1939, Theresienstadt, A gift from Hitler. A place of hope and happiness for Jews. Theresienstadt was somewhere they could wait the war out without fear until the shadow of the Nazis had passed. Terezin was built in the 19th century and named after Austrian Empress Maria Theresa. It served as a fortress and a prison. The most famous inmate was Gavrilo Princip, assassin of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. That assassination was one of the causes of World War I.
According to Jewish Virtual Library in Terezin there were so many musicians. “There could have been two full symphony orchestras performing simultaneously daily. In addition, there were a number of chamber orchestras playing at various times. A number of distinguished composers created works at Terezin including Brundibar or the Bumble Bee, a children’s operetta and a number of chamber compositions which only now are being resurrected and played in Europe and the United States.” The camp leadership, after a short initial prohibition, officially allowed prisoners to possess musical instruments, thereby enabling a broad spectrum of musical as well as other cultural and artistic activities.
According to Holocaust Encyclopedia Theresienstadt served three purposes. First, Theresienstadt served as a transit camp for Czech Jews whom the Germans deported to killing