Thank you for this video. I lived in Prague in 2011 for 3 ½ months (we’ve communicated through email, etc.). I was raised Jewish, but I had no interest in visiting Terezin, though the tour companies recommended it highly. I went there right before I left. I had low expectations. Yet I had an amazing time. I saw the fortress area you focused on, but I was really impressed with the museums in the actual city. The people who created the museums did an amazing job of preserving the lives, the dignity, of the people who were imprisoned there. There were displays of the theater and art the prisoners created and displays showing the biographies of the people. I really got a feel for the people, that they were real people. I very highly recommend visiting Terezin if someone needs a side trip from Prague and has some interest in the Holocaust. You can buy a very inexpensive ticket that covers almost everything you’d want to see, incl. a good tour of the fortress area with a guide. Of course you can take a bus tour with one of the tour companies and I assume you'll see the important things. This youtube video explained what was going on at the fortress very well, in more detail than the tour.
Several years ago I visited exhitition of paintings by children from the Terezin ghetto drawn in 1942/1943. The painting that stroke me most was depicting a street full of people smiling, waving Czechoslovak flags and watching procession of people in torn clothing walking down the street. The inscription on the painting in child's handwriting: "The Jews are coming back". Dreams of coming back to 'life as it was before' . That nearly brought me to tears.
Valery, your documentaries are always so informative and enlightening. People who don't live in Europe do not realize that the Nazis had many of these concentration camps and not only the larger ones like Auschwitz and Dachau. As you point out, these camps housed Jews and political prisoners as well as intelects who the Nazis felt threatened the State. Just a terrible chapter of history we must never forget. Thank you and your team for ALL your work, interesting facts, and for shedding light on Terezin!
As always you approach these subjects and part of your history with such respect and compassion👍. Which what is going on in the world these day’s history is never far away from repeating itself😞
Thank you Valerie, also for the way you presented and for providing me with the link when I asked for it. I visited Terezin many many years ago, when I was in Prague. But I could hardly remember anything. So Thank you so much!
This is a profoundly important video, and I hope many people (especially the young) take the time to watch it and then seek to learn more about this dark page in history. You did an excellent job with this, Valery. It was obvious that you were very moved and emotional when discussing the enormity of what happened at Terezin. That is a reflection of your good heart and compassion. I truly hope your video is a message to many people. Very well done.
Thank you for showing this. I wanted to see this. I didn’t know about the Red Cross visit being only on visit being only one short visit. This was a very sobering video
thank you for sharing this important video. The cruelty that people are capable of astonishes me. It must have been a depressing day for all of you. I love all of your videos, but this one is something to be watched with reverence for those who perished. You have done a great service by sharing this. Will you also be going to the site of another crime, Lidice? Thank you again for making this video..
Thank you for making this video, my Grand Grand Grandma was jew and forcefully put in the Terezín concentration camp in 1944 And what she saw only people who lived trough this hell on earth could describe 🙏
Terezin is an absolute must visit for anyone that wants to know about that era. I do not believe that the Red Cross were really that gullible, it was a political move by the Swiss, who after all were quite happy to allow the deportation trains to pass through their country. It is something that the ICRC should continue, for the rest of time, to hang their heads in shame over.
I never heard that Deportation trains passend Switzerland - any proof? It is clear that relation to Nazi Germany was ambigous, but that dies not mean that Switzerland openly supported deportation. It benefited from German robbery on Jewish goods and offen rejected asylum, but I think that's it.
I went there in 2009. Walking through it you could feel the pain and dispare. Watching this video brought back those feelings. I agree if you go to Czech Republic this is a must see
THIS WAS A DIFFICULT VIDEO TO WATCH ALTHOUGH VERY NECESSARY. IT WAS PRESENTED THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE CONSIDERING THE TOPIC. I AM VERY SURPRISED AT HOW COMPLETE THIS LOCATION REMAINS. WHEN I VISITED DACHAU CONCENTRATION CAMP, NOT ONE OF THE PRISONER BARRACKS WERE STILL STANDING.ONLY LEAVING THE FOUNDATIONS THERE. EVERYTHING ELSE WAS LEFT REMAINING. GREAT JOB VALERIE AND TEAM!!!🙏
Likely because majority of the other concentration camps were built by Nazis for that very purpose so the building for the prisoners were really makeshift. In Theresin, Nazis took the town with the fortress and moved the prisoners into houses there. So even though many of the buildings aren't repaired anymore they still stand because they were sturdy to begin with.
The solitary cells where they tortured them. The last ones at the back, are always dark, and the energy there is very heavy. I am sensitive person with these things and that area is really not alone. There is also a lot of sadness :(
We visited Terezin today. Not a nice, but informative experience. Thank you for this summarizing video. I think it is important for understanding present and past of Central European peoples' relation to also face the very dark sides. Don't be afraid to visit, Chech people are friedly and the exhibition is well done and not only depressing as it also shows how the prisoners tried to fight for their dignity and commemoration. There is bus from Litomerice so not difficult to access.
It is horrifying to see evidences of crimes against any race or any group of people. Whether it is in Europe, in Vietnam, in Cambodia...we must be strong to speak out against such atrocities and never let it happen in our lifetime. I will make it a point to visit Terezin when my friends and I travel to Prague next year. Thank you for enlightening us.
I just watch your video of May 19th and made me realize that things haven't changed throughout the world since world war II looks like we're headed back to that cycle again with things happening in the world it made me cry to see the video of the way people were treated in the world and they still are
Great review of Czech history of Terezin and of course the dark, deceptive side of a nihilist, fascist regime. It's hard to ponder the amount of suffering that occurred there and the lies that Commandant was telling his children about the imprisoned people just mere feet from their comfortable dwelling.
Australian POWs were kept in the solidarity confinement for a few weeks and they survived Terezin. Source: I cared for one in a nursing home around 2015
Correct. We are so used to oversimplifying things as tour guides that we forget making videos is a different level of information sharing. Thanks for pointing this out to others.
@@Pidalin Slovakia declared independence on the 14th of March and Germany invaded the rest of Bohemia and Moravia on the 15th of March. Loosing Sudetenland in September 1938 was not invasion as the 'powers' declared those areas as German. As the 'powers' were able to give Czechs their independence 20 years earlier so they could take it away.
@@luboskulhavy7769 So, when you order your puppets to declare new fasist country because you plan to attack rest of the country tomorrow, you attack only one new created country? Not entire previous bigger state? No, Slovak state and Protectorat were both illegaly created by nazis, there was still Czechoslovak government in exile.
@@Pidalin These are dates in history. Based on your rationale, Soviet Union then invaded Czechoslovakia when they annexed Ruthenia (Podkarpatska Rus). Yet, we are talking about only one Soviet invasion of 1968. Sudentenland/Ruthenia = ceasing territory by forceful agreement vs 15th of March 1945 / 21st of August 1968 = occupying invasion.
I intend to visit Prague at some point, i will visit this place and pay respects to the innocent people that were murdered here. I've been to Auschwitz /Birkenhau and Terezin looks as evil. If there is a god, lets hope these places are never ever repeated.
Knowing the line of jewish people in The civilization history crossing many countries without have their own patry and caused shock with manies different culture, althougt Christian religion as a reveleation of Krishna personalatiesl like Indians religion understood , results that The better place to Live is own genuine home with their faith and believes and now they have their nation ; now is time to come backup where their belong. In God we Trust not in Gold.