Inspiration comes to us in countless forms, some dark and disturbing, others beautiful and radiant. And sometimes in a profound combination of darkness and light, as in the case of the Terezin ghetto.
The town of Terezin is located about an hour from Prague, in the Czech countryside. It is a garrison town, a fortress rising above picturesque hills and verdant fields, built by Emperor Joseph II in honor of his mother, the Empress Maria Theresa. During World War II, the Nazis occupied the town, evicted the inhabitants, and converted it into a ghetto and concentration camp they called Theresienstadt.