An Attic Full of Stories – L 237

It is hard to imagine that this small attic room had to be shared by as many as three people. Prisoners, therefore, became resourceful, and even creative, when setting up their cramped abodes. Through their wall drawings and graffiti, they told stories of human trial: lovesickness, sleepless nights and longings for home. Yet, despite the indescribably atrocious hygienic conditions that made vermin a daily problem in the ghetto, humor could sometimes still prevail in the everyday lives of the prisoners, such as a Dutch author’s verse about an eternal plague of bedbugs.

The overall presentation of the following photographs provides a unique and, above all, close look into the lives of the prisoners who lived here. The viewer is given access to an unparalleled world, one rarely more than 13 square meters in size. It is all the more surprising that such a large quantity of graffiti and wall drawings could have gone undiscovered until 2013. This attic is only one of many such spaces where traces of ghetto life still exist. In the course of this project, we would also like to identify their authors and, if possible, document their fates. We will continually post our results on www.ghettospuren.de

The contrast could hardly be greater: The sheeting against the underside of the roof reveals that this room was refurbished. The partitioning wall on the left was made of Heraklith insulation panels, a material of wood wool and cement, often utilized in the ghetto. One side of the wall is entirely plastered. On the other side, it is only patched.

The room behind the door, a small attic mansard, is only about 10 square meters and served as living space during the ghetto years. Larger wall drawings immediately catch our eye. The building style of the room is easy to make out. Plastered and painted Heraklith panels can be seen behind the chimney. Also the remains of a suspended ceiling, destroyed during the last roofing job, are still visible.

The artist used only two colors, blue and brown, to create the realistic image. There is much that leads us to believe that it probably depicts an actual place. We recognize a conveyor system with shaft tower and a group of buildings. In the background, smoke billows from a smokestack. One can only speculate why the prisoner would have wanted to capture this particular scene.

Although hardly visible to the naked eye, pictures were also drawn on the chimney wall. One must look closely so as not to miss them, as some are very small. The rustic, decorative painting was most likely applied around a stove pipe which no longer exists. At the top, next to the opening where the pipe might have been inserted, we see a painted spider web. This was typical of Boheme design. It was an appreciation of irony, possessed by the ghetto residents that allowed them to fashion their living quarters the way they did.

These data written on the wall verify that these are without any doubt remnants of the ghetto time. “Terezín 13.II.1944“ (Terezín, February 13, 1944) is a date that we may assume was written by an unknown prisoner. So far, we have no leads as to its meaning.

This inscription tells us more: The translation of the Czech graffito reads, “November 1944 ZDENĚK”. It is quite possible that Zdeněk survived the Holocaust, as no transports left the camp between November 1944 and the liberation of the ghetto in May 1945.

Mourning: A grave mound with cross, next to this, the Czech name Věra Voborská. The name is not listed in the database of Holocaust victims from Theresienstadt.

”MIJN NIEUWE BEL“ is Dutch and means “my new bell.” Next to this, spaced a little bit apart we read “HOLLANDA” and see a tiny windmill. This graffito points to the origins of its author. Approximately 6, 000 Jews from occupied Netherlands were interned in Terezin, including German Jews who had escaped to the Netherlands. Transports from Holland to Theresienstadt began in April 1943.

These lines were written by a resident of this room. The verse, written with a pencil in Dutch, tells us about a sleepless night. “Oh bedbug, oh bedbug, oh thou ugly beast, thou dances all night upon me. I lie, the itching […] I feel you creeping. From head to my toes.” Bedbugs and fleas were a constant plague in the ghetto making nights unbearable for many of the prisoners. Although the ghetto’s Jewish self-administration made efforts to address the problem, the plague of bugs continued unabated.

„NEMOHU SPÁT! CHAPMAN VSTÁVÁ VE 3, HONYNY 5, PICKA V ½ 6. A ŠTĚNKY JSOU V PERMANENCI CELOU NOC.“ This graffito laments the difficult conditions of everyday life. Despite its bleached colors, the text is still legible. It is a complaint of a Czech prisoner who had been unable to find quiet at night. „I CANNOT SLEEP! CHAPMAN GETS UP AT 3, HONYNY AT 5, PICKA AT 5:30. AND THE BEDBUGS ARE AT IT THE WHOLE NIGHT.“ Bedbugs were apparently not the only roommates causing sleepless nights in the ghetto's tight living quarters. Also, noises came about in the night when others had to rise to go to their regular early morning or late night work shifts. Cramped conditions and lack of privacy were in themselves torturous. With this in mind, we understand that the message is illustrating a general problem of most inmates in the ghetto. The sarcastic punch line indicates that „the bedbugs were always working busily“ which points to the hygienic disaster at this shared living space. The gallows humor was, therefore, one way how to deal with the everyday difficulties in the ghetto. © WILDFISCH

A weeping heart pierced by an arrow is symbolic of a lost love. It hardly needs any explanation. Only the initials “H” and “K” offer but a tiny clue as to who was struck by Love’s arrow. Elsewhere, measuring about half an inch in height, we find yet another graffito. This time it is a heart next to a gallows.

This photo tells us about blissful love: “CHAPI JEN TYS NAŠE LÁSKA“. “Chapi, only you are our love”. The original text is in Czech. However, Chapi is neither a Czech nor a Dutch name. It could be a nickname. Another graffito refers to Chapmann as a family name.

A scene dear to most Czechs: Prague’s Charles Bridge, which connects Staré město (the Old Town) with Malá strana (the Lesser Side). Theresienstadt lies about 69 kilometers north of Prague. Such motifs must have been nostalgic for the Jews from Prague who were imprisoned in Theresienstadt. The Charles Bridge and Prague Castle (in the background) are the primary landmarks of the Bohemian capital, perhaps also a reason why the artist chose to draw the scene. It is quite possible that several people were involved in drawing this scene. Damage to the wall, which is riddled with holes, occurred during a later period.

The crucifix stands out in the foreground. The drawing of one of the statues on the Charles Bridge would have been easily recognized by most Czech prisoners. Although the original statue features distinctive Hebrew script, it was left out of the drawing. In 1696, a Prague Jew was accused of blasphemy after he allegedly mocked the crucifix and was found guilty. As punishment, he was required to pay for gold-plated Hebrew lettering which read: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts.” These words remain on the crucifix today. The sign was a considerable expenditure for the Jew, but the stiff punishment represented also a humiliation to the Prague Jews who felt they were forced to praise a “false” God. The artist probably knew of the demeaning sign and chose to exclude it.

There are more tracks to look:

Ordinary Life – Traces of Everyday Life in the Ghetto

Attic Modifications – Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Messages From the Past – Poterne III

An Attic Full of Stories – L 237

WE ARE LOOKING FOR (EYE)WITNESSES!

Were you imprisoned in Theresienstadt or do you know people who were imprisoned in the city (1941-45)?
Please visit our photo galleries. Do you recognize anything? Please share your knowledge with us. We would appreciate a short message from you.

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