The government promised Terezín money for the restoration of monuments, which are in a state of emergency

Terezín – The government has promised Terezín in the Litoměřice region funds for the repair of monuments that are in a deplorable state. Some monuments in the fortress town need reconstruction costing billions of crowns, and with a budget of about sixty million, the town does not have the money for repairs and would like to obtain it from the state. A working group for the restoration of Terezín's monuments, led by Minister for Regional Development Klára Dostálová (ANO), could meet in a few weeks. Representatives from both the city and the region will participate. The mayor René Tomášek stated this to the ČTK today.

"Support has been promised by the government, the working group is already in progress," Tomášek stated. "Basically, we are now waiting for the meeting. Steps are already being taken regarding this, so we have promises regarding the financing of fortresses within the Czech Republic," said the mayor. According to him, in addition to the Terezín fortress, the state should also finance the repairs of the Josefov fortress in the Náchod area. Tomášek noted that the most important task is to repair the Žižkov barracks, where the roof has collapsed. According to the mayor, the repair is estimated to cost around one billion crowns, but he admitted that if the restoration is delayed, the construction costs could increase further. The group was supposed to meet last autumn after the regional elections, but the meeting was disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

The leadership of Terezín envisions that the state would cover the reconstruction of military facilities, as the monuments are owned by the city. "Either it will be put into some association, we have an association of legal entities, or something else will be created where we lend it, the state will repair it for us, and we will contribute to the sustainability of the facility," the mayor added. According to him, the region wants to support the city's vision. In the Žižkov barracks, besides other uses, apartments could be created following the restoration, of which the city has a critical shortage.

Terezín was founded in 1780 by Emperor Joseph II as a massive fortress system. Its core is the Main Fortress with the city in the center and the advanced Small Fortress. Terezín played a tragic role during World War II. In 1940, a prison of the Prague Gestapo was established in the Small Fortress. The city itself was transformed by the Nazis in 1941 into a Jewish transit ghetto, from which most prisoners were deported to extermination camps and ghettos in the east.