Thinking about tourism from a cultural and historical perspective, and at the same time highlighting events as tragic as those brought by Nazi Germany, means bringing to mind a myriad of grisly events that Europeans and especially Jews experienced in the 1940s, when Adolf Hitler begins an inhuman hunt in his eagerness to conquer the world and eradicate this race from the face of the earth.
Hence, the tourist tours of Germany and other countries that were involved in a war that changed the history of humanity, bring tourists into an era full of tragedies, injustices and victims that impact and sensitize any person, in a warlike process that begins in the year 1939 when the leader of the Nazism invaded some countries like Poland, like departure point to a war that culminated in August of 1945 when the allied forces finished to World War II.
Bringing this tragic issue to a close and relating it to tourism, which means recreation and pleasure, seems somewhat contradictory, but tourism has been experiencing important changes in recent decades, which come hand in hand with the changes experienced by the population, in its attitudes, tastes and preferences, which have made millions of people interested in knowing those places where fatal events took place that brought death and horror.
Cultural tourism then represents a way to access interesting information for people who see history as an opportunity to reflect, to feel more human, spiritual and promoters of peace and justice, since through these journeys they are motivated to tourists to be spokespersons of positive messages in relation to the antithesis of war, to the prevalence of human values in conflict situations, remembering events, circumstances and actions of human beings full of hatred and evil, to prevent them from turning to happen.
This type of tourism in the emblematic places that identify Nazi Germany, provides the opportunity to know the concentration camps where millions of Jews died not only from Germany, but from Poland, Holland, France, Italy and other European countries, as well as tour emblematic places that tell stories of families like the Franks, whose experiences in the concentration camps after having been hidden for almost four years in an existing annex in a factory, are reflected in the famous book “The Diary of Anne Frank”, that has been spread all over the world.
Therefore, visiting countries such as Germany and Poland and not going to the places where Hitler carried out his cruellest tortures, is like visiting Brazil and not going to the paradisiacal beaches he has, is to turn aside from that stage of history of humanity that we all must know, value and internalize what should not be repeated, to carry that message wherever we can, reinforcing the values of freedom, peace and love.
Evidently the cultural tourism that shows the reality produced by the Nazi Germany, offers the opportunity to enjoy through the cultural, historical, social and human exchange, leaving something more than recreation in the tourists, sensitizing them and making them part of an educational process without borders which seeks to leave traces and maintain significant events for the human being, based on the premise of “not forgetting” to dignify the memory of millions of innocent people.
Some of the places of interest that can be visited to understand the historical baggage derived from the atrocities of a war caused by demented characters like Hitler and his accomplices, invite tourists who love history and culture to visit countries such as Germany and Poland, Hawaii (United States), Normandy, among others.
Let’s start with Normandy, which played a fundamental role in the process of the Second World War, because one of the most significant and spectacular military landings of all times took place on its coasts. This event occurred on June 6, 1944, called the D-day, when soldiers from the United States, Canada and England disembarked on the beaches of Normandy, who were commanded by Dwight David Eisenhower, a war hero who courageously led this military manoeuvre, which put an end to the control of the Nazis in Western Europe.
Considering the importance of this historic event in such a brutal and savage war, which claimed the lives of millions of people not only in Europe, cultural tourism offers the opportunity to visit these beaches, which contain many elements of history, framed in a natural scenery of great beauty, where you can still see the remains of the trenches and several museums that show evidence of this human catastrophe as was the Second World War.
The tour guide’s stories describe in detail how the disembarkation was, which has been an inspiring motif of films, such as: Saving Soldier Ryan in 1998, which was directed by Steven Spielberg, with protagonists of the stature of Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore and Matt Damon, becoming throughout the time in the iconic film of this historic event.
They also stand out among the films that have taken this landing as the central theme the following: The longest day of 1962, the Challenge of the Eagles in 1968 and the Violent of Kelly in 1970 and starring the great actor Clint Eastwood.
Another place that has been taken to the giant screen, is “Pearl Harbour”, which is a US base located on the beautiful island of Hawaii, which is visited annually by millions of people, seeking in their natural settings, not only fun but culture and history.
This military base was the object of an unexpected attack by the Japanese army, where about 2,000 soldiers died, and it was the event that marked the entry of the United States to the Second World War and defined the course of that war.
This emblematic place is located within the geographical context of the island of Hawaii, and tourists take the opportunity to meet him and inquire about the facts in the military base that on December 7, 1941 was dressed in red with the death of thousands of young people Americans. It is worth noting that it can currently be visited, but it is necessary to adapt to the strict security measures that have been taken for obvious reasons, as it remains a naval base in the United States.
In addition, the tourist visits to this naval base guide visitors during walks through aircraft hangars, the harbour where the sunken ship case of the USS Arizona is located, and museums that contain a large number of objects from that time.
It should be noted that in 2001 the film “Pearl Harbour” was made, starring Ben Affleck, directed by Michael Bay and with a screenplay by Randall Walace. Through this 170-minute film, the story of Rafe McCawley (Ben Affleck) and Danny Walker (Josh Hartnett), who were two friends who grew up together in a rural area of the United States and joined the US Air Force together, is told.
A very mentioned city in the context of the Second World War is Krakow, because near there, in the town of Bikernau, is Auschwitz, one of the best known concentration camps, where more than one million people were exterminated mostly Jews, and who was released on January 27, 1945 by Russian troops.
In addition, in Krakow you can also visit the Oscar Schindler factory, the scene of thousands of tragic and very sad life stories, which were taken to the cinema through the film entitled “Schindler’s List” in 1993, by filmmaker Steven Spielberg and starring Niam Neeson, which reflects the details of the story of this man, who in the end put his humanity before power, and was able to save the lives of more than 1,000 Jewish workers, preventing them from being taken to the concentration camps.
This successful film won seven Oscars in 1994, and this projected enormously to the city of Krakow, where Spielberg selected the Jewish district Kazimierz to make the locations, because it had not changed since the 40s, since no one wanted to live there; but after the success of this film it has become a fashionable neighbourhood and tourists from all over the world visit it to know these locations.
Another place whose history was taken to the movies, is the “Bridge over the River Kwai”, which became famous because when Japan invaded Thailand in 1942, a railway was built connecting Burma with this country in order to carry supplies of all kinds on both sides. 61,000 war’s prisoners participated in this construction process in cruel conditions. It is said that two bridges were built, one of iron and the other of wood, which were totally destroyed during the war.
Another city in Poland that is full of history and significant events of the Second World War is Warsaw, in which there was an uprising that began on August 1, 1944, and was practically destroyed in its entirety by the attacks of the war process. In this city, you can visit the “Museum of the Warsaw Uprising”, where objects and evidence of what happened during this tragic period of history are shown. You can also visit the remains of the Warsaw Ghetto, where thousands of people died and which was totally burned after the Jewish uprising of 1943.
Without a doubt, visiting these places represent a tourist alternative of great interest, which leaves traces in the tourists who love knowledge and history, and who take with them a sobering experience that impels them to reflect and raise awareness about tragic events that have affected to humanity.
ALFA