Students Explore Future of Terezín Through 'Theresienstadt 2050' Project
Translated & summarized from Jüdische Allgemeine by baba
An international group of students is undertaking the "Theresienstadt 2050" project to reimagine the future of Terezín, the former Nazi ghetto. The students, from diverse disciplines and countries, are exploring how to adapt the historic fortress city for modern use while respecting its past. Challenges include integrating remembrance with daily life and addressing the town's depopulation and decaying infrastructure. The project has secured government funding for preservation and new uses, aiming to create transferable urbanistic models.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Students from multiple countries are collaborating on the 'Theresienstadt 2050' project to find future uses for the historic Czech city of Terezín.
- The project aims to adapt the former Nazi ghetto and fortress city for contemporary needs while acknowledging its past.
- Many Terezín residents wish to separate their daily lives from the site's Holocaust history, creating a key challenge.
- Past revitalization efforts for Terezín have failed due to funding and organizational difficulties.
- The project has secured Czech government funding for structural preservation and new utilization of decaying buildings.
- The students' findings are intended to serve as models for similar sites globally.
A collaborative international project, "Theresienstadt 2050," brings together students from universities in Prague, Liberec, TU Dresden, Technion Haifa, and the US to envision the future of Terezín, formerly the Nazi ghetto and concentration camp Theresienstadt. The initiative encourages participants to think freely about the city's potential, moving beyond theory to hands-on exploration.
Initially met with police scrutiny over setting up tables and chairs on the town square, the students, comprising future architects, urban planners, art students, and landscape architecture experts, explained their research project. They aim to understand how the city, originally built as a massive Habsburg fortress and later used by the Nazis, can be adapted for contemporary uses while acknowledging its somber past.
Professor Angelika Mensing-de Jong of TU Dresden highlighted the city's oversized, often dilapidated structures, noting that its current population of 1,600 is a fraction of its intended capacity. The project's core question is how to make Terezín, designed for military purposes, relevant for the future and suitable for new functions.
Students are divided into ten interdisciplinary and international working groups. Some, like Eliska and Larissa, are engaging with locals to understand their vision for the city's future. A significant challenge identified is that many residents prefer to separate their daily lives from the historical memory of the Holocaust, viewing memorial tourists as a disruption.
Portuguese exchange student Goncalo, however, believes a strict separation is impossible, stating, "The city will always be different from other cities." He points to the emptiness of the streets as a symptom of depopulation, a problem shared by many rural communities, alongside Terezín's unique historical burden.
Past initiatives to revitalize Terezín, including proposals for a university campus or a Holocaust research center, have failed due to funding issues and organizational challenges. Professor Eliyahu Keller from Technion emphasizes the importance of critical historiography and the project's international nature, suggesting that "layers of memory can be made fruitful for the future." He believes the project's long-term engagement and diverse perspectives are key to its success, with findings potentially applicable to similar sites globally.
Ivan Nemec, a photographer and initiator of the project, views Terezín as a "real-world laboratory" for urbanistic approaches, aiming to combine dignified remembrance with contemporary use. Significant progress has been made, with funding from the Czech Ministry of Regional Development secured for structural preservation and new utilization of the decaying barracks, awaiting the students' innovative ideas.