# Petr Ginz

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Petr_Ginz
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Petr_Ginz.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petr_Ginz
> Source revision: 1354979083
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Czech child victim of the Holocaust (1928–1944)

Petr Ginz Ginz c. 1939 Born (1928-02-01)1 February 1928 Prague, Czechoslovakia Died 28 September 1944(1944-09-28) (aged 16) Auschwitz-Birkenau, German-occupied Poland Cause of death Gassed to death Resting place Auschwitz concentration camp, Oświęcim, Poland Occupations Diarist, writer Known for Paintings and writings

**Petr Ginz** (1 February 1928 – 28 September 1944) was a [Czechoslovak](/source/Czechoslovakia) boy of partial [Jewish](/source/Jewish_ethnicity) background who was deported to the [Theresienstadt Ghetto](/source/Theresienstadt_Ghetto) (known as Terezín, in Czech) during the [Holocaust](/source/Holocaust). He was murdered at the age of sixteen when he was transferred to [Auschwitz concentration camp](/source/Auschwitz_concentration_camp) and gassed to death upon arrival. His diary was published after his death.

## Life

Earth seen from the Moon

Ginz was the son of Otto Ginz, the manager of the export department of a Prague textile company and a notable [Esperantist](/source/Esperantist), and Marie Ginz (née Dolanská).[1] Ginz's father was Jewish, while his mother was not. His parents met at an Esperantist congress. His mother was from [Hradec Králové](/source/Hradec_Kr%C3%A1lov%C3%A9), where her father was a village teacher. Ginz received frequent visits from his relatives, especially during Christmas holidays. Ginz was a very intelligent boy. Between the ages of 8 and 14 he wrote four novels: *From Prague to China*, *The Wizard from Altay Mountains*, *Around the World in One Second* and *A Visit from Prehistory* — the only surviving novel. The novels, including *Návštěva z pravěku* (English: Visit from Prehistory), were written in the style of [Jules Verne](/source/Jules_Verne)[2] and illustrated with his own paintings. He was interested in the sciences and yearned for knowledge. Due to his parents' interest in [Esperanto](/source/Esperanto), that language was one of Petr's native languages (the other being Czech).

According to the anti-Jewish laws of the [Third Reich](/source/Third_Reich), children from [mixed marriages](/source/Anti-miscegenation_laws#Nazi_Germany) were to be deported to a concentration camp at the age of 14. Young Ginz was transported to the [Theresienstadt concentration camp](/source/Theresienstadt_concentration_camp) in October 1942. His efforts in the sciences and thirst for knowledge remained, and he tried to study even in the concentration camp. He often read from a library full of confiscated books to which he had access. He was placed in *Domov č.1* (Home No. 1, building L417).[1] He became one of the most significant individuals of the community.[3] He established and prepared for publication the periodical magazine *[Vedem](/source/Vedem)*, which means "We Lead". He also wrote an [Esperanto](/source/Esperanto)–[Czech](/source/Czech_language) dictionary as well as several other short novels that have since been lost. One such piece of writing is called "Rambles through Theresienstadt" in which he interviews people and comments on people, buildings, and even the crematorium.

The breadth of his interests, abilities, and character are shown by his remaining writings and by the testimonials of friends who survived. He was interested in literature, history, paintings, geography, sociology, and the technical fields. The magazine *Vedem* was published every Friday for two years.[2]

Petr was assigned to one of the last transports to [Auschwitz concentration camp](/source/Auschwitz_concentration_camp) from Terezín. He was murdered in the [gas chambers](/source/Gas_chamber#Germany) in 1944. His diary has been published in English under the name: *The Diary of Petr Ginz 1941–1942*.

## *Vedem*

Main article: [Vedem](/source/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). One of his closest collaborators was Hanuš Hachenburg who wrote many poems. Ginz gave most of his writings and paintings to his sister before his transport, so a majority have survived to today.[1] His sister was also deported to Terezín in 1944, but she survived.[1]

## Diary

Věra and Vlastimil Novobilský reading aloud from their [Esperanto](/source/Esperanto) translation of Petr Ginz's diary for members of the [Esperanto club](/source/Esperanto_club) in [Brno](/source/Brno) (2013)

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 that of [Anne Frank](/source/Anne_Frank). This diary was lost but found and published by his sister Eva (later Chava Pressburger) as *Diary of My Brother*. It was published in Spanish, [Catalan](/source/Catalan_language), and [Esperanto](/source/Esperanto), as well as the original Czech, and in English in April 2007 as *The Diary of Petr Ginz 1941–1942*. A review appeared in an issue of *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)* dated Tuesday 10 April 2007.[4]

## Drawing

[Israeli](/source/Israel) [astronaut](/source/Astronaut) [Ilan Ramon](/source/Ilan_Ramon), whose mother and grandmother were survivors of Auschwitz, was asked by S. Isaac Mekel, director of development at the American Society for [Yad Vashem](/source/Yad_Vashem), to take an item from Yad Vashem onto the American [Space Shuttle *Columbia*](/source/Space_Shuttle_Columbia).[2] Ramon carried with him a copy of a drawing by Ginz of the planet [Earth](/source/Earth) as seen from the [Moon](/source/Moon). The shuttle, while reentering Earth's atmosphere, [broke apart](/source/Space_Shuttle_Columbia_Disaster) on 1 February 2003,[5] destroying the copy of Ginz's drawing on what would have been his 75th birthday. In 2018, 15 years after the Space Shuttle *Columbia* disaster, another copy was given by Yad Vashem to Ilan's widow, Rona, to give to astronaut [Andrew Feustel](/source/Andrew_J._Feustel). Feustel carried it to space during [Expedition 56](/source/Expedition_56) in memory of Ginz and Ramon. Feustel's video message commemorating Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah) 2018/5778 featured the astronaut displaying Ginz's depiction of a view of Earth from the Moon.[6][7][8] On February 1, 2020, Feustel gifted one of the copies of “Moon Landscape” brought to space to the [Czech Center Museum Houston](/source/Czech_Center_Museum_Houston).[9]

## Legacy

[Stolperstein](/source/Stolperstein) for Petr Ginz in front of Stárkova 1745/4 in Prague

- The [asteroid](/source/Asteroid) [50413 Petrginz](/source/50413_Petrginz) was named in his honour.

- In 2005 the [Czech Post](/source/%C4%8Cesk%C3%A1_po%C5%A1ta) issued a 31 [KČ](/source/Czech_koruna) stamp with the Moon drawing and a portrait in remembrance of Petr Ginz.

- A [Stolperstein](/source/Stolperstein) by German artist [Gunter Demnig](/source/Gunter_Demnig) was installed in his honor in [Prague](/source/Prague).

- He was the subject of the play *The Diary of Petr Ginz*[10] performed at the Prague Fringe Festival in 2008.

- His life was commemorated in a 2012 documentary film, *The Last Flight of Petr Ginz*, directed by Sandra Dickson and Churchill Roberts.[11]

- Norwegian progressive rock group [Gazpacho](/source/Gazpacho) included a song inspired by Petr Ginz on their 2014 album *Demon*.[12]

- His story is commemorated in a song, "For Petr and Ilan", on the album *Does the Land Remember Me?* (2018) by Ben Fisher.[13]

## See also

- [List of Holocaust diarists](/source/List_of_Holocaust_diarists)

- [List of diarists](/source/List_of_diarists)

- [List of posthumous publications of Holocaust victims](/source/List_of_posthumous_publications_of_Holocaust_victims)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-story_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-story_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-story_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-story_1-3) ["Petr Ginz's story"](https://web.archive.org/web/20120224055938/http://www.holocaust.cz/cz2/history/people/ginz). Holocaust.cz. Archived from [the original](http://www.holocaust.cz/cz2/history/people/ginz) on February 24, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2011.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-reflex_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-reflex_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-reflex_2-2) ["Reflex about Ginz"](https://web.archive.org/web/20081030012221/http://www.reflex.cz/Clanek12766.html) (in Czech). Reflex.cz. Archived from [the original](http://www.reflex.cz/Clanek12766.html) on 30 October 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2011.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Kalendová, Helena (14 January 2017). ["Petr Ginz a jeho Měsíční krajina: Židovský chlapec, jehož kresbu vynesli do vesmíru"](https://zpravy.tiscali.cz/petr-ginz-a-jeho-mesicni-krajina-zidovsky-chlapec-jehoz-kresbu-vynesli-do-vesmiru-291584) (in Czech). Retrieved 14 November 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Parker, Ashley (10 April 2007). ["A Youthful Chronicle of Wartime in Prague"](https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/10/books/10ginz.html). *The New York Times*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Columbia tragedy"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080611075903/http://edition.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/02/01/shuttle.columbia/). Archived from [the original](http://edition.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/02/01/shuttle.columbia/) on June 11, 2008. Retrieved June 11, 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Fulfilling the dream of Ilan Ramon (in Hebrew)"](http://www.israelhayom.co.il/article/532123). Israel Hayom. 31 January 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-NASA_feustel_7-0)** Garcia, Mark (12 April 2018). ["Astronaut Drew Feustel Honors Holocaust Remembrance Day with a Replica of Drawing First Flown in Space by the Late Ilan Ramon"](https://web.archive.org/web/20200602184825/https://www.nasa.gov/feature/astronaut-drew-feustel-honors-holocaust-remembrance-day-with-a-replica-of-drawing-first/). *NASA*. Archived from [the original](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/astronaut-drew-feustel-honors-holocaust-remembrance-day-with-a-replica-of-drawing-first) on 2 June 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["US astronaut records Holocaust remembrance message in space"](https://www.jta.org/2018/04/12/news-opinion/united-states/us-astronaut-records-holocaust-remembrance-message-space). 12 April 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Landscape- Petr Ginz and an Astronauts Legacy"](https://www.czechcenter.org/blog/space/mission/moon-landscape). *Czech Center Museum Houston, Houston*. 11 February 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Vaughan, David (9 December 2010). ["Petr Ginz: a moving dramatization of a wartime diary"](https://english.radio.cz/petr-ginz-a-moving-dramatization-a-wartime-diary-8570299). *Radio Prague International*. Retrieved 4 March 2026.{{[cite news](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_news)}}: CS1 maint: url-status ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_url-status))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** [*The Last Flight of Petr Ginz*](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2101469/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["Thomas Andersen – Gazpacho, by Leo Trimming"](https://theprogressiveaspect.net/blog/2015/11/14/thomas-andersen-gazpacho/).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["For Petr and Ilan, by Ben Fisher"](https://benfisher.bandcamp.com/track/for-petr-and-ilan).

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Petr Ginz](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Petr_Ginz).

- [*The Diary of Petr Ginz*](https://openlibrary.org/books/OL8346659M/The_Diary_of_Petr_Ginz) ([ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-871-139669](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-871-139669) published in English in 2007)

- [*Moon Landscape*](https://www.science.co.il/Ilan-Ramon/Moon-landscape.php) (the drawing)

- [*Petr Ginz – Theresienstadt*](http://www1.yadvashem.org/yv/en/exhibitions/nochildsplay/ghettos2.asp) at [Yad Vashem](/source/Yad_Vashem) Museum

- [*The Last Flight of Petr Ginz*](http://www.petrginz.com/) (2011 documentary film)

- [*The Last Flight of Petr Ginz*](https://www.un.org/en/holocaustremembrance/2012/UN_Petr_Study-Guide.pdf), UN Study Guide.

- [Documents about Petr Ginz](http://collections.jewishmuseum.cz/index.php/Browse/modifyCriteria/facet/people_facet/id/88538/mod_id/0) in the collection of the [Jewish Museum Prague](http://www.jewishmuseum.cz) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20110423021951/http://www.jewishmuseum.cz/) April 23, 2011, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine).

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND FAST WorldCat National United States France BnF data Japan Czech Republic Spain Netherlands Israel Belgium Artists RKD Artists People LibraryThing Deutsche Biographie DDB Other IdRef Open Library Yale LUX

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Petr Ginz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petr_Ginz) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petr_Ginz?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.