Top 18 Dark Tourism Destinations In The World
Have you heard about the trend of dark tourism? It is huge and growing fast. Dark tourism is interesting because the destinations are exactly unexpected.
So, what is dark tourism?
It is a recent trend of tourism in which people are visiting places associated with death, fear and suffering such as war memorials, natural disaster sites and similar other places instead of cute, lovely and heartwarming destinations.
In short words, the dark tourism destinations remind of death. They have historical significance and they are important to understand the steps that have brought us to today’s world.
UNDERSTANDING THE DARK SIDES OF HISTORY MAY HELP US BUILD A BETTER WORLD.
In this post, we have prepared a list of best dark tourism destinations in the world. And this is probably our least ‘best’ list in a sense.
1) Aokigahara Suicide Forest, Japan
Aokigahara is a forest, which is one of the most popular suicide destinations in the world. It is a thick forest with twisted trees, hundreds of caves and uneven ground, which makes it naturally fearful. What makes it scarier is the silence. You can even hear your breath in the Suicide Forest of Japan.
2) Chernobyl, Ukraine
Known for the nuclear disaster that happened on 27 April 1986, Chernobyl is a ghost town now. Thousands of people died there. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says, “Chernobyl is a unique place on the planet where nature revives after a global man-made disaster, where there is a real “ghost town”. We have to show this place to the world: scientists, ecologists, historians, tourists.”
3) Belchite, Spain
Belchite is historically important because it was on the front during the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939. Both the Nationalist army and the Republican army had a chance to control the town. After the war, the town was totally ruined and you could smell the corpses all around.
4) Fukushima, Japan
An earthquake resulted in a tsunami, which brought a nuclear disaster in Tomioka in Fukushima. After the nuclear plant melted down, more than 15,000 residents had no choice but fled the town. The majority never returned and the town gained a disturbing sight of loneliness.
5) Auschwitz Concentration Camps, Poland
Auschwitz was the largest Nazi concentration and death camp. Auschwitz Concentration Camps had more than 40 camps operated by Nazi Germany during World War II and the Holocaust and have become one of the most embarrassing and important places in Europe’s history. At least 1 million Jews were killed in Auschwitz and 196 prisoners managed to escape from the camp. And it turned into a museum in 1947.
6) Leap Castle, Ireland
One of the most haunted destinations for dark tourism in Ireland is Leap Castle. The castle was built in the 13th century and has had a murderous history. According to the website of the castle, “Leap Castle is home to many fascinating and sometimes horrific spirits.”
7) Sedlec Ossuary, Chechia
This building is a small Roman Catholic chapel. Sedlec Ossuary’s architecture is totally creepy and fascinating with around 50,000 skeletons used for its interior decoration. The unique style started with the creative idea of local woodworker František Rint, who used bones to decorate the chapel in the 1970s for the first time.
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