Nazi's used Terezin as a propoganda tool during the war and even had a Red Cross visit about halfway through the war. The poor Jews had to beautify the camp, put on plays and sporting events, and pretend everything was ok. The Red Cross representatives bought it hook, line, and sinker. Even though they were encarcarated, the Jews there managed to continue producing amazing works of art, producing plays, magazines, and compsing music. It is amazing the concentration of artisits and creative people they had within the walls, and such a shame that most of them persished. A particualr focus was on the artwork of the children in the camp. They allowed the Jews to run schools and much of the children's art was on display. That was particularly hard.
There were rooms that when I walked in the hair stood up on the back of my neck. 
The Nazi prisons and camps were often plastered with the words "Arbiect Macht Frie" meaning "Work will set you free". 
We kept the creepy up walking through solitary cells, group showers (where they got the Jews used to group showering so they would be compliant when they got to Auschwitz and subsequently gassed) and even saw the mass grave where they dug up 601 of the deceased and the execution grounds where they and many others were murdered. Outside the prison is a large cemetery. Most of the graves in the Jewish section towards the fortress walls just have numbers, unknown casualties of a horrible moment in the world's history... 
We tried the mulled wine, ate brie and honey, and you know Blake found some sausage. 
We paid the driver, grabbed a seat and took off for Terezin. Now, Prague has been quiet. February is the end of the low season in Europe. But Terezin was desolete. Barren. Crickets. I think we had a second "oh crap" moment when no one except us on the bus to Terezin got off the bus at Terezin. Later, we would find out that it was probably the best thing that could have happened for the experience at the camp. It really set the perfect mood for viewing the site. This was Terezin's (empty) main square.
We walked in the Ghetto Museum, bought tickets and toured the history of how Terezin came to be. If you research the camp, you will find out that it was a holding facility for Jews before they were transported mainly to Auschwitz which was still under construction when the camp opened. Terezin, previously, was a walled city designed to keep out the Prussians, but the Nazis assumed ownership as they blew through CZ.
The history of the camp is of course, bleak, sad and troubling. The Nazis were cruel and sadistic. Most of those that were at the camp at some point did not survive the holocaust. We left the museum and visited the barracks. Apparently, Terezin was a location that the Nazis brought Jews that they deemed worthy or valuable through their trade such as doctors, lawyers, writers, artists and other high profile positions. The Nazi's used Terezin as a propoganda tool during the war and even had a Red Cross visit about halfway through the war. The poor Jews had to beautify the camp, put on plays and sporting events, and pretend everything was ok. The Red Cross representatives bought it hook, line, and sinker. Even though they were encarcarated, the Jews there managed to continue producing amazing works of art, producing plays, magazines, and compsing music. It is amazing the concentration of artisits and creative people they had within the walls, and such a shame that most of them persished. A particualr focus was on the artwork of the children in the camp. They allowed the Jews to run schools and much of the children's art was on display. That was particularly hard.
There are places we've been that just feel as if they have ghosts. Walking around Terezin, you felt the sadness. The fact that people actually live here now is astounding to me. We took a hike outside the city walls to the "small fortress" or the Gestapo prison. Talk about ghosts. We were the ONLY people inside the entire prison.
There were rooms that when I walked in the hair stood up on the back of my neck. The Nazi prisons and camps were often plastered with the words "Arbiect Macht Frie" meaning "Work will set you free". Maybe it was the cold and the isolation, but the whole place just felt evil. This is a sample of the Red Cross efforts I mentioned above. The sinks were built, but the pipes were never run to make them work. It was all fake.
We kept the creepy up walking through solitary cells, group showers (where they got the Jews used to group showering so they would be compliant when they got to Auschwitz and subsequently gassed) and even saw the mass grave where they dug up 601 of the deceased and the execution grounds where they and many others were murdered. Outside the prison is a large cemetery. Most of the graves in the Jewish section towards the fortress walls just have numbers, unknown casualties of a horrible moment in the world's history... After visiting the small fortress, we hauled it back across town to try and make it to the crematorium before it closed. We were too late, but we did see this. It's a remnant of the train tracks the Nazis forced their Jewish prisoners to build. The Nazis didn't want the Jews walking from the next town to the camp, so they forced them to build a railroad that came right up to the camp. Down these tracks was Auschwitz...
It was an amazing experience to get to see something like this. Even though it was a heavy day, it was something we won't ever forget. It's so sad to think of what these people might have done had they not met this fate.
To balance out the day, we decided to have a bit lighter night. We had dinner in our hotel's restauraunt, which is REALLY nice. Our taxi driver said our hotel looked like someone threw-up baroque and he was right. Look at how gaudy this room in the restauraunt is! The walls are mosaic mirrors. LOVE it! Dinner was A-mazing. I ate duck and actually liked it!
Since we have pretty much let the jet lag win, of course we weren't tired at 10:30. We headed out to look for a beer and for some reason the whole city is closed! We found this cute wine bar and of course, ate some more.
We tried the mulled wine, ate brie and honey, and you know Blake found some sausage. 
1 comment:
With your permission, I would love to use these pictures in my class. Amazing post and experience...I couldn't even imagine.
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