Terezín Museum – “fortress town” and tours of underground corridors

The fortress town Terezín was built near the Labe and Ohře rivers’ junction during the reign of the Emperor Joseph II between 1780 and 1790. To honour his mother, the Empress Marie Terezie, he named it Terezín. Its aim was to protect the access roads into the heart of Bohemia against enemy armies during the Prussia-Austrian Wars. The fortress used to be one of the most modern ones in the world.

The whole complex consists of the Small Fortress and the Main Fortress and the fortified space in between them. The fortress never served its original, defensive purpose, but even after it lost the status of an official fortress, it remained an important army town. Ever since the beginning of the 19th century the Small Fortress served as a jail for military prisoners and the Habsburg monarchy opponents.

The town became world famous during the Nazi Germany occupation of Bohemia. Both fortresses were changed into persecution facilities. The Small Fortress was the seat of the Prague Gestapo police prison and the Main Fortress – the town Terezín itself – was in November 1941 changed into a ghetto, a concentration camp for Jews. During the post war era 1945-1948 the Small Fortress served as an internment camp for Germans.