Our visit to Terezin was an important highlight of our trip. I was concerned that, since this visit to Terezin was near the end of our trip, it would lend a somber note to our vacation and leave us depressed. That was not the case.
We had a wonderful guide, Ludmila Havlickova, who lived through the communist takeover of Czechoslavakia, and felt strongly about all that the Czech people have gone through for many centuries. She shared much of her background with us as we drove to and from Terezin from Prague. It was enriching to hear first hand about the impact on her family and her personal experiences.
It was a short 50 minute drive from Prague to Terezin.
First we visited the Small Fortress which served as a prison for the Gestapo and SS and also housed those sent from the Teresin Ghetto who broke any of the Ghetto's rules (such as stealing a piece of bread). Although I took many pictures, I'm not sure that pictures and written words can adequately express our feelings of being there. Near the prison was a cemetery where multiple bodies were buried - most in common graves without names. A large cross had been placed at the front of the cemetery and, after the war, with petitions by jewish survivors and others, a large start of David was added near the prison entrance section of the cemetery.
Our next stop was the drive into the city of Teresin - a walled city originally built as a military encampment to prevent Prussia from advancing on Czech land. The Nazis turned Teresin into a camp for Jews from Czech territories as well as from other countries and used it both as a transport center, prior to sending its inhabitants to Concentration Camps, often Auschwitz, and as a model camp to be used as propaganda when Red Cross leaders came from around the world to be ensured that the Jewish population was not being mistreated. We saw a short film that showed children playing soccer and performing plays, etc. for the visitors. They had been rehearsed for these performances for a long time before the Red Cross visitors arrived and told that if they 'behaved well' they would get a surprise. The surprise was transport to Auschwitz and death.
We visited the Jewish Ghetto museum where they had a model of both a women's and men's dormitory, then saw the barracks where soldiers had lived prior to the war and which became housing for the Jewish residents/prisoners. We also visited a secret Synagogue which was very tiny and still had some of the prayers and decorations on the walls (some had been destroyed by a flood in 2002).
Our visit was a sobering and moving experience reminding all of us that Never Again! is a living phrase that should be ever present in our hearts and minds.
On the way back to Prague, Ludmilla, our guide, had us drive through a small Czech city to show us how the people really live now and to share the current state of their government and economy. She also completed her family's story . We (all 12 of us from our Tauck cruise who planned this private visit) were completely convinced of the importance of this trip for each of us.
Private tour to Terezin
We had dinner at a local czech restaurant....I'm getting tired of so much 'unhealthy' food in large quantities. They must have heart disease in high numbers judging from the fat and salt in their everyday diets. But we enjoyed watching the locals and hearing the laughter. There seems to be so much joy in every day life here.
We used the evening to pack, catch up on email in the lounge and say good-by to some of our cruise buddies.
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