We had an early start to the day, leaving on bus for Terezín at 8am. It was certainly more of a somber and serious day as we visited the prisoner camp and Jewish ghetto used by the Nazis. Jews living throughout Europe, but mostly near Prague, were sent here to be isolated from society before being sent to concentration camps to be exterminated.
We started the visit with a guided tour of the small fortress, which was used as a prison for political enemies, not just Jews. Many things struck me here, such as words “work sets you free,” written in German above one of the walls. Probably many prisoners were held with no intention of ever being free, yet this was still advertised to try to give the prisoners hope. We also saw the cells were prisoners were kept, and I cannot imagine what it must have been like to be crammed into such small rooms with hundreds of others with very limited hygiene and care provided. Even standing in those rooms, it is difficult to fully grasp what those conditions were like.
We then went to the main fortress which is where the ghetto was held. We went through museums and rooms again depicting the living conditions at the time. Interestingly, this ghetto was “beautified” and used by Nazis as a display of the good conditions they provided in Jewish ghettos. The Red Cross came to investigate and believed the propaganda, though it is easy to look back and see how terribly they were fooled. It was also interesting seeing people living and working in the same buildings and areas that once was the location of these atrocities. Just walking around those streets and buildings felt somber knowing the history of what happened, so I wonder how the locals feel.
We were all tired on the ride home today, but we have some free time in the evening now to continue to explore Prague.
Swanson School of Engineering 