Terezín: Fortress, Memorial and Historic Memorial Sites

Terezín Between Fortress and Remembrance

Terezín combines an exceptional fortress complex with places where European history is immediately visible. The fortress lies at the confluence of the Labe (Elbe) and Ohře (Eger) rivers and stands in the open landscape as an independent technical and urban monument. In Terezín, military history, urban architecture and a significant culture of remembrance thus come together.

Between 1780 and 1790, the Terezín fortress was built to defend the route from Dresden to Prague. The museum and information centre presents its history in seven vaulted casemate rooms, spanning the period from the Theresian era to the First World War. The fortress represents the culmination of the three-hundred-year development of European bastion fortifications. Guided tours with historic lanterns also offer the opportunity to explore the fortress and its underground passages.

Memorial and Historic Memorial Sites

The Terezín Memorial was founded in 1947 to commemorate the suffering and victims of the Terezín Ghetto, the Terezín Police Prison in the Small Fortress and the Litoměřice concentration camp. Explanations are available in English, German, French, Italian, Dutch and Russian. All buildings of the Terezín Memorial can be visited with a printed guide or audio guide without prior reservation.

The National Cemetery lies in front of the Small Fortress. It was established in September 1945 for the remains of prisoners who had been exhumed from mass graves in the Small Fortress. The cemetery contains the remains of approximately 10,000 people. Since 1946, a memorial ceremony has been held there every year on the third Sunday in May.

The Jewish Cemetery with crematorium was established in December 1941 in the Bohušovice Basin between Terezín and Bohušovice nad Ohří. Until the beginning of October 1942, it was used for the burial of Jewish victims from the ghetto. The site is visited by tourists throughout the year; gatherings and prayers are held there on Jewish days of remembrance.

Museums and Guided Tours in Terezín

The Central Mortuary houses an exhibition on burial practices in the ghetto. On display are historic coffins, a hearse and replicas of the tables on which the dead were washed. The Central Mortuary of the former ghetto was opened to the public in its present design in October 2001.

For planning the timing of a visit, the guided tours offer clear distinctions: The tour of the Small Fortress lasts 70 minutes and includes individual visits to the Small Fortress Museum and the cinema hall. The tour of the former Terezín Ghetto lasts 120 minutes. The Small Fortress served as a Gestapo police prison for patriots and members of resistance organisations from the Czech lands and other areas.

Other Destinations in the Area

For further orientation, you can also find Drahobuz, Siřejovice, Bohušovice Nad Ohří, Straškov-Vodochody, Libochovany, Černěves, Lazne Msene and Malíč.

For the higher-level travel overview: Litoměřice District.