Terezin art project under way
The little garrison town of Terezin, 50 kilometres north of Prague, has a tragic place in Czech history. In the course of the Second World War, the Nazis turned the entire town into a ghetto for Jews from all over Europe. All but a tiny handful of the 150 000 people who passed through the ghetto died, either in Terezin itself or in the Nazi death camps. After the war, Terezin once again became a garrison town. It was not until the mid-1990s that the Czech Army left, leaving Terezin little more than a ghost town, haunted by the shadow of its past. But although it only has around 2,000 permanent inhabitants, there are people who want to make the town live again. Radio Prague's Beatrice Cady spoke with Petr Larva, who has initiated an ambitious international arts project in some of Terezin's abandoned army buildings, and he told her about an unusual cultural centre, now being set up.
And if you're interested the Terezin Intermediate Summer 2000 festival is currently under way. There will be plenty of events going on at the centre until the end of August. You can visit their website at www.mecca.ecn.cz/.
