Before I visit a new destination, I always try to watch some movies or read a book or two on topics I know I’ll encounter a lot while there. And the ones I can’t get to beforehand, I consume after I get back home. (Usually while doing research for the posts you see on this site!) If you’re the same, and you’ve got a trip to Prague in the works, these are some great ones to tackle.
The books, movies, and documentaries I list here cover all the topics, people, and places you’ll learn about the most here. These make for a great head start for your trip to the capital of the Czech Republic. Enjoy!
WW2 Movies to Watch for Visiting Prague
If you’re short on time or simply prefer movies to books, start here. For each entry, I’ve included links for streaming, but don’t forget you can check out DVDs for free from your local library too. I’ll start with the simple list of names, but click on each one (or keep scrolling) to read more about each and see where you can watch.
1. Munich–The Edge of War (2021)
Spy thriller that centers around the Munich Agreement–Hitler’s pact with France, Italy, and the United Kingdom that essentially gave him the right to take over the Sudetenland (the part of Czechoslovakia occupied by ethnic Germans).
2. Anthropoid (2016)
Historically accurate representation of the real-life Operation Anthropoid, starring Cillian Murphy and Jamie Dornan. Definitely a must-watch as this is the most significant event to occur in Prague during the Second World War. A lot of Prague’s WWII sites revolve around this operation.
3. The Man With the Iron Heart (2017)
Another reenactment of the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich (aka Operation Anthropoid) and subsequent fallout, but based on the alternative history novel HHhH mentioned below.
4. Operation Daybreak (1975)
Another take on the events leading up to and following Operation Anthropoid, based on the novel Seven Men at Daybreak by Alan Burgess.
5. Lidice (2011)
Also known as Fall of the Innocent in the UK. Dramatization of the destruction of the village of Lidice and the massacre of all its citizens as retribution for Operation Anthropoid. Czech language movie with English subtitles and great reviews.
6. Terezín (2023)
The story of two classical musicians who fall in love in Prague during World War II. Shortly afterward, they’re deported to Terezín Concentration Camp and join up in defiance with some fellow musicians.
7. One Life (2024)
Biography covering the life and work of Sir Nicholas Winton–the man who helped save the lives of 669 Czech children in the Kindertransports; based on the book written by his daughter and starring Anthony Hopkins and Helena Bonham Carter.
WW2 Documentaries to Watch for Visiting Prague
Here are a few great documentaries and short episodes you can watch on some of Prague’s most significant WWII topics.
8. Hitler’s Circle of Evil (2017)
While this entire series is worth watching, episode 7 specifically deals with a major Prague topic–”The Rise and Fall of Reinhard Heydrich.” Heydrich was the infamous leader of Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. His assassination in Prague (aka Operation Anthropoid) was a major event. This episode provides a great summary of this truly evil man.
9. Nicky’s Family (2013)
The nearly forgotten story of Nicholas Winton, the man who organized the rescue of 669 (mostly Jewish) children from Prague just before the outbreak of WWII.
10. Nazi propaganda film about Terezín (1944)
Besides being a transit camp on the way to the death camps in Poland, Terezín also functioned as a propaganda camp. Nazi officials staged the camp to look like a “spa town” where Jews hung out and enjoyed themselves while awaiting “resettlement” in the East. (I kid you not.) This was done to placate organizations like the Red Cross and others who oversaw the camps’ operations.
This short film (linked below) is the propaganda film the Nazis created in 1944 to show what a “wonderful” place Terezín was and how much its residents enjoyed living there. (Truly sick stuff, knowing what we know now.)
WW2 Books to Read for Visiting Prague
Here are some of the most highly recommended books to read before visiting the World War II sites in Prague. Take a look at these categories:
Books about Operation Anthropoid
11. Resistance by Gerald Brennan (2017) – An excellent nonfiction retelling of the events surrounding Operation Anthropoid. Available on Amazon and Books-a-Million.
12. HHhH by Laurent Binet (2012) – Historical fiction novel focusing on the lives of Operation Anthropoid’s two central assassins: Jan Kubiš and Josef Gabčík. Available on Amazon, AbeBooks, and Books-a-Million.
13. The Man With the Iron Heart by Harry Turtledove (2008) – Alternative history novel answering the question: “What would’ve happened if Heydrich had survived?” Available on Amazon and AbeBooks.
Books about Terezín Concentration Camp
14. The Last Ghetto: An Everyday History of Theresienstadt by Anna Hájková (Nonfiction, 2020) – An interesting, in-depth history of prison societies like the Terezín ghetto that analyzes aspects like social hierarchies, microcultures, newly forged families, and more. Available on AbeBooks, Amazon, and Books-a-Million.
15. Somewhere There Is Still a Sun by Michael Gruenbaum (Memoir, 2015) – Gruenbaum’s riveting memoir of his time in Prague’s Jewish ghetto and then his family’s deportation to Terezín. Available on AbeBooks, Amazon, and Books-a-Million.
16. A Sparrow in Terezín by Kristy Cambron (Historical fiction, 2015) – “The Nazi regime claimed Terezín was a model camp, but when one London reporter lands behind its walls, she uncovers the horrors of this concentration camp that often served as a stop on the road to Auschwitz.” Available on AbeBooks, Amazon, and Books-a-Million.
17. Theresienstadt 1941-1945: The Face of a Coerced Community by H.G. Adler (Nonfiction, originally published in 1955, new edition in 2021) – Known as the “first scholarly monograph to describe the particulars of a single camp” and “the single most detailed and comprehensive account of any concentration camp.” Available on AbeBooks, Amazon, and Books-a-Million.
Books about Prague & Czechoslovakia during WWII
18. Munich, 1938: Appeasement and World War II by David Faber (2010) – A “sweeping reassessment of the extraordinary events of 1938, tracing the key incidents leading up to the Munich Conference” and the agreement that handed Hitler Czechoslovakia. Available on AbeBooks, Amazon, and Books-a-Million.
19. Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948 by Madeleine Albright (2013) – The Los Angeles Times calls it: “A riveting tale of her family’s experience in Europe during World War II [and] a well-wrought political history of the region, told with great authority.” Available on AbeBooks, Amazon, and Books-a-Million.
20. Hitler and Czechoslovakia in World War II: Domination and Retaliation by Patrick Crowhurst (2020) – In-depth, detailed account of Hitler’s takeover of Czechoslovakia and the Nazi reaction to Heydrich’s assassination. Available on AbeBooks, Amazon, and Books-a-Million.
Interesting Biographies
21. One Life: The True Story of Sir Nicholas Winton by Barbara Winton (2024) – Biography of the long life and beautiful legacy of Sir Nicholas Winton (written by his daughter). Available on AbeBooks, Amazon, and Books-a-Million.
22. Hitler’s Hangman: The Life of Heydrich by Robert Gerwarth (2012) – Chilling biography of one of the most dangerous men in the Third Reich. Available on Amazon, AbeBooks, and Books-a-Million.
More info for your trip to Prague
- Hotels: Find great places to stay on Booking.com (my go-to). Expedia and Hotels.com are worth checking too. VRBO is best for apartment rentals.
- Rental cars: Check out the best rental car deals here.
- For great local tours, check out all the options from Viator and Get Your Guide.
- Don’t forget a Prague guidebook and this must-have Czech customs and culture guide!
- Want more? See all my Czech Republic posts here.
Like this post? Have questions about any of these Prague WW2 books or movies? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
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