An hour north of Prague lies Terezin, a fortress town infamously known as a former transit site and concentration camp for Jews during World War II. Unlike many Czech villages, Terezin is empty, grey and sad. Many of the buildings are in decay, the windows dark. There seemed to be very few people on the street or shops or restaurants open. It would be difficult, I suppose to make your life in a town with such a tragic history.
The town itself functions as museum. Visitors follow small, yellow signs from one site to the next. The most memorable part was the barracks, which housed fifty to sixty people at one time. Because of the cramped living quarters, disease was rampant, treatments and vaccines were rationed and many people died from illnesses that could have been prevented.
It's shocking to see the reality of how these human beings were treated. An art exhibit at Terezin chronicled the daily life of the people attempting to survive within. Employed officially by the Nazis as draftsmen, these artists worked in secret; drawings were later smuggled out of the camp to reveal the truth and persuade Allied sympathies.
These photos do not do Terezin justice, but offer small glimpse of the experience.
