Terezin, Czech Republic: Concentration Camp Memorial

Published: Aug. 29, 2012, 3 p.m.

b'Terez\\xedn, an hour north of Prague, was built by the Habsburgs in the 1780s as a fortified town with (still intact) massive state-of-the-art, star-shaped walls designed to keep out the Prussians. In 1941, the Nazis removed the town\'s 7,000 inhabitants and brought in 60,000 Jews, creating a concentration camp \\u2014 a propaganda model "Jewish town." Life in this sham town appeared tolerable to human rights visitors but the reality was far more cruel \\u2014 virtually all of Terez\\xedn\'s Jews ultimately ended up dying either here or at extermination camps farther east. For more information on the Rick Steves\' Europe TV series \\u2014 including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on destinations and more \\u2014 visit www.ricksteves.com.'