Tauber Holocaust Library
Guide to Theresienstadt (Terezin) Concentration camp currency
1988.1037
Table of Contents
Summary Information
- Repository
- Tauber Holocaust Library
- Title
- Theresienstadt (Terezin) Concentration camp currency
- ID
- 1988.1037
- Date
- 1943
- Extent
- 1.0 Folder(s)
- Language
- German
- Mixed materials [Folder]
- Archives Box 01
- Abstract
- This collection is comprised of currency issued at the Theresienstadt (Terezin) concentration camp in Czechoslovakia in 1943.
Historical note
On November 24, 1941, the Germans established a Jewish ghetto in the fortress town of Terezin, Czechoslovakia. Known by its German name, Theresienstadt, it functioned as a ghetto and transit camp on the route to Auschwitz, until its liberation on May 8, 1945.
Currency used in Theresienstadt (Terezin) was designed by Czech artist Peter Kien, who was interned there and later died in Auschwitz. On the front of each bill was an engraved portrait of Moses holding the Ten Commandments in Hebrew.
"When Kien initially submitted his designs to Reinhard Heydrich, they were rejected. Because Heydrich objected to the fact that Moses looked too Aryan, the notes were modified to show Moses with more strongly stereotyped Semitic features; the design had to conform to the Nazi vision of Jewish appearance. The final design shows Moses with a long hooked nose and curly hair. Heydrich also demanded that the hand of Moses cover the commandment that stated "Thou Shalt Not Kill." (From Life in the Ghettos During the Holocaust, edited by Eric J. Sterling.)
Scope and Contents note
The collection comprises currency from the Theresiendstadt (Terezin) Concentration camp in Czechoslovakia in denominations of 1 krone, 2 krone, 10 krone, 50 krone and 100 krone. All feature a portrait of Moses holding the Ten Commandments on one side.
Administrative Information
Publication Information
Tauber Holocaust Library
JFCS Holocaust Center2245 Post Street
San Francisco, CA, 94115
415-449-3717
[email protected]
Conditions Governing Access note
There are no restrictions to access to this collection.
Conditions Governing Use note
There are no restrictions to use for this collection.
Theresienstadt (Terezin) Concentration camp currency, 1943
Click on image to view more currency.
Controlled Access Headings
Corporate Name(s)
- Theresienstadt (Concentration camp).
Genre(s)
- Money -- Theresienstadt (Concentration camp)