Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Terezín

The Church of the Resurrection of Christ stands on the main square of the fortress town of Terezín, in the Litoměřice District of the Ústí nad Labem Region. It is a Roman Catholic parish church that for much of its history also served as the garrison church of the town's military fortress — Terezín was built from the ground up as a fortified garrison town, and its religious life long ran on both a civilian and a military track.

When was it built, and who designed it?

Construction ran from 1805 to 1810 in the Empire style, based on a design by engineer Heinrich Hatzinger and Count Julius d'Andrei. Nearly the same plan was used at the same time for the Church of the Ascension in the sister fortress of Josefov — the two churches were essentially twin projects built for a pair of Habsburg defensive fortresses in what is now the Czech Republic. The founding date, MDCCCV (1805), is still carved above the main portal.

What does the building look like?

The church is a single-nave structure whose western end tapers into a gentle apse. Above the entrance rises a slender, square tower 56 metres tall — one of the most recognizable landmarks in Terezín, visible across much of the fortress town's grid of straight streets. The plain, Empire-style facade fits the rest of the garrison town, where architecture was built for function first.

What happened to the parish over time?

The parish attached to the church was established in 1842. Its fate changed sharply in 1942, when the Nazi administration running the Terezín ghetto — set up in the fortress town from 1941 — dissolved the parish. For those years the church and the whole town operated inside the reality of a transit and concentration camp, where ordinary civilian religious life had effectively stopped. The parish was only restored on 1 January 1947, once the war had ended and the town gradually returned to normal civic life.

Is the church a protected landmark?

The building has been listed as a cultural monument of the Czech Republic since 1964. That status recognizes it both as an example of Empire-style architecture tied to the Habsburg fortification system and as a physical witness to Terezín's complicated 20th-century history.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the church located? On the eastern side of the main square in Terezín, Litoměřice District, Ústí nad Labem Region, Czech Republic.

When was the church built? Between 1805 and 1810, designed by Heinrich Hatzinger and Count Julius d'Andrei.

How tall is the church tower? The tower is 56 metres tall and visible from much of Terezín.

Was the church connected to the Terezín ghetto? Yes. After the ghetto was established in 1941, the Nazi administration dissolved the parish in 1942; it was only restored in 1947.

Is the building protected as a heritage site? Yes, it has been listed as a cultural monument since 1964.