Joseph Celebration 2010

The town of Terezin, still surrounded by massive walls, lies near the confluence of the Elbe and Ohre River. In the late 18th century the town was founded as a fortress by Emperor Joseph II.

The celebration of 230th anniversary of Terezin will be held on October 8 – 9, 2010.
Programme includes following:
8th October
07:30 pm- military march with torches in the square
9th October
9:00 am - Opening ceremony at the church of the Resurrection - Military worship
Participation of Empress Maria Theresa and Joseph II
Formal presentation of regiments at the foundation stone
Old Bohemian fair
Fair and period attractions all day long
Battle from the period of World War I
Promenade concerts of military bands
Major militant show
Gunnery in artillery casemates
Concert of local bands in the space of the fair

Emperor Joseph II decided to built a fortress upon Ohre river to defend country against the danger of the Prussian. On 10th October 1780 Joseph II laid the foundation stone and the fortress was named Terezin in honor of Queen and Empress Maria Theresa.

According to ideas and designs of the French engineering school in Meziéres the most perfect fortress of the 18th century was built here during 11 years. The entire complex has been composed of three parts: the Main Fort, the Small Fort and a fortified tract of a total land area of 398 ha. Elongated octagon with eight pentagonal bastions formed an inner line of the fortification of the Main Fort. Around this line there was a main trench, which all or a part could be floated by force of the foodgates. The fortress was a closed complex and the connection with the outside world was enabled by six gates with drawbridges.

The garrison force comprised 5655 men in times of peace and in case of war it could be doubled. There were 153 stores of gunpowder, which had a capacity up to 1420 tons of gun-powder, food stores, a bakery and hay and horse meat for 6500 horses. All material and food should sufficed for 60 thousand men of the garrison force and the field army for a period of 3,5 month.

By Imperial decree in 1782 the status of the free royal town was awarded to Terezin. The town development, including civilian buildings, went according to an advance made development plan, which provided a chessboard design of streets with a central square with a church. For safety and tactical reasons, houses could not be too high. Therefore, there can be found only one or maximum two-storied buildings with a height of up to 14 meters.

The fortress has never fulfilled its original mission. By the outbreak of the French Revolution the conflict between Austria and Prussia receded into the background in the late of 18 century. Yet the fortress was maintained in tenable condition with regard to the possible threat of French invasion. Since the mid-19th century casemates of Terezin fortress were used as a prison for many revolutionaries. The Sarajevo assassin Gavrilo Princip died here.

On 10th June 1940 the Prague Gestapo took over the Small Fort and established a police prison here. In proportion to rising number of prisoners, new buildings and equipment were built during the occupation. In October 1941 Terezin was chosen as a suitable place to set up an assembly camp of Jews from the Czech lands and other Central European countries. In summer 1942 the capacity of barrack buildings was insufficient and Czech civilian population was forced to emigrate. Terezin became a transfer station on the way to annihilation camps; 160000 people passed it until the end of the occupation. The town was liberated on 8th-9th May 1945 by soldiery of lieutenant-general Rybalko, which passed through Terezin to Prague.

The Terezín Memorial takes as its mission the preservation of the history of the Nazi concentration camps in Terezín and Litoměřice. The collection can be divided into four sections: written documents, images, three-dimensional objects and works of art created by the prisoners, as well as works of postwar and contemporary artists with the anti-war focus. You can visit the Ghetto Museum in the former school, Magdeburg barracks, the crematorium at the Jewish Cemetery and other places, which tell the story of the history.