Terezen, Czech Republic: Terezen was a fortress originally constructed in the 18th century, but seized by the Nazis and used to house privileged sectors of the Jewish population. While overcrowding, hunger, and SS brutality were no doubt elements of daily life, the Teresinsteidt camp was one of the nicer camps in the Nazi empire and was generally viewed as a model camp, being displayed to Red Cross human rights inspectors as proof of Nazi benevolence towards the Jewish population. A feature-length propaganda film was also made here, intended to dispel rumors about extermination camps. Many of those detained at the camp were sent to Auschwitz and it is estimated that about one third of camp prisoners died inside its walls, many from a deadly outbreak of typhus, exacerbated by substandard living conditions. A memorial dedicated to those who suffered at Theresienstadt was opened in 1947 and is overseen by the Czech government. Plaques mark the site of executions and a museum chronicles the history of the fortress and camp. The lavish SS quarters starkly contrast with the spare, dark cells in which prisoners were detained.
