The Czechoslovakian Concentration Camp

The Terezín Concentration Camp was first a fortress to protect this valley.  Eventually a small town built up next to the fortress which was converted into a military prison.  But then the Germans came and started to imprison political prisoners, women, and Gestapo prisoners.  But as the Holocaust progressed it became a prison for the Jews and then the whole town was evacuated and Jews were crammed into all the homes in the town as well as the prison.

There are 30,000 graves in front of the fortress, some mass graves, some graves were identified by name or by religion.

The German’s motto was imprinted over the entrance - Work Makes You Free.  This was a concentration camp as apposed to the extermination camps, but many still died due to crowding 40-100 people in a single cell, no air circulation in the summer and no heat in the winter.  Lice were a particular problem so the prisoners were allowed to shower for 5 minutes in cold water where they had 20 shower heads for 200 people.

They had isolation cells, a sick room but no medicine, a shaving room which was for show only for the Red Cross, and a delousing room with a steam washing machine.  The residential area for the prison guards and officers contained a swimming pool, a cinema, tennis court and beer hall.  Whole families with children were housed these.  The bunk rooms held up to 600 prisoners each, had only 2 toilets and a glass roof making the rooms in summer unbearable.

Only 3 men escaped from the fortress.  When the death marches began they were marching them to Terezín.  Liberation came on May 8, 1945.  It was the last camp liberated and it was done by the Red Army from Russia.  Even after the liberation over 1,000 died from disease and starvation.

In the town, built for 3,000 people, they crammed in 55,000.  The Jewish children were not useful to the Germans and were sent to die, over 10,000 from Terezin. Only 137 children survived. The rest of the numbers I learned is too painful to share.  Suffice it to say it was overwhelming.