Concentration camp Theresienstadt

Concentration camp Theresienstadt was a concentration camp set up by the Gestapo in the fortress and garrison city Terezín (German name Theresienstadt), located in what is now the Czech Republic).

History

On June 10, 1940, the Gestapo took control of Terezín and set up prison in Small Fortress. By 24 November 1941, the site was turned into a walled ghetto. The function of Theresienstadt was to provide a front for the extermination operation of Jews. To the outside it was presented by the Nazis as a model Jewish settlement, but in reality it was a concentration camp. Theresienstadt was also used as a transit camp for Jews en route to Auschwitz and other extermination camps.

Related Topics:
June 10 - 1940 - 24 November - 1941 - Ghetto - Jew - Nazis - Concentration camp - Auschwitz - Extermination camp

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The camp was established by the head of the SS, Reinhard Heydrich. It soon became the "home" for a great number of Jews from occupied Czechoslovakia. The 7,000 non-Jewish Czechs living in Terezín were expelled by the Nazis in summer 1942. As a consequence, the Jewish community became a closed environment.

Related Topics:
SS - Reinhard Heydrich - Czechoslovakia

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On 3 May, 1945 control of the camp was transferred from the Germans to the Red Cross. Five days later, Terezín was liberated by Soviet troops.

Related Topics:
3 May - 1945 - Red Cross - Soviet

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