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During this Prague – Terezin Concentration Camp tour, you will get to know a lot about World War II and its impact on former Czechoslovakia. You might ask yourself why such atrocities happen and how such horrors of humanity could occur. Terezin is a historical military fortress and garrison town built in the late 18th century by Habsburg Emperor Joseph II and named after his mother, Empress Maria Theresa. The fortress was erected as a stronghold to ward off the Prussians, though no battles actually took place there. Terezin’s most tragic chapter was written during World War II (1939-45).
“Jay provided a customized day trip from Prague to Terezin (former concentration camp – Theresienstadt). Our driver-guide Veronica did an excellent job. She was clearly passionate about the history of Terezin and its significance for the Czech people and the Jewish people. Could not recommend the tour or the company more highly…” Read more testimonials at our Private Prague Guide Day Tours profile at the TripAdvisor.com.
45 min. Prague – Terezin Concentration Camp transfer
1, 5 hour tour of the Terezin Small Fortress – former Gestapo Prison
1,5 hour tour plus propaganda film at the Ghetto Museum in the Terezin Big Fortress
2 hour tour of the Terezin Big Fortress – crematorium, prayer room and other sights
45 min. Terezin to Prague transfer
This is a private tour, so the itinerary can be adjusted as you wish.
In 1940, Prague’s gestapo created the Terezin Small Fortress police prison. Approximately 32,000 prisoners passed through the Terezin Small Fortress between 1940 and 1945. It is estimated that around 2,500 people died there – some of hunger or illness, while others were tortured, overworked, and executed. In 1941, the Nazis transformed the town of Terezin into a Jewish ghetto and transit camp. More than 150,000 deportees came through the camp until the end of the war. Approximetely 35,000 inmates died there. On May 8th, 1945, eight days after Berlin had fallen to the Allies, Russian forces liberated Terezin. The well-preserved concentration camp now stands as a memorial to the dead and serves as a monument to human depravity.
When entering the gate of the former Gestapo Prison in Terezin concentration camp, the German sign above it says ARBEIT MACHT FREI (Work Sets One Free) and sets a chilling and dark atmosphere. You will walk through the ghastly prison barracks, the execution grounds where firing squads murdered innocent people, the workshops, the dark solitary confinement cells and a cemetery that was built after the war, where you can pay homage to the victims of this horrific era.
– Former Gestapo Prison Cells
– Jewish Punishment Cell
– Solitary Cells
– Showers
– Tunnel, 500 metres long (we can skip this part if you don´t like tunnels)
– Execution grounds
– Swimming Pool for Nazi families
– Barracks for 120 SS guards, now a Museum
– Lord’s House where the Commandant and some of the guards lived
Subsequently, we will drive you to the Terezin Big Fortress, a former Jewish ghetto with the Museum of the Terezin Concentration Camp that houses many chilling artifacts, such as drawings made by children imprisoned at the camp. Worth seeing is also the propaganda film produced by the Nazis to show Terezin as a “present” to the Jews from Hitler. This propaganda film was made to dispel rumors about the horrors of life in concentration camps. After the excursion of the museum, we will drive you around the Big Fortress, show you various buildings and explain their use during World War II. You will be able to see Nazi headquarters and also the headquarters of the Jewish self-administration. We will also passs the barracks where tens of thousands of Jews lived in terrible conditions. A prayer room, a confined family accommodation for the Jews, a crematorium, a columbarium and the Terezin concentration camp ramparts are all on this one day trip’s thought-provoking itinerary. You will learn how hunger, slave labor and epidemics destroyed prisoners’ lives at the concentration camp.
– Ghetto Museum
– Former SS Camp Headquarters
– Former seat of the Council of Elders
– Former Ghetto Guards Station
– Former Jewish Dormitories
– Former railway tracks
– The Crematorium
– The Columbarium
– Jewish Prayer Room
– Replica attic used by craftsmen
After visiting Terezin’s Big Fortress at the end of this unforgettable excursion, we will drive you back to your hotel in Prague.
You may also consider the following tour/s:
Lidice Memorial & Terezin Concentration Camp
Dresden in Germany & Terezin Concentration Camp
| Location | 60 km / 1 hour drive north of Prague (direction Germany - Dresden) | |||
| Sights to See | Terezin Small Fortress - former Gestapo Prison, Terezin Big Fortress - former Jewish Ghetto | |||
| Interiors | Gestapo Prison - Terezin Small Fortress, Ghetto Museum - Terezin Big Fortress, Prayer Room, Crematorium (closed on Saturdays), The Magdeburg Barracks: Former seat of the Council of Elders | |||
| Included | Car / van, driver-guide, fuel, parking fees | |||
| Excluded | Entrance fees, food and drinks | |||
| Availability From-To | All year round | |||
| Departure Time and Location | We will pick you up at the agreed place and time, most likely at the reception of your hotel in Prague. (To be specified in the request form below) | |||
| Duration | 6 hours | |||
| Return Location | We will finish the tour anywhere you wish in Prague. | |||
| Means of Transportation | Walking and/or Driving - Car, Van, Minibus, Bus | |||
| Required Walking Ability | Low | |||
| Language | All tours are in English, but exceptions can be made in advance. | |||
| References | Jay Pesta provided a custom tour for five of us to visit Terezin (former concentration camp - Theresienstadt). Our driver/guide Veronica did an excellent job. She was clearly passionate about the history of Terezin and its significance for the Czech people and the Jewish people imprisoned there as well as all of us who must not forget what happened there. Could not recommend the tour or the company more highly. | |||
