Terezín is a place filled with silence and reflection, forever marked with a dark history. Located 30 miles north of Prague, this former ghetto and Nazi concentration camp is a lasting reminder of the Jewish tragedy of World War II.

Construction of the Terezín military fortress began in 1780 and was originally built to secure the bridges across the Ohře and Elbe rivers against Prussian troops invading the Bohemian lands from neighboring Saxony. Yet, no battles took place at this time and the fortress is most infamous for serving as a walled ghetto, prison and concentration camp by Nazi Germany in World War II.

With the existing prisons filled up as a result of the Nazi terror, the Gestapo Prison was set up in Terezín in 1940. Primarily Czechs, most of the prisoners were arrested for acts of resistance to the Nazi regime. In 1941, Terezín, also known by the German name Theresienstadt, was adapted into a Jewish ghetto and concentration camp.

Although not primarily a death camp, around 150,000 Jewish men, women and children passed through Terezín on their way to Auschwitz and other concentration camps across Europe. Sadly, around 33,000 of them died in Terezín due to hunger, disease and poor living conditions.

Visit the Terezín Memorial dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust and pay tribute to the unwavering human courage and willingness to survive. Take a guided tour and learn about the history of the fort, its use under Nazi occupation and experience murky history by walking past former accommodation quarters, the crematorium and morgue.

Stop at the Ghetto Museum, which displays a permanent exhibition displaying the poor living conditions of Jews imprisoned in the Terezín camp. The Magdeburg Barracks are also worthy of a visit, here you can see original clothing, artifacts and living quarters of those striving to survive in the Jewish Ghetto.

Terezín is accessible by car, as part of an organized tour or via public transportation from Prague. Buses leave from central Prague several times a day and the journey time is around one hour. A guided tour with transport included is recommended for a full immersive experience. The Terezín fortress has many sections, with differing opening hours, most of the sections are open from 9am to 6pm during summer and 9am to 5pm during winter.