Prague - Day 3

We woke up really early today for our day trip to Terezin. We stopped off at a Bohemia Bagel close to the Charles Bridge (lesson learned: sometimes you can't copy an original). I booked our trip online through a tour, which is totally the opposite of how we like to roll, but for some things you do need an organized tour. We headed toward the meeting spot the Powder Gate by the Republic Square (which truth be told we scoped our yesterday during our marathon tour of the city - better safe than sorry, right?).

We signed in and got on the bus, and of course we got there 10 minutes early and there were only a few seats left. Two singles on the side or two together on the 4-seater in the back. We opted for the latter even though there was another couple already sitting in the back row. I quickly realized this was a mistake because they almost immediately started kissing REALLY LOUDLY. Lucky for us, they booked more people for the tour so we moved onto a larger bus :)

To give a bit of background on Terezin, it was built in the late 1700's as a fortress to protect Czechoslovakia from German invasion. Then, during World War II, the Nazi's converted it into a concentration camp which they used as propoganda to 'prove' to the Red Cross and others how fairly they were treating prisoners. In fact, of the nearly 150,000 people who lived in Terezin, only 17,000 survived the war.

We must have been very tired because we slept almost the whole ride to the camp. We visited a few museums describing life at Terezin before arriving at the concentration camp. The first focused on the 15,000 children that lived in the camp - it shared their art work and poetry. Another museum replicated a barracks and details the music and art of adult prisoners. Next, we visited the crematorium that was used after they ran out of room in the cemetary at Terezin. Today, the memorial for Terezin's prisoners is located in front of this eerie place.


We walked to the camp and had a guided tour by a local resident. Above is a picture of the main entrance which reads "work shall set you free." There is not a lot I can put into sufficiently horrific words to describe walking through a concentration camp. It was eerie and all too much to believe and we both left the tour quite shaken. Each room we entered was worse and harder to imagine.

First we visited a barrocks that held 100 men - each with 24 centimeters to sleep on. No mattress, one toilet for everyone. Just by this room there was another room for men on their way to dealth camps. Up to 60 men in one room with no mattresses or bed to speak of - they had to sleep standing up.

Below is a picture of the shave room the Nazis installed while sprucing Terezin up for the Red Cross Visit. The sinks were never attached to a water source and none of the prisoners even saw the inside of the room.

After we returned to Prague, we visited all the museums and sites in the Jewish Quarter. We visited the Old-New Synagogue, an old-fashioned synagogue where services still take place today. We also visited the Maisel Synagogue and the Pincas Synagogue which both have extensive exhibits and historical documents from the Jewish Community. Below are some shots of the Jewish Cemetary which has over 12,000 graves (12 layers deep) of Jews who lived in Prague through 1600's crammed into an obviously small space.

This is a picture of the beautiful windows in the Spanish Synagogue.

After a long day, we had a packed evening planned. First we went to a performance called Black Box which was a combination of mime, dance and acting rolled into one fun evening. After, we were quite tired and considered skipping dinner but that would never happen so we made our way through the Mala Strana to a restaurant called David. It was hands-down the best meal that we've had in years from start to finish. If you are ever in Prague, it is a must visit restaurant which exquisite food and a fabolous wine list.