Památník Terezín – Malá pevnost

About the museum

The Small Fortress was built in the 18th century as part of the military fortifications of the town of Terezín on the right bank of the Ohře, and later served as a military prison. During the First World War it held opponents of Austria-Hungary and of the war, among them Gavrilo Princip, who died here in April 1918.

In June 1940 the Prague Gestapo set up a police prison here, which by May 1945 had held some thirty thousand men and women, mainly Czech opponents of the Nazi regime but also members of other nations. Prisoners were forced into hard labour, and many died of hunger, abuse and disease; from 1943 executions also took place here. After the war the fortress served until 1948 as an internment camp for Germans.

A government decision of 6 May 1947 established the Terezín Memorial, which preserves the memorial sites in the form they had during the Nazi occupation. Today visitors pass through the warders’ offices, cells, showers, the sick bay, the hospital and the execution site, and also see a 500-metre-long corridor of the original fortifications. In the museum building and in the courtyards there are permanent exhibitions on the fates of the prisoners, on the Litoměřice concentration camp, on Milada Horáková and on the post-war internment camp.

Highlights

• tour route through the cells, showers, hospital and execution site
• permanent exhibition Small Fortress 1940–1945 in the museum building
• art exhibition Art Against Fascism and War
• exhibition on the Litoměřice concentration camp and the Richard underground factories
• cinema with a documentary about the history of the Small Fortress
• Milada Horáková memorial room

Permanent exhibitions

• Malá pevnost 1940–1945 – The exhibition on the ground floor of the museum building bears witness to the persecution of the Czech nation during the Nazi occupation and to the fates of prisoners deported to other concentration camps.
• Umění proti fašizmu a válce – The picture gallery on the first floor of the museum presents the art collection of the Terezín Memorial.
• Koncentrační tábor Litoměřice 1944–1945 – The exhibition in the third courtyard describes the Litoměřice concentration camp and the work of prisoners in the Richard I and II underground factories.

Founded

1947

Operated by

Památník Terezín

Admission & discounts

Free admission: 27 January (International Holocaust Remembrance Day) and the third Sunday in May (Terezín Commemoration Day).

The unified ticket is valid for 4 days and covers the Small Fortress and the buildings of the former ghetto; each site may be visited only once within the ticket. Tickets (in cash or by card) are sold only at the ticket office of the Small Fortress or the Ghetto Museum, and benefit cards cannot be used to pay. Free admission for teachers (1 per each started group of 10 pupils), bus drivers accompanying a group, former prisoners and war veterans of the Czech Republic, members of AMG and ICOM, and accredited journalists and guides. The Senior Pass gives a 10% discount on the senior admission and 40% on 1 October. Entry to the crematorium, columbarium, ceremonial rooms and prayer room is free on 1 June, 28 September and 28 October.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The buildings of the Terezín Memorial are step-free; the tour route in the Small Fortress is accessible with light assistance. Animals are not allowed in the buildings. The Memorial also offers information in Czech Sign Language.

Kids & families

Children under 10 enter free. A family ticket and the Family Pass are available for families. The Memorial is a place of remembrance and offers seminars and educational programmes to schools.

Getting there & parking

Leave the D8 motorway at exit 35 or 45; from there it is about 5 minutes to Terezín. From Prague and from Ústí nad Labem the car journey takes about 45 minutes. Cycle route No. 6 runs through Terezín; bicycle stands are behind the entrance gate of the Small Fortress.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The shop sells brochures, books, CDs, DVDs and souvenirs. Refreshments are provided by drink and snack vending machines; restaurants and a patisserie are in the town. A cash machine is on the grounds, to the right beyond the entrance gate.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit