Austrian Traces in Theresienstadt
With this project we, the Terezín Initiative Institute, would like to build a living bridge between the Czech Republic and Austria in order to shed light on an important part of our shared Central European history. We strive to fill the gaps in Holocaust education by developing teaching materials that reveal a hitherto hidden aspect of this dark period. Our aim is to deconstruct the idyllic image of a Jewish town propagated by the Nazis and to place Theresienstadt in the broader context of the Holocaust.
Materials for School Lessons
The teaching materials are also available free of charge in digital form.
Brochure
The first part describes the history of the ghetto and the Theresienstadt concentration camp in general, with a special focus on the Austrian traces. Questions are asked after each chapter to help students reflect on and deepen understanding of what they have read.
The second part contains original documents and their translations on the fate of Regina Machlupová. By examining these documents, the pupils should learn not only what information can be gleaned from the archives, but also gain an insight into Regina Machlupová's life.
On the final page, students can look forward to a poem by Leo Strauss, which he wrote during his time in Theresienstadt. This poetic depiction of a dark time asks students not only to consider the content of the poem, but also to reflect on the profound background. It offers a unique opportunity to engage with the emotions and experiences of people in difficult situations and to recognize humanity in the midst of horror.
Group work
The topic offers the opportunity to approach the fate of individuals by means of group work. Further information and descriptions can be found in the following document:
We recommend that you follow the enclosed guidelines when working with personal stories and testimonials. This also provides helpful information regarding possible questions.
As part of the group work, Regina Machlupová’s original documents of will be used and will be supplemented by the fate of Adéla Friedová.
In addition to Leo Strauss' text "Als-Ob", we would like to offer the writer Myra Gruhenberg-Strauss a well-deserved platform too. To this end, we present two texts which Gruhenberg-Strauss wrote during her time in Theresienstadt for the so-called "literary Strauss cabaret" and which are also suitable for interpretation as part of group work.
Helga Pollak's drawing can also be used for group work and interpretation.
Workshop
We also offer the option of coming to your school and holding a workshop on the topic. This can be tailored to your needs and interests. Everything is possible, from a general overview of the history of Austrian Jews in Theresienstadt to in-depth insights into individual fates. Our aim is to offer pupils an interactive and educational experience.
If you are interested, please contact Thomas Elmecker at thomas.elmecker@terezinstudies.cz.
This project was funded by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency and the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of National Socialism.
You can also visit
Thanks to the generous support of various donors, we have been able to add new books to our library collection. Among them is a wide range of specialist literature in German, English and Czech that complements our existing collection.
We would like to present a few highlights to our readers here. The complete list of new additions can be found in the PDF document.
On the occasion of the meeting of the International Auschwitz Museum Council, its members paid tribute to the Jewish and Roma victims of the Treblinka labor camp at the site of their mass graves. Pictured are T. Kraus, Colette Avital and Roman Kwiatkowski.
This Sunday 11th May 2025 we attended a commemorative act in Lety u Písku to honor the Roma and Sinti victims from Bohemia and Moravia. 1300 people passed through the camp. Of those 335, mainly children, have died due to the inhumane conditions. After the mass transport in 1943 to the extermination camp in Auschwitz - Birkenau, the buildings of the Lety camp were torn down and burnt.
Thanks to Spielberg's film Schindler's List, the whole world knows the story of the rescue of 1,200 Jewish prisoners at the end of the Second World War. The whole world knows who Oskar Schindler was and why he became a symbol of good in a time of evil. But that same world has no idea where this heartbreaking story actually took place. That could change now.
Yesterday, together with the participants of the seminar and excursion Bergen-Belsen on the Threshold of Freedom, we attended a reception at the British Embassy in Prague on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp by the British Army on 15 April 1945.
Anne Frank and thousands of others. We visited the place where the fate of one of the world's most famous stories came to an end, as well as that of countless of others. The Bergen-Belsen camp was burned down after the war, but one can still hear echoes of the past. How can we learn about the horrors that have gone to ashes?
Yesterday, we welcomed Director Denise Quistorp and Sebastian Halbauer from the Austrian Cultural Forum in Prague to our premises at Jáchymova to exchange views on our respective activities and projects. This gave us the opportunity to identify common priorities in our work and to further strengthen Austro-Czech exchange through future cooperation.