Världsarvsresenären / The World Heritage Traveler - Trebic

The World Heritage Traveler Only one Jewish World Heritage Site is found outside Israel... ...and it's here, in the small town of Trebic in southern Czech Republic. Trebic tells the story of how both Christians and Jews lived side by side for nearly 700 years Today, the old Jewish ghetto is the best preserved and one of the few places... ...where one can see traces of the Jewish culture that once existed... ...here in Central and Eastern Europe Trebic began in 1101 when the Benedictine Monks was granted permission from... ...the Moravian princes to found an abbey, which soon became a great basilica... …dedicated to the Czech saint Saint Procopius Trebic was now an important religious, cultural and military center... ...that lasted until the 1400s when the Hungarian army invaded and plundered both the basilica... …and the town of all its riches It was at this time that the Jews came to Trebic Here was work and opportunity... ...and soon a Jewish ghetto grew on the north side of the river Jihlava The ghetto was named "Zámosti" meaning "beyond the bridge"... …and at the beginning of the 1800s there was a flourishing small Jewish community here Almost 60% of the inhabitants in Trebic was now Jewish... ...and here were several industries, within timber, textile, leather tanning and distilling The Subak family's old factory is still standing... ...as a shadow from another era and a reminder of what once was By the mid-1930s, the recession had hit the Jewish ghetto hard Those who could had moved, and there was only 300 Jews left In May 1942 came the end of seven centuries of Jewish culture in Trebic... ..when all Jews were deported by the Nazis, to be gassed in the Auschwitz Holocaust The old synagogue is one of the most beautiful buildings and is now a museum... ...that tells of the ghetto's long history. After World War II the synagogue was used as a root cellar, and in the 1970s plans were... ….to demolish the entire Jewish district But instead of tearing it down it was decided to renovate... ..and today both the ghetto and the basilica one of UNESCO's many World Heritage Site Because the Jews were not allowed to bury their dead in the Christian cemetery... ...they were given a hillside outside of town So ever since the 1500s, this has been the town's Jewish cemetery… …which is now considered to be one of the best preserved Jewish cemeteries... ...throughout the Czech Republic. Walking here early on a Sunday morning is like a journey to a time gone by... …and one can only imagine what kind of live's they lived Reminders of the Holocaust is found on graves of Jews murdered in Osvecimi... ...which is the Czech name of Nazi's death factory Auschwitz Since 2003 Trebic is one of UNESCO's many World Heritage Sites Filmed, edited and narrated by Christer Sundberg (World Heritage Traveler)