Dark Tourism

by John Lennon, Malcolm Foley

This book sets out to explore dark tourism; that is, the representation of inhuman acts, and how these are interpreted for visitors at a number of places throughout the world, for example the sites of concentration camps in both Western and Eastern Europe. Many people wish to experience the reality behind the media images, or are prompted to find out more by a personal association with places or events. The phenomenon raises ethical issues over the status and nature of objects, the extent of their interpretation, the appropriate political and managerial response and the nature of the experience as perceived by the visitor, their residents and local residents. Events, sites, types of visit and host reactions are considered in order to construct the parameters of the concept of dark tourism. Many acts of inhumanity are celebrated as heritage sites in Britain (for example, the Tower of London, Edinburgh Castle), and the Berlin Wall has become a significant attraction despite claiming many victims.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Travel

192 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1900

Reviews

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 1 out of 5]

(minor corrections made in August 2024)

I am bored with dark tourism and tourists. Let me ask any potential dark tourist have you considered visiting any of the following:

1. Palmnicken in East Prussia now called Yantarny in the Kaliningrad oblast Of Russia

2. Celle in Hanover, Germany

3. Gardelegen in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany

Why? well in the eight days between Hitler's suicide and the final surrender of the Donitz regime on May 8th 3,000 concentration camp survivors were machine gunned on the seaside at Palmnicken; 161 were killed in the forests around Celle attempting to avoid death in air raids; and 1,100 were burnt to death in two barns in Gardelegen. Of course instead of fixating on a spot you could wander along any autobahn or roadway that was in existence in 1945 that lead towards Poland and the now vanished Prussia and you will wander along the sites of dantesque misery were millions retreating soldiers, refugees, displaced persons and concentration camp victims wandered and died in their tens and probably hundreds of thousands.

But no dark tourists will go to any of these places, there are no souvenir stalls, no selfie opportunities and what is worse no name recognition. You can't really conjure up a frisson transgressive daring if you don't have a memorial stone to backup your claims.

Dark Tourism is as dark as Disney - in fact going to Disney is probably more transgressive because you are supporting a grotesque entertainment monopoly pumping out pap that is destroying the minds of millions with anodyne simulacrums of great legends from around the world whose executives are excised with questions about whether Aladdin should have nipples.

Sometimes I just despair.

[Mary Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why do people flock to death camps of Poland or the death site of an American President? The author investigates how significant "Dark Tourism" has become, forcing the reader to contemplate sticky ethical issues with the enterprise.

[Achmad Sunjayadi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting

[Ariana Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book for studying different cases of dark tourism, but if you need an overall of how this phenomenon developed, the tearm appeared, more about this in other countries and have a bigger picture about it, I don’t recommend it. But it is an useful reading if you are interested in this topic.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published in 2000, this book remains one of the most important resources for anyone studying Dark Tourism. IMO it's also the most readable book on the subject for the interested non-academic.