ICOM Prague 2022 | The thorny path to freedom

The thorny path to freedom: From the Terezín Memorial to the North Bohemian Gallery of Fine Arts in Litoměřice

Art History sights Memorial

Very few people haven’t heard of Terezín (or Theresienstadt), which was originally a military fortress. Unfortunately, the place is nowadays not commonly thought of in connection with its magnificent 18th-century architecture, but rather in connection with WWII and the Holocaust. In 1941, Terezín was chosen by the Nazis to be used as a Jewish ghetto and Gestapo political prison. Jewish inmates were kept in the so-called ‘Big Fortress’ until their transport to extermination camps in the East, and the Gestapo’s political prisoners were put in the ‘Small Fortress.’

However, before we learn more about this gloomy piece of history in cooperation with the Terezin Memorial, we will visit a town called Litoměřice – one of the oldest Czech towns – which dates back to the Middle Ages and was originally one of the most important ports on the Elbe River. This charming town is located in an area which was labelled as ‘the Sudetenland’ in the 20th century. Here, primarily German-speaking inhabitants found themselves living in what was then Czechoslovakia. The tension between ethnic Czechs and Germans led to many nationalistic problems which peaked with the expulsion of Sudeten Germans after WWII.

Despite, and perhaps thanks to, its dramatic history, Litoměřice is a fascinating place. We will learn more about it at the North Bohemian Gallery of Fine Arts in Litoměřice, which specializes in collecting naïve and modern art and their symbiosis.

Following lunch in Litoměřice, we will enjoy a tour and workshops prepared in cooperation with the Terezín Memorial, during which you will have a chance to see all of the important historic locations within this former fortress.

Recommended for members of: ICMEMO, ICFA, ICR, CECA, CIDOC