I
have to apologize that even though there were many details omitted, this is
another very lengthy posting. If you only want an overview of the day, here is
the readers' digest version:
We
had an amazing and bountiful breakfast at the hotel.
We
went on a city tour.
There
are literally millions of tourists in Prague.
We
saw the palace and St. Vitus cathedral.
We
visited the Jewish quarter called Josefov.
We
saw the astronomical clock in the old town square.
There
were two million tourists there waiting for the clock's performance on the
hour.
We
crossed the Charles Bridge with many Czechs selling authentic kitch to
tourists.
We
just made the bus to Terezin, but without time for lunch.
We
saw the museum, the hidden synagogue and the area where torture was conducted.
We
returned to the hotel and had a special dinner because it was Gila's birthday.
If
you want more details feel free to read on.
Today
was a very full and memorable day. It was also Gila's birthday and we agree
that it is one she will never forget.
After
a very varied and plentiful breakfast buffet at the hotel, we met our group for
a tour of Prague. Our guide Alexandra was excellent. Her passion for history
and for Prague are abundantly apparent. Even while riding in the bus to a
location, she filled us in on city and national history and economics so that
we could develop a more realistic view of the city. Apparently, Prague gets
over four million visitors every year and tourism is one of its main
industries.
Our
first stop was at the palace complex. It is the residence of the President who is
merely a figurehead. All the real power I belongs to the Prime Minister, who is
the leader of the party who won the majority, just like in Canada. Apparently,
if you were to put all the windows in the complex side by side they would
stretch for ten kilometers. Visiting that place is like walking through
history. The foundations of original buildings of Prague dating the ninth
century were visible. There were buildings that are Romanesque, Gothic,
Renaissance, Baroque and from the nineteenth century (I forget the name of the
style). The entire site is protected by UNESCO. These are people who respect
and honour their history.
We
heard about King Wenceslaus, Saint George, Jan Huis, Madeleine Albright and
other historical or prominent Czechs. We heard about how the Czechs were part
of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, when and why it became one nation with
Slovenia, the conditions under 41 years of Soviet rule and how the Czech
Republic and Slovenia became independent. It was a lot of history in about two
hours and made the inanimate buildings more vibrant.
Saint
Vitus cathedral is a looming, gothic structure complete with flying gargoyles.
It was used as part of the set in the film Amadeus. Inside are stunning stained
glass windows, but they are also a history lesson. Some date from the Middle
Ages but others were installed as late as the 1920s. One was of particular
interest. A German baker had come to Prague. He developed the pretzel as we
know it today. This brought him great wealth and as a philanthropist, he
arranged for the installation of the window. To show his roots, in the bottom
right hand corner is a baker holding a pretzel. Unless you know the story and
look for it, you could miss it entirely.
From
there it was back onto the bus and a ride to Josefov, the old Jewish city. It
has become a very elite area with a boulevard filled with the names Fendi,
Dior, Jimmy Choo, Coach and many more. At the time of the Soviets, these shops
had been manned by Lufthansa, British Air and other prestigious airlines. We
only walked by the Alte Neue Synagogue and the location of the Chevra Kaddisha,
the old Cemetery and the other four synagogues. The entire Jewish section is
closed on Saturday, but we have decided to come back early Sunday morning so we
can go into all these sites before we head off to Nuremburg and our riverboat
portion of the tour.
We
ended our morning at the astrological clock. Just before the hour, a huge crowd
gathers because that is when the twelve disciples come out with the chiming. We
have passed that sight several times already, but haven't stayed for the
'show'. During all this time. Gila and I were not even separated once. She
managed to get all her pictures, but always stayed close to the tour leader.
This was not always easy because of the crowds and because the headsets we were
using made you think you were always a close distance from the guide even if
you weren't. She now thinks she might be able to do tours!
We
were now free until our afternoon tour to Terezin. We had an hour and a half to
see the Charles Bridge and have lunch. The bridge too was packed with tourists.
It was lined with vendors (fewer than I remember from my last visit) selling
photos, paintings, jewelry, and caricatures drawn within four minutes. The
statues were more interesting as were the sights of the city from both sides of
the Moldau River. Despite our intention to leave enough time for lunch, we had
to do another marathon rush to get to the hotel on time for the tour. We made
it with five minutes to spare, just enough time to buy a drink, but no lunch. I
think it was somewhat appropriate to visit a concentration site on an empty
stomach.
I
could write a volume about Terezin from what I learned on this tour. It has an
incredible history starting several centuries before its reincarnation by the
Nazis. Because of its proximity to the German border, a large fort, for the
soldiers and a small fort for the officers were built behind very high
defensive walls. However, the Germans, aware of the fortification did successfully
attack by circumventing the fortress. It was continually used either for
prisoners or army barracks throughout the different regimes that controlled
Czechoslovakia. Between the two world wars, it became a small town inhabited by
farmers. However, when the Nazis took over Czechoslovakia, they saw this walled
town as the perfect internment spot because even with minimal staff escape was
difficult due to the surrounding walls. At the beginning of the 40’s, the
people of Terezin were given orders to take whatever they could carry and
relocate. If they were unwilling to move they themselves could be interned or
executed. Not a tough choice for most.
The fortress walls of Terezin
The fortress walls of Terezin
Some
older German Jews were told to sell or give all their belongings to German
families and they could have a permanent home and care in a spa town for the
rest of their lives. Others were told that they were getting their own town to
be run under the auspices of the Jewish council. There were stores, schools,
parks etc. it was a lie that many were more than willing to agree to. Unlike
the other camps, internees were allowed to keep their possessions. According to
our guide, children were better cared for and got more food. Although this was
not an extermination camp, the crowded unhygienic dormitories led to many
deaths.
Terezin
was more like a transit or holding camp. From here, the Jews were promised more
permanent settlement in the east aka Auschwitz or Madjanek. This camp was ideal
for Nazi propaganda. At first, the Jews secretly performed plays and concerts.
Later it was done with full knowledge of the Nazis. Their attitude was
relatively laisser faire. They knew that soon all of these Jews were heading
east so there was no harm in permitting a little artistic freedom. We saw the
film that the Nazis allowed the Red Cross to make when they were checking the
living conditions for the Jews. It was a wonderful performance including
soccer, music, 'citizens' strolling in the square, children in a school. The
Red Cross report in 1944 stated that Jews were well looked after. While the
film was running, there was a voice over obviously added much later listing
transports from Terezin. 1000 transported, 3 survived. 1843 transported, 53
survived. 1000 transported, no survivors. 1247 transported, 9 survivors. The
enumeration lasted several minutes. Recently, someone who was on that Red Cross
committee was asked if knowing what he did since the end of the war, would he
change his report. No, he said, because what he had seen was Jews being well
taken care of.
Childen's toys from Terezin
One
of the more interesting parts of the tour was a hidden synagogue in Terezin. An
orthodox Jew named Artur Berlinger and his wife were sent to the regular
barracks of Terezin. He discovered a deserted stable and turned into a prayer
room and painted it with Jewish symbols along the ceiling and holy words on the
walls. Because of his status in the camp, he was permitted to move out of the
crowded barracks and into the small apartment over the stable. After the war,
the family who had lived there retained their property. They told no one of the
prayer room and resumed using it as a stable, but not touching the work done by
Berlinger. They kept this room secret until the 1990's when it was taken over
by the museum and the living quarters were set up as during the war. There was
considerable water damage during a flood in 2002, but the inscriptions were
higher than the water level and they were not damaged.
The wall of the hidden Synagogue.
The
cemetery and small fortress were the next places we toured. The small fortress
was used by the Gestapo during the war. Those who tried to escape were kept
there and often tortured before execution. I was closed into one of the cells.
There were no windows and no lights, so that it was like a full time
depravation tank, very unnerving. Beside the fortress is a cemetery. Some of
the graves have no names and are the ashes of both Jews and Christians who were
victims in Terezin. That section has a large cross in it. The other section has
marked graves with the names of the victims and the dates they died. Near the
end of the war many deaths were due to an epidemic of typhus. A rabbi objected
to only a cross and so a Star of David stands where the graves are known to
belong to Jews. It was a very sobering visit and I felt emotionally drained by
the end of the tour.
Terezin cemetery
Our
guide Alexandra was excellent. Not only did she provide us with a lot of
history and opinions, but also made her presentation light hearted and funny.
Her tone in the afternoon appropriately changed. The lightheartedness was gone,
but one thing that bothered both Gila and I was that we felt she was trying to
minimize what had happened. In Terezin, the Jews did govern themselves. They
did have performances. They did wear their own clothing. The children received
better treatment and it was not an extermination camp. But the Jews were not
free and for most of them this camp was a short bearable stay before being sent
to Auschwitz.
When
we got back to our suite, Gila found a birthday card and box of chocolate from
the management of the hotel. We both rested and showered and then returned to
the hotel restaurant for an incredible meal. The service was impeccable and the
food was outstanding (and expensive), but for the occasion it was worth every
korona. Earlier in the day I gave Gila a chocolate bar with the inscription
'For You' in Czech. This dinner was the rest of her gift. Gila being Gila also
gave me a gift that came from the Jewish museum in Berlin. It was a little box
of meshuggah pills. I'm not sure if they are supposed to cure my Insanity or
make it more manageable. I will report on my condition as the trip progresses.
As
I already mentioned, it was a sobering day, but neither of us would have
changed anything about it even if we could.
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