Petr Ginz
Encyclopedia
Petr Ginz was a Czechoslovak
boy of Jewish descent who was deported to the Terezín concentration camp during the Holocaust. He died at the age of sixteen when he was transferred to Auschwitz concentration camp
and gassed.
, and Marie Ginz (née Dolanská). His parents met at an Esperantist congress. His mother was from Hradec Kralove where her father was a village teacher. Petr got frequent visits from his relatives during Christmas including his grandfather who owned an antique shop in Jungmanovo Square where he sold rare books. Petr was a very intelligent boy; between the ages of 8 and 14 he wrote 5 novels: From Prague to China, The Wizard from Altay Mountains, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Around the World in One Second and A Visit from Prehistory — the only surviving novel today. The novels, including Návštěva z pravěku (Visit from Prehistory), were written in the style of Jules Verne
and illustrated with his own paintings. He was interested in the sciences and yearned for knowledge. Because of his parents' interest in Esperanto
, Petr also became a fluent speaker of the language.
According to the anti-Jewish laws of the Third Reich, children from mixed marriages were to be deported to a concentration camp at the age of 14. Petr's father was Jewish, but his mother was not. Young Petr was transported to the Terezín concentration camp in October 1942. His efforts in sciences and thirst for knowledge remained and he tried to study even in the concentration camp. He often read from the library full of confiscated books which he had access to. He was placed in the Domov č.1 (Home No. 1, building L417). He became one of the most significant individuals of the community. He established and prepared for publication the periodical magazine Vedem
which means "We Lead." He also wrote an Esperanto
–Czech
dictionary as well as several other short novels that have been lost. One interesting piece of writing is called 'The Rambles through Terezin' where he interviews and comments on people, buildings and even the crematorium.
The breadth of his interests, abilities and character are determined from his writings that remain and from the testimonials of friends who survived. He was interested in literature, history, paintings, geography, sociology and also in the technical fields. The magazine Vedem was published every Friday for two years.
Petr was assigned to one of the last transports to Auschwitz concentration camp
, where he died in the gas chambers of Auschwitz in 1944. His diary has been published in English under the name: The Diary of Petr Ginz 1941–1942.
and Esperanto
, as well as the original Czech. It was published in English in April 2007 as "The Diary of Petr Ginz 1941–1942". It was reviewed in The New York Times
on Tuesday, April 10, 2007.
as seen from the moon
was taken by Israel
i astronaut
Ilan Ramon
onto the American Space Shuttle Columbia
. The shuttle, while reentering Earth's atmosphere, broke apart on February 1, 2003, destroying the copy of Ginz's drawing on what would have been his 75th birthday.
Petr Ginz's drawing and its fateful history have inspired other pieces of art. One example is Variation on Petr Ginz's Moon Landscape.
The asteroid
50413 Petrginz
was named in his honour.
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
boy of Jewish descent who was deported to the Terezín concentration camp during the Holocaust. He died at the age of sixteen when he was transferred to Auschwitz concentration camp
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
and gassed.
Life
Petr was born into the family of Otto Ginz, a Jewish manager of the export department of a textile company from Prague and notable EsperantistEsperantist
An Esperantist is a person who speaks or uses Esperanto. Etymologically, an Esperantist is someone who hopes...
, and Marie Ginz (née Dolanská). His parents met at an Esperantist congress. His mother was from Hradec Kralove where her father was a village teacher. Petr got frequent visits from his relatives during Christmas including his grandfather who owned an antique shop in Jungmanovo Square where he sold rare books. Petr was a very intelligent boy; between the ages of 8 and 14 he wrote 5 novels: From Prague to China, The Wizard from Altay Mountains, Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Around the World in One Second and A Visit from Prehistory — the only surviving novel today. The novels, including Návštěva z pravěku (Visit from Prehistory), were written in the style of Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
and illustrated with his own paintings. He was interested in the sciences and yearned for knowledge. Because of his parents' interest in Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
, Petr also became a fluent speaker of the language.
According to the anti-Jewish laws of the Third Reich, children from mixed marriages were to be deported to a concentration camp at the age of 14. Petr's father was Jewish, but his mother was not. Young Petr was transported to the Terezín concentration camp in October 1942. His efforts in sciences and thirst for knowledge remained and he tried to study even in the concentration camp. He often read from the library full of confiscated books which he had access to. He was placed in the Domov č.1 (Home No. 1, building L417). He became one of the most significant individuals of the community. He established and prepared for publication the periodical magazine Vedem
Vedem
Vedem was a Czech-language literary magazine that existed from 1942 to 1944 in the Terezín concentration camp, during the Holocaust. It was hand-produced by a group of boys living in the Home One barracks, led by editor-in-chief Petr Ginz...
which means "We Lead." He also wrote an Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
–Czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
dictionary as well as several other short novels that have been lost. One interesting piece of writing is called 'The Rambles through Terezin' where he interviews and comments on people, buildings and even the crematorium.
The breadth of his interests, abilities and character are determined from his writings that remain and from the testimonials of friends who survived. He was interested in literature, history, paintings, geography, sociology and also in the technical fields. The magazine Vedem was published every Friday for two years.
Petr was assigned to one of the last transports to Auschwitz concentration camp
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
, where he died in the gas chambers of Auschwitz in 1944. His diary has been published in English under the name: The Diary of Petr Ginz 1941–1942.
Vedem
The magazine was founded shortly after his arrival at Terezín in 1942. Besides Ginz, several other boys from the Domov č.1. also contributed. Petr Ginz became a chief editor and he contributed under the code name nz or Akademie (Academy). Ginz gave most of his writings and paintings to his sister before his transport, so a majority have survived to today. His sister was also deported to Terezín in 1944, but she survived.Diary
Before his transport, Ginz wrote a diary between 1941 and 1942 about his life. This diary, written in a matter-of-fact way, has been compared to Anne Frank's diary. This diary was lost for a long time but was later found and published by his sister Eva (now Chava Pressburger) as Diary of My Brother. The diary was published in Spanish, CatalanCatalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
and Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
, as well as the original Czech. It was published in English in April 2007 as "The Diary of Petr Ginz 1941–1942". It was reviewed in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
on Tuesday, April 10, 2007.
Drawing
A copy of a drawing by Ginz of the planet EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
as seen from the moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
was taken by Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
Ilan Ramon
Ilan Ramon
Ilan Ramon was a fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force, and later the first Israeli astronaut....
onto the American Space Shuttle Columbia
Space Shuttle Columbia
Space Shuttle Columbia was the first spaceworthy Space Shuttle in NASA's orbital fleet. First launched on the STS-1 mission, the first of the Space Shuttle program, it completed 27 missions before being destroyed during re-entry on February 1, 2003 near the end of its 28th, STS-107. All seven crew...
. The shuttle, while reentering Earth's atmosphere, broke apart on February 1, 2003, destroying the copy of Ginz's drawing on what would have been his 75th birthday.
Petr Ginz's drawing and its fateful history have inspired other pieces of art. One example is Variation on Petr Ginz's Moon Landscape.
The asteroid
Asteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
50413 Petrginz
50413 Petrginz
50413 Petrginz is a main-belt asteroid discovered on February 27, 2000, by J. Ticha and M. Tichy at Klet. It is named after Holocaust victim Petr Ginz.- External links :*...
was named in his honour.
External links
- The Diary of Petr Ginz (ISBN: 0-871-139669 published in English in 2007)
- Moon Landscape (the drawing)
- Petr Ginz – Theresienstadt at Yad Vashem Museum
- The Last Flight of Petr Ginz (2011 documentary film)