The town of Terezín (Theresienstadt) was founded in 1780 by Emperor Josef II., originally as an impregnable military fortress. During the period of Nazi occupation of World War II, in 1940, while under the control of the Gestapo, the town of Terezín was turned into a Jewish ghetto. Although only used as a temporary holding place before transporting victims on to other death camps, nevertheless 36,000 out of 160,000 prisoners that passed through Terezín, lost their lives within the walls of the town.