EVIDENCE AND TRACES

 

Messages From the Past – Poterne III

After decades of military use, after debris was cleared and the fortress gate Poterne III* was finally open in 2005, countless graffiti (stone wall carvings) that had been carved into the sandstone came to light. Among these are many whose meanings cannot be deciphered. The dates 1942, 1943 and 1944 are clear. We recognize symbols of hope and faith, signatures, transport numbers, names and dates.

Most of the authors were prisoners and members of the ghetto police who were themselves prisoners recruited to the service. For almost 70 years, the Poterne III kept its secrets. To date, none of these remnants from the past have received any attention. Our goal is to change this and attempt to reconstruct the lives of the authors. We plan to publish our detailed findings online at www.ghettospuren.de.

*According to Glossarium Artis: Poterne was a tunnel-shaped, often a vaulted passageway through a fortress wall providing cover for troops or transport of weapons, equipment and ammunition within a fortress.

Birds-eye-view: The aerial photograph shows the northwestern section with Ravelin XVIII, a fortress defense wall system. This part of the fortress has been recently developed for tourism and also serves as a pedestrian zone for Terezin’s residents. Visible in the photo where grasses stand over three feet tall, there used to be kitchen gardens where prisoners were forced to grow fruits and vegetables for the SS.
Tunnel view: It is possible to enter this part of the fortress through a historical gate, the Poterne III. The builders of this fortress envisioned this gate as a place from which to launch attacks against enemies.
Life signs: Close to the outer gate toward the moat on both sides of the passageway, one cannot but notice the countless graffiti. Erosion and vandalism have already rendered unrecognizable a large number of these silent witnesses from the past. Many of the inscriptions date not only from the ghetto period but also from the 19thand early 20th centuries.
Guard posts: During the ghetto period, many points of entry and exit were strictly guarded by both the Czech gendarmerie and the ghetto policemen, who were recruited from among the ranks of the Jewish prisoners. The Czech inscription “STŘEŽENA STRÁŽĺ GHETTA L.P. 1944” (This gate is/was guarded by the ghetto police 1944, A.D.) leads us to believe that the Jewish ghetto policemen were also used to watch Poterne III.
Caricature: It is hard to miss the series of portraits and caricatures, one with a noticeable nose and chin, wearing a striped cap. The Italian inscription, “IL CAPITANO DELLA GUARDIA” (Italian for “Captain of the Guard”) give us a clue about the identity of the man. Why the words are in Italian remains unclear (there were no transports from Italy to Terezín). Three stripes on the cap point to the fact that the man was of a higher rank in the Ghettowache. The striking caricature shows Artur Weisl, who was chief of The Ghettowache in 1943/44.
Last message: We have no doubt that Josef Freund from Pardubice (born 1890) is the author of this framed inscription. Judging by the typography and the careful execution of the design, it seems as though the skilled author might have invested a lot of time in the work. The fine and rather elegant writing is hard to miss. We know something about Freund. He arrived in Theresienstadt on December 9, 1942, on transport Cg from Pardubice. He was married to Zdenka (née Flaschner). They had two adult children at the time of their deportation, Karl, born 12 April 1920 and Eva, born 22 March 1930. The ghetto was but a way station for the family. During the Autumn Transports in 1944, the entire family was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. All perished.
Obituary: The inscription “S. Rosen, Vienna, G.W. 31“ points to Samuel Rosen from Vienna (18 October 1878 – 1944). He was deported to Theresienstadt on 1 October 1942. He was a member of the ghetto guard who apparently had duty at Poterne III. On 28 October 1944 he left the ghetto with the last transport headed for Auschwitz-Birkenau. Rosen, 66, did not survive.
Faith and hope: The palm is a biblical allusion to symbols of victory and triumph. Even in the ghetto, where religious practice was officially forbidden, religious symbols of Judaism continued to play an important role for believers. This also held true for the nine-armed menorah, the symbol of Chanukah, celebrating the rededication of the Temple. The holiday celebrates the triumph of light over darkness. In the ghetto, the Chanukah menorah had certainly more than just a religious meaning. The lighting of the candles symbolized a victory of good over evil, as well as a new beginning. In Jewish tradition, it is customary to make the Chanukah menorah visible from the street. Apparently this is what the author had in mind when carving the motif into the sandstone.
Many prisoners left their signatures on Poterne III. This picture testifies to that. However, only a few prisoners inscribed their full names into the stone. One of them was Wilhelm Wolf Waltuch. The signature “W. W.“ with an arrow can be attributed to him. At the age of 53, he and his wife were deported to Theresienstadt from Vienna on 9 October 1942. Waltuch was the general manager of the largest cinema in Vienna’s 17th district, a job he held until Austria’s annexation by the German Reich. His dismissal was related to the Aryanization of the business. That was a period in which many Jews were dismissed from their posts and were prohibited from working in certain professions. Waltuch remained in the ghetto for two years. On 23 October 1944, he and his wife were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where they perished.
Small artwork: The motif and professional workmanship of this stone carving stand out. There is no doubt that the author was skilled. Ears of grain and various blossoms (including mallow, lily-of-the-valley and campanula) are arranged in a circle around an opening. Above center, we see the traces of a Star of David that was forcibly removed.
Also with this inscription, the Star of David catches our eye at second glance only. Glossed over with a varnish, it remained undetected until now. It is located directly to the right of the gateway, somewhat apart from the other numerous graffiti. The inscription “FRIED 1943” does not offer sufficient information to identify its author.
Secret code: “AKB Mezina […] 628” is a coded message left behind by a prisoner. Although the author of the inscription did not leave his name, he did leave his transport number. Only Alfred Freund (born 29 November 1896 in Krchleby) comes into question. He arrived in Theresienstadt on a transport from České Budějovice (Budweis) on 18 April 1942. On 29 September 1944 he was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau where he was killed. Carving MEZIMOS […] remains puzzling. Maybe it is a nickname or it stands for Mezimostí, a town’s name.
“ŽATEC Aad 682 8.5.1944“: We have reason to believe that this inscription was written by Jaroslav Žatečka. Jaroslav (born 4 May 1928) celebrated his 16th birthday just four days before being transported to Theresienstadt. . “Aad 682“ was an important hint that led us to identifying the author. The designation refers to a transport from Kolín for Theresienstadt and to the prisoner’s transport number. The transport left Kolín for Theresienstadt on 13 June 1942. On 28 September 1944 Jaroslav along with 2, 488 prisoners was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Only 473 persons from this transport survived. Jaroslav was one of the lucky ones: The last station on his path of suffering was the concentration camp Dachau, where he was liberated in April 1945.
Missing: The inscription “B.NETTL 1943/4 G.W. 19” was left by Benedikt (Benno) Nettl (born September 19, 1896). He was deported to Theresienstadt on July 5, 1943 on transport “De” from Prague. A year later, in August 1944, the Gestapo arrested Benno Nettl, his wife Anna (Annie) Nettlová, son Mirko, and daughter Hana. They were moved to the nearby Small Fortress, the notorious Gestapo prison. The reason for the imprisonment of the entire family: Benno Nettl was allegedly caught letter smuggling. He died in the Small Fortress under unknown circumstances on October 20, 1944. His son also did not survive the arrest and died on December 22, 1944. The circumstances of his death are also unknown. „G.W. 19“ stands for the ghetto guard number 19, indicating that Benno Nettl was a member of the ghetto guard, and as such performed guard duties at the Poterne.
Transport of the Elderly. This inscription is badly damaged and barely legible. Originally it read: Felix Alterthum Tilsit 1943. “Tilsit” was the key to the identification of the author. Felix Alterthum (born 10 November 1894) was a Jewish leader before the war in this Baltic city (once in East Prussia, now in Lithuania). As such he was, inter alia, responsible for negotiating the so-called “home purchase agreements.” He came to Theresienstadt via Berlin with the fourth large transport of the elderly, number I/90 on 18 March 1943, the same year he wrote this inscription. On 29 September 1944 he continued on a transport to Auschwitz-Birkenau. After a short stay he was transported to Dachau concentration camp. There he died on 17th January 1945. The exact circumstances of his death remain unknown.
Survivor: This inscription probably was made by Jiří Meisl (1921 – 1999), one of the 1, 268 Jews from the Czech city of Tábor and vicinity deported to Theresienstadt in November 1942. Jiří was one of only 70 of Tábor’s Jews to have survived the Holocaust. Before having been liberated at Theresienstadt, Meisl was also interred in Auschwitz-Birkenau (transport Dr on 15 December 1943) and later deported to the Schwarzheide Concentration Camp. After Schwarzheide was evacuated, Meisl was forced on a death march headed for Theresienstadt. He ended up being transported on open train car that brought him to Litomĕřice on May 8, the day Germany capitulated. Since the SS had fled the region, Meisl made his way back to neighboring Theresienstadt, which had just been liberated by the Russians. There, he was reunited with his girlfriend and later wife, Eva.

There are more tracks to look:

Ordinary Life – Traces of Everyday Life in the Ghetto

Ordinary Life – Traces of Everyday Life in the Ghetto
Attic Modifications – Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Attic Modifications – Necessity is the Mother of Invention
Messages From the Past – Poterne III

Messages From the Past – Poterne III
An Attic Full of Stories – L 237

An Attic Full of Stories – L 237

WE ARE LOOKING FOR (EYE)WITNESSES!

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