Dark Travel in Eastern Europe

Posted by Amanda Kendle Jan 13, 2007

Last year we talked about traveling that isn't fun - visiting places like the concentration camps at Auschwitz and Birkenau to witness the very places where terrible tragedies occurred. The term "dark tourism" was coined about 10 years ago, and refers to travel like this; or, as the experts describe this travel trend, "tourism to sites associated with death, disaster and depravity".

Lonely Planet Bluelist's "Dark-O-Meter" gives a ranking of how "dark" you are in your traveling thoughts. With 5 levels starting at Opaque (you visit museums that include exhibitions about people who died), ranging through to a middle level of Die-Hard Dark (you visit memorials and interment sites), the last two levels are the most interesting:

"PITCH BLACK – you visit actual sites of death, but a respectful amount of time after it has happened – places like Auschwitz and the Killing Fields. This is the darkest level that is acceptable.

"TOO DARK – some people travel to watch death – public hangings, whippings and executions. Likewise, some people travel to sites that still haven't recovered from catastrophe and are not yet ready for travellers. Neither of these have any justification." (Lonely Planet Bluelist 2007)

It seems like I fit the "pitch black" definition, but never in a million years would I belong to "too darK". My experience at Auschwitz is not something I'd want to repeat in a hurry, but I'm very glad I did it, to have a better understanding of the Holocaust - a much deeper understanding than what I had just from school history lessons, reading books and watching films. But too dark? - no way. Definitely no public hangings for me.