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Visiting Terezin Concentration Camp From Prague

On my first trip to Prague, I opted to take a day trip to Terezin Memorial, the site of World War II’s Terezin Concentration Camp. It was my first time visiting a Nazi concentration camp, but as someone who believes it’s important to study history and learn from the past, I felt compelled to take a guided tour and learn Terezin Concentration Camp history.

Visiting Terezin Concentration Camp is a solemn and sobering experience. Walking through the memorial and former prison will give you a glimpse into some of the most horrific atrocities ever committed. Guided tours last over 3 hours and provide tremendous insight into the suffering that millions of Jews and other people endured at the hands of the Nazis.

If you’re wondering ‘Is Terezin worth visiting?’ The answer is a resounding yes. While you may not initially think of visiting Nazi concentration camps as a must-do activity on your vacation, visiting Terezin memorial is a massively impactful experience as it stands as an important reminder and warning for future generations.

Terezín Memorial And Terezin Concentration Camp Facts

How many people were imprisoned at Terezin?

Terezin held primarily Jews from Czechoslovakia, as well as tens of thousands of Jews deported mainly from Germany and Austria, and hundreds from the Netherlands and Denmark. More than 150,000 Jews were sent there, including 15,000 children. They were held in the Terezin camp for months or years, before being sent by rail transports to their deaths at the Treblinka and Auschwitz extermination camps in occupied Poland, as well as to smaller camps elsewhere. An astonishing number of less than 150 children survived.

How many people died in Terezin?

About 33,000 people died in the Terezin ghetto. This was mostly due to the horrific conditions arising out of extreme population density, malnutrition, and disease. At the end of World War II, there were only 17,247 survivors of Terezin.

Was Terezin one of the Nazi extermination camps?

No. Terezin was not an extermination camp. It was however a forced labor camp and many who were imprisoned there were eventually sent to their deaths in extermination camps such as Auschwitz.

What is Theresienstadt Concentration Camp?

To give you a bit of a historical overview, Terezin was originally a holiday resort for Czech nobility. Terezín is contained within the walls of the famed fortress Theresienstadt, which was created by Emperor Joseph II of Austria in the late 18th century.

Sadly, by 1940 Nazi Germany had assigned the Gestapo to turn Terezín into a Jewish ghetto and concentration camp.

Where is Terezin located?

Terezin is a concentration camp near Prague, Czech Republic. It is located 30 miles north of Prague.

What does “Arbeit macht frei” mean and why is it painted on the entrance?

In English arbeit macht frei translates to “work sets you free.” This was painted on the entrance of Nazi concentration camps. The phrase comes from the title of an 1873 novel by the German philologist Lorenz Diefenbach. The book tells the story of gamblers and fraudsters who find the path to virtue through labor.

Sadly, for the prisoners of Terezin and other concentration camps, freedom from forced labor often meant death.

Who was imprisoned in Terezin?

Unlike other camps, Terezin’s detainees included predominantly Jewish scholars, philosophers, scientists, visual artists, and musicians, some of whom were internationally famous, and many of whom contributed to the camp's cultural life. In propaganda efforts designed to fool the Western allies, the Nazis widely publicized Terezin for its rich cultural life.

The Nazis were even able to fool inspectors from the Red Cross and government delegates of Denmark who visited to determine the condition of 466 Danish Jews who were sent to the camp. Of course, before inspectors arrived, the Nazis deported many Jews to Auschwitz to minimize the appearance of overcrowding in Terezin before the visit. Fake shops and cafes were constructed to give the appearance that those living there had a relatively comfortable life. The Jewish prisoners were even forced to perform for the Red Cross inspectors.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum notes, that the Red Cross issued “a bland report about the visit, indicating that the representatives were taken in by the elaborate fiction.”

Places In The Terezin Memorial

The government of the Czechoslovak Republic decided in May 1947 to establish a memorial in Terezin in order to preserve and maintain places of suffering in their original form from the Nazi regime. The aim was to keep the Terezin camp and other such sites as a permanent reminder and warning for future generations.

The Terezin Memorial is state-funded by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. The stated mission of the memorial is to “preserve the memory of the victims of racial and political persecution during the years of Nazi occupation to develop museum research and educational activities as well as to care for the places associated with the suffering and death of tens of thousands of victims of the reign of violence.”

Terezin Memorial today is made up of several memorial locations located in the same general area. The memorial is not just one specific structure. Its a series of permanent exhibitions. To get a better idea of what to expect at the Terezin Holocaust Memorial, I’ve broken it down into the locations below.

The Small Fortress Ghetto

The Small Fortress is the former police prison of the Gestapo. The Museum of the Small Fortress houses the permanent exhibition The Small Fortress Terezín 1940 - 1945, as well as the permanent Art Exhibition of the Terezín Memorial. The Small Fortress also houses the permanent exhibitions of Terezín 1780 - 1939, The Concentration Camp Litoměřice 1944 - 1945, and several temporary exhibitions, and a cinema.

The Nazis used the Small Fortress as a Gestapo prison for supposed criminals in the Terezín Ghetto, Allied prisoners of war, and dissidents from occupied lands.

The structure has numerous blocks where prisoners were put in overcrowded cells. They often had to sleep ten or more to a bed.

Terezin Ghetto Museum

The Terezín Ghetto Museum houses a permanent exhibition about the Terezín Ghetto, a cinema, a space for temporary exhibitions, as well as a study room and the offices of the Department of Education where visitors can get additional information about Terezin.

The National Cemetery

The cemetery is divided into two sides a Jewish cemetery and a Christian cemetery. The cemetery was established in 1945 for the victims of the Gestapo police prison in the Small Fortress, the Terezín Ghetto, and the concentration camp in Litoměřice.

Memorial On The Bank Of The Ohře River

This memorial commemorates the 22,000 victims whose ashes were taken from the Ghetto Crematorium and ordered to be thrown into the river by the SS commanders in November 1944.

The Park of the Terezín Children

Established to commemorate the youngest Ghetto prisoners, the park is a place for visitors to reflect and remember the smallest victims of Terezin.

The Former Magdeburg Barracks

This was the seat of Jewish self-government during the operation of the Ghetto. Today it houses the Meeting Centre, the Theatre in the attic, and a reconstruction of a dormitory in the Ghetto, as well as permanent exhibitions showcasing various parts of the cultural activities which took place in the Ghetto.

The Jewish Prayer Room And Reconstruction Of The So-Called Garret (Temporary Housing Facility Of The Terezín Ghetto Prisoners)

Located in one of the courtyards of Terezín is a prayer room featuring wall paintings from the time of the Ghetto. Above the prayer room the remains of one of the “closets” that were discovered. These closets were small rooms in the attics of residential and farm buildings in Terezín which were converted into emergency housings to provide small groups of prisoners with some privacy.

This closet was a space for craftsmen, who were concentrated in the building and spent most of their time working in the nearby ghetto workshops.

The Terezin Transports

The Terezin Transports section is a permanent exhibition in the former municipal weighing house. It focuses on the transport system at Terezin, giving visitors insight into how this massive people-moving system once functioned. The building is located where the old railway line gave direct access to the ghetto.

The exhibition explains the systems used by the Nazis to transport Jews from Bohemia and Moravia to the Terezín Ghetto. It also explains how the system was used to transport prisoners from Terezín to the extermination, concentration, and slave labor camps – especially Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Railway Siding

This area shows the remains of the railway tracks connecting the Terezín Ghetto and the Bohušovice nad Ohří Railway Station.

The Columbarium Prayer Room

The Columbarium is the area in which the ashes of the cremated Ghetto victims were stored.

The Ceremonial Halls And The Central Morgue of the Ghetto

It was in these rooms that the bodies of the deceased were collected and mourners paid their last respects.

The Jewish Cemetery And The Crematorium

Located within the Crematorium is an exhibit a permanent exhibition about mortality and burials that took place in the Ghetto. According to records, the bodies of more than 30,000 victims ended up in the crematorium. Most ashes of the deceased were destroyed by the Nazis in November 1944 as unwelcome evidence of the horrors that had taken place within Terezin.

Cemetery Of Soviet Soldiers

In 1977 the remains of the 49 Soviet troops who died during the liberation of Czechoslovakia were exhumed and buried in this cemetery.

How To Get To Terezin Concentration Camp From Prague

I highly recommend taking an organized tour from Prague to visit The Terezin Memorial. It will help you gain deeper insight into the history and atrocities committed within the camp. Keep in mind tours last over 5 hours and the subject matter is quite heavy. You’ll want to give yourself the day to visit Terezin.

Terezin memorial tours:

There are a number of group tours available from Prague to Terezin. While transportation on these tours is not wheelchair accessible, the actual tour of Terezin itself is. If you are mobility impaired and unable to board a tour bus, these will not be suitable tours for you. Guided tours are available from a number of providers. I recommend the following:

5 1/2 hour From Prague to Terezin Monument Tour With Tickets and Pickup

Unfortunately, only private tours of Terezin from Prague are wheelchair accessible. These will be more expensive, but you will have your own private guide and accessible transportation to Terezin. This will guarantee wheelchair users have the best experiences on their tours.

Wheelchair-Accessible Private Terezin Day Tours

Terezin Concentration Camp Opening hours:

Various parts of the camp and memorial have different opening hours. You can find the full schedule below.

Small Fortress:
Winter time – November 1 – March 31: daily 9 am – 4 pm
Summertime – April 1 – October 31: daily 9 am – 5 pm

Ghetto Museum & Magdeburg Barracks, Prayer Room, Replica of Attic, Transports:
All year round: daily 9 am – 5 pm

Crematorium, Columbarium, Central Morque:
daily except on Saturdays
Winter time – November 1 – March 31: 10 am – 4 pm
Summertime – April 1 – October 31.: 10 am – 5 pm

At lunchtime: 30 min. lunch break (movable - according to current attendance)

Secretariat of the Terezin Memorial and research room:
daily 7:00 am - 3:30 pm (after previous agreement)

Exceptions to opening hours in all the above-mentioned objects:

December 23 and December 31 facilities are open only until 3:00 pm

Closed on: December 24 – December 26 and January 1.

terezin concentration camp tickets:

If you choose to visit without a guided tour from Prague Terezin Memorial ticket costs are as follows:

Entrance ticket valid for 4 days (Small Fortress + objects of the former Ghetto Terezin)

Adult: $13.40 USD
Child (10-18 y.o.), student (ISIC, up to 26 y.), teacher (ITIC), senior (65+): $10.40 USD
Family ticket (max. 2 adults + 3 children): $27.25 USD

Please note that each object can only be visited once.

Guided tours:

Guided tours are included in the entrance fee, however it is necessary to book in advance. If you do not secure a spot on the guided tour it is possible to purchase a guidebook to assist in your visit. However, I would strongly recommend reserving in advance and having a guide when you visit Terezin. I can’t imagine visiting without one as I found the guide to be incredibly knowledgeable and additive to the experience.

Accessibility: What To Expect On Your Tour of this Czech Concentration Camp And Memorial

Everything within the Terezin Memorial is wheelchair accessible, except for the sightseeing route in the Little Fort, which is accessible with light assistance. There are also wheelchair-accessible restrooms provided throughout the tour. The tour is suitable for all fitness levels and takes place largely on flat surfaces.

Admission is free for disability card holders.

Rules When Visiting Terezin Memorial

There is a code of conduct for visiting Terezin. Guests must “behave with respect to the piety and character of the place.” Avoid any T-shirts with objectionable text, no smoking, no touching exhibits unless you are explicitly invited to, and be careful who and what you photograph.

Unlike Auschwitz, it wasn’t specifically spelled out that we couldn’t take photos of people, but it helps to think about where you are and what you’re seeing. Many people who are visiting the memorial have lost loved ones and really don’t want to be a part of your Instagram timeline. Also, it’s pretty poor taste to snap selfies in such somber surroundings. What is spelled out in terms of photography is that “content must not violate the reverent character of the Memorial, or show sympathy for the movement aimed at suppressing human rights and freedoms, as well as denying, questioning, approving, and justifying the genocides committed by the Nazi regime.”

Bottom line, don’t be a jerk. Remember what it is you’re there to see and act accordingly.

Final Thoughts On Taking A Terezin Concentration Camp Day Tour From Prague

Visiting Terezin Memorial/ Terezin Concentration Camp, Czech Republic is a solemn yet important event. Yes, the things you see will forever be etched in your mind, but as they should be, lest we forget the past.

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