Once a site of political imprisonment and human suffering, this haunting location has become a dark tourism destination, attracting visitors prepared to take the trek into the remote Albanian countryside to see the site firsthand.

Today, I will delve into the history of SPAÇ Prison, explore what visitors can expect to see, discuss access and costs, and other important information about getting there.

Let’s take a look…

Location and History of SPAÇ Prison

SPAÇ Prison is situated in the village of Spac, approximately 80 kilometers northeast of Albania’s capital, Tirana.

The prison was constructed in 1968 during the communist regime led by Enver Hoxha.

The regime sought to suppress dissent, eliminate opposition, and consolidate its power through political imprisonment.

SPAÇ Prison was specifically designed to incarcerate individuals considered threats to the regime’s ideology, including political dissidents, intellectuals, and activists.

• Related Content: Tomsk Memorial Museum – Former NKVD Prison

Harsh Conditions and Human Rights Abuses

The prison was notorious for its harsh conditions and the systematic abuse inflicted upon its inmates. Political prisoners were subjected to physical and psychological torture, forced labor, and inadequate living conditions.

The regime used SPAÇ Prison as a tool to instill fear and discourage dissent among the population.

Political Prisoners and Dissidents

SPAÇ Prison housed a diverse range of inmates, including politicians, journalists, students, and artists who opposed the regime or were deemed a threat to its ideology.

Many of these individuals were arrested based on their political beliefs or activities, without fair trials or due process.

Resistance and Solidarity

Despite the oppressive conditions, political prisoners in SPAÇ Prison demonstrated remarkable resilience and resilience.

They organized secret resistance networks, engaged in acts of defiance, and supported each other through solidarity.

This spirit of resistance played a crucial role in preserving their humanity and advocating for change.

Fall of the Regime and Closing of SPAÇ Prison

In 1990, Albania experienced a period of political change, marked by protests and demands for democratic reforms.

The fall of the communist regime led to the liberation of political prisoners and the eventual closure of SPAÇ Prison.

The prison stands today as a stark reminder of the oppressive regime that ruled Albania for decades.

• Related Content: KGB Cells Museum – Tartu, Estonia

Haunting Remnants and Visitor Experience

Today, Spac prison stands in ruin. Back in 2013, plans were drafted to convert the site into a museum, as yet this has not been realized.

Because of this, the prison is more of an exploration experience where individuals gain access at their own risk.

That being said it is possible to join an organized tour or hire a local guide.

Several tour operators in Albania offer unofficial guided visits to SPAÇ Prison, providing insight into its history and the stories of former prisoners.

As for costs, the prices may vary depending on the tour operator and the duration of the visit.

Typically, a guided tour of SPAÇ Prison ranges from €10 to €20 per person.

Getting to Spac Prison

Reaching Spaç prison isn’t easy, any visitors attempting to gain access need to be prepared for rough terrain and harsh, and in the summer, hot conditions.

That being said, public transport will get you into the vicinity of the prison, although hiring a car or joining a tour would be easier.

Getting There from Tirana

The closest major city to SPAÇ Prison is Tirana, the capital of Albania. To reach SPAÇ Prison from Tirana, you have several transportation options:

• By Car: The most convenient way to get to SPAÇ Prison is by car. From Tirana, take the SH1 highway northeast toward Bulqizë. After approximately 80 kilometers, you will reach the village of Spac, where the prison is located. Parking facilities are available near the site.
• By Public Transportation: While public transportation options to SPAÇ Prison are limited, you can take a bus or minibus from Tirana to Bulqizë. From Bulqizë, taxis or private drivers can be hired to take you the remaining distance to SPAÇ Prison.

Precautions and Etiquette

When visiting SPAÇ Prison, it is essential to approach the site with respect and sensitivity due to its dark history. Here are a few guidelines to keep in mind:

• Follow the instructions of your guide and respect any restricted areas.
• Take only photographs and leave only footprints
• Avoid inappropriate behavior and refrain from making excessive noise.
• Keep in mind that SPAÇ Prison holds great significance for many Albanians, so it’s essential to show understanding and empathy while exploring the site.

Cultural Heritage Without Borders –  3D images of Spac Prison

In recent years, SPAÇ Prison has witnessed significant developments aimed at preserving its historical significance and making it accessible to a wider audience.

One notable initiative is the collaboration between Cultural Heritage Without Borders (CHwB) and a team from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) to capture 3D images of the site and create a digital reconstruction of the prison.

The partnership between CHwB and WPI has been instrumental in documenting and preserving the architectural and historical details of SPAÇ Prison.

Through advanced imaging techniques and 3D scanning technology, the team was able to capture the intricate features of the prison complex, including cell blocks, corridors, and other areas of interest.

The creation of a freely accessible digital reconstruction of SPAÇ Prison online has opened up new possibilities for engagement and education.

By utilizing virtual reality and interactive elements, visitors can explore the prison virtually and gain a realistic sense of its layout and conditions.

This digital reconstruction provides a unique opportunity for individuals who may not be able to physically visit the site to still experience and learn about its history.

The accessibility of digital reconstruction aligns with the broader goals of preserving cultural heritage and promoting historical awareness.

It allows researchers, historians, students, and the general public to access a wealth of information about SPAÇ Prison, its significance, and the stories of those who were imprisoned there.

The digital reconstruction serves as a valuable resource for academic studies, exhibitions, and public awareness campaigns related to the prison’s dark past.

Moreover, the availability of digital reconstruction fosters dialogue and encourages a broader understanding of Albania’s history.

It enables discussions about human rights, political oppression, and the importance of safeguarding freedom in societies worldwide.

By combining technology and cultural preservation, the collaboration between CHwB and WPI has breathed new life into SPAÇ Prison’s historical narrative.

The freely accessible digital reconstruction ensures that the memory of the prison and its significance endure, reaching a global audience and further solidifying its status as a significant dark tourism destination.

• Related Content: House of Terror Museum – Nazi & Communist Crimes in Budapest

Here, German citizens tagged as mentally or physically unfit were killed using poison gas.

The program began as a form of involuntary euthanasia. A section of the law that allowed for the painless killing of incurably ill patients.

However, once in power, the Third Reich stretched the concept to include Jews, homosexuals, Communists, and other “undesirables”.

Records show that the Nazi administrators calculated how much money could be saved by killing those in society deemed unfit to contribute. In death, these people would no longer be a burden on state resources.

Concentration camp inmates unable to work were also executed within the castle walls.

As a precursor to the arrival of the “Final Solution”, many of the head doctors at Hartheim honed their trade at the castle, before perfecting their efficiency for mass killing inside the death camps.

History of Hartheim Castle

The present Hartheim castle in the municipality of Alkoven, near Linz, Austria, was built at the end of the 16th century. However, the remains of a previous construction on the site date from as early as the ninth century.

By the end of the 18th century, (1793) Princes of Starhemberg resided in Hartheim. It remained in the family line for over 100 years before being donated to the Landes wohltätigkeitsverein in Oberösterreich, in 1898.

From then, until the Nazis took over, it was a home for the physically and mentally handicapped.

Nazi killing Facility

Confiscated by the Nazis towards the end of 1939 the castle was quickly converted into an Action T4 euthanasia center, complete with a gas chamber and two crematoria.

The systematic murder of mentally ill patients took place immediately. The initial subjects were the original hospital residents.
Soon more and more undesirables were being shipped in.

Staff quarters were located on the upper floors, executions took place within the gas chamber on the ground floor.

Located next to the main courtyard, the chamber was disguised as a shower room. Upon arrival at the facility, victims were rounded up and escorted inside. With a capacity of 150 persons, it was an efficient method of disposal.

Victims entered the castle via a wooden annex on the western side. This was done so that current prisoners awaiting their fate did not see the arrival of them.

During the first month of operation in May 1940, 633 patients were gassed. The speed of the killing would rise exponentially as time went on, however.

To keep up with the demand for new arrivals, four large grey buses run by the Gekrat organization were used to ship the victims to the castle. The source of humans came from the local community and nearby concentration camps.

After each gassing, the chamber was opened up and staff would extract gold teeth from the corpses. The bodies were then loaded into the two large crematoria.

If any bones were evident in the ashes following cremation a bone mill was used to pulverize them into dust.

Once a week a lorry left the castle and dumped the ashes in the river Donau.

• Related Content: Visiting Wolf’s Lair – Hitler’s Bunker Complex, Poland

Crimes not Unnoticed

Despite the Nazi’s efforts to keep events inside Hartheim a secret, the population close to the castle was aware that something sinister was taking place.

Smoke billowed from the castle within hours of a new busload of arrivals.

On days the breeze carried the acrid smog above the town of Hartheim, the stench of burnt flesh and hair filled the air, causing local residents to be physically sick.

And then there was the undeniable fact that busloads of people were arriving at the castle with very few ever leaving.

Rumors persisted. When pressed about the situation at Hartheim, the authorities stated that the burning was caused by contaminated oil.

Before long threats were issued against anyone speaking out. The Nazis were starting their journey along a path that would eventually lead to the wider death of some 6 million jews.

Number of Victims

The number of deaths at Hartheim has become a mere footnote when compared to the overall death toll that followed as a result of Nazi genocide attempts.

However, the numbers are still significant by any measure of the inhumane.

It is difficult to ascertain definitive figures as the staff at Hattheim destroyed almost all records after the site was abandoned.

That being said, by August 1941 it is believed the death toll could have been as high as 18,000.

A concerted push to deliver victims to the castle during the Sonderbehandlung 14f13 operation may have added a further 12,000 murders to the toll.

What is known is that Hartheim was the worst of the six T4 centers in terms of killing rates, with at least 30,000 souls ushered through the entrance, never to be seen again.

The last gassing at Hartheim took place on 11 December 1944. Soon after, inmates of the nearby Mauthausen concentration camp were brought in to dismantle and remove the gassing installations and crematoria.

Investigations after the war

Investigations into the former gassing facility at Hartheim took place in the immediate aftermath of WWII.

American investigating officer Charles Dameron discovered damning evidence after breaking into a steel safe.

Inside was a 39-page document with information on the Nazi euthanasia program, intended for internal purposes only.

It contained monthly statistics of the gassing of patients (labeled “disinfection”) taking place in the six T4 euthanasia facilities.

Also inside were calculations on the cost-saving implications of large scale disinfection. By murdering 70,273 people with a life expectancy of 10 years or less, the Reich could save food in the value of 141,775,573.80 Reichsmarks.

Hartheim Castle as a Memorial

After the war, US occupation authorities gave the castle back to the original owners and it became a facility to house refugees.

By 1960, a small memorial was built at the site, with plaques inside the courtyard.

Curiously, it wasn’t until the 1990s that a memorial befitting the level of atrocity that took place at Hartheim was commissioned. The government agreed to finance a dedicated exhibition and memorial center.

These were first opened to the public in 2003. Named, “Lern- und Gedenkort” (learning and remembrance), Hartheim is now an appropriate place of commemoration while providing information surrounding this dark chapter of German history.

Where is Hartheim Castle?

• Address: Schloßstraße 1, 4072 Alkoven, Austria
• Phone: +43 7274 6536546
• Website

Visiting Hartheim Castle Today

Entering the castle takes you through the courtyard where you will find memorial plaques commemorating victims of the Mauthausen and Dachau concentration camps.

Beyond this is a meditation room before you reach the main rooms that housed the gas chamber installation.

This area is obviously the main part of the exhibition. However, it makes sense to leave this for last. Entering the former chamber after learning about the history provided by the rest of the exhibition is recommended.

The expected order of viewing encourages you to enter the castle on the left side of the courtyard.

Inside here you will find a memorial installation located on the spot the arrival shed used to stand. Beyond this, you enter the first exhibition room.

In this part of the castle (consisting of three rooms), Hartheim’s role in the Nazi T4 program is the point of focus. It covers the backgrounds of the perpetrators, and homage is made to the known victims.

Photos and text make up the bulk of the exhibition with a few artifacts on display that were used while the castle was a killing facility, (asbestos gloves from the crematorium for example).

Personal effects belonging to some of the victims were found recently in the gardens and these are also on display.

Some information is displayed via audio/visual means. There is also an interactive computer station with copies of documents about the victims.

A lot of this is in German making it difficult for tourists to garner all the info put forward. There is enough in English to get the overall point, however.

• Related Content: Castle of Wewelsburg – Heinrich Himmler’s Nazi Camelot

The former gas chamber

The rooms where the mass killings took place are extremely chilling, in the mere knowledge of what went on.

An elevated walkway leads you through these rooms which helps highlight the fact the floors are from the original chamber. Thousands of corpses once laid there.

The first “admission room” is where victims were made to undress and were photographed for the Nazi files. The second room is the main gas chamber.

Here is a simple glass display, bearing all the names of the known victims. In small, dense text thousands of names are listed. It is a harrowing indication as to the extent of the killing.

The exhibition also takes you through the rooms that housed the morgue and crematorium, (all equipment has long since been removed).

Empty, except for a single red candle and a bouquet of flowers, it is impossible not to be moved.

Wert des Lebens / Value of Life

On the first floor of the castle (in the former staff quarters) is another exhibition entitled Wert des Lebens.

This covers subjects such as eugenics in the early 20th century, modern ethical issues concerning biosciences and genetics, and changing attitudes towards and treatment of disabled people.

At the time of writing, however, there are no English translations in this area of the castle.

Featured Image: Liberaler Humanist, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Visiting the Scene of Rasputin’s Murder – Yusupov Palace, St. Petersburg

June 18, 2020August 31, 2020

Dodengang (The Trench of Death) – Travels in Diksmuide

November 14, 2019September 22, 2020

Travels Along the Road of Bones: Kolyma Highway, Russia

July 2, 2020September 10, 2020

Roopkund Skeleton Lake [Dark Tourism in India]

February 15, 2020August 31, 2020

Follow us on Instagram!

The focus is on the atrocities that took place in the early 20th century. Over 1.5 million Armenians were killed by the Turkish government in a region of what was then the Ottoman Empire.

It was ultimately an act of genocide that lead to the creation of the Republic of Armenia.

One cannot help be moved by Tsitsernakaberd, with its large memorial garden and wall, eternal flame, and stone columns symbolizing the “Reborn Armenia”.

It poignantly commemorates the innocent people that were systematically massacred by the Turks and has since become a place of pilgrimage for Armenians from all over the world.

History of Tsitsernakaberd

The memorial sits on a hill along the Hrazdan River. The name Tsitsernakaberd actually comes from the local term “swallow’s fortress”, for which the hills were known.

Interestingly, the idea for a genocide monument has its origins during the time Armenia was part of the Soviet Union. This was a period when the USSR generally forbade overt acknowledgment of any history outside of its own communist doctrine.

However, after Hakob Zarobian was designated First Secretary of the Communist Party of Armenia in 1962, he began fighting the cause with Moscow for a memorial effort of some kind.

A series of proposals to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the genocide were put forward.

The aim was for the Soviet authorities to officially recognize the atrocities as genocide, with the memorial erected to symbolize the rebirth of the Armenian people.

Typical bureaucratic stalling took place over a period of nearly 3 years.

It wasn’t until the people of Yerevan took to the streets in 1965 (a hundred thousand people were said to have demonstrated) to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Genocide, that a definitive motion on a memorial finally took place.

In response, The Council of Ministers of Soviet Armenia adopted a resolution to “Building a Monument to Perpetuate the Memory of the Victims of the Yeghern of 1915.”

Designed by architects Arthur Tarkhanyan, and Sashur Kalashyan construction of the monument began in 1966. It was finally opened to the public a year later.

• Related Content: Museum of Tolerance – Los Angeles (A Complete Guide)

Where is Tsitsernakaberd?

• Address: 8, 8 Ծիծեռնակաբերդի խճուղի, Yerevan 0028, Armenia
• Website

Visiting Tsitsernakaberd Today

When you arrive at Tsitsernakaberd you will first see an open-air plaza and memorial wall stating the names of the Armenian villages where the genocide took place. (On the rear side of the wall you will also find plates honoring the names of those that helped the survivors of the genocide).

In the center of the plaza is a 44m granite stele. This was constructed to symbolize Armenia’s rebirth from genocide.

Behind this are twelve stelae slabs arranged in a circle. These are designed to represent the twelve lost provinces that would have existed in present-day Turkey.

The eternal flame sits in the center of this circle. This is submerged into the earth at a depth of 1.5 meters, a number chosen to commemorate the 1.5 million people killed during the Armenian Genocide.

This is the focus point of the memorial and is where tributes are laid. No matter when in the year you visit, you will see commemorative items placed at the foot of the eternal flame.

Under the complex is the Armenian Genocide Museum. Opened in 1995, the museum contains artifacts and historical documents that educate visitors to the barbaric nature of the slaughter, and the lengths the Turkish authorities went to in their attempts to eradicate the Armenians. It is not for the faint-hearted.

The museum has hosted a great number of visitors over the years. Government protocol ensures that official delegations arriving in Armenia are escorted around the museum. This means important foreign dignitaries from around the world have experienced it.

For the traveler, guided tours in Armenian, Russian, English, and French are available.

• Related Content: Bubanj Memorial Park, Niš, Serbia – WW2 Mass Execution Site

Good to know

Every year on 24 April, thousands of Armenians gather at the memorial for Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.

Fresh flowers are laid to commemorate those who died in the Armenian genocide. Politicians, artists, and local celebrities are all in attendance, along with members of the public.

Due to the atrocities taking place well over 100 years ago now, there are no living survivors of the genocide today.

Featured Image: User:Matthias Süßen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Port Royal – Sunken Pirate City, Jamaica

August 29, 2020September 28, 2020

Reggane and In Ekker – French Nuclear Test Sites, Algeria

September 16, 2020

Plokstine Missile Base – Dark Tourism In Lithuania

July 10, 2020August 31, 2020

Visiting Memento Park, Budapest – A Communist Statue Graveyard

June 16, 2020August 31, 2020

Follow us on Instagram!

Known as the Kala Pani (Black Water in Hindi), Indian freedom fighters were sent there in huge numbers throughout the early 20th century.

The supposedly “civilized” British officers were anything but when it came to the treatment of the inmates. Conditions were harsh and unrelenting, and from their very arrival, prisoners on Andaman were made to suffer.

Cellular jail existed as a message to political dissidents throughout British ruled India, it was time to fall in line.

History of Cellular Jail

Cellular jail is situated in Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Britain seized these remote Islands with the full intention of building a penal colony there. Far from the Indian mainland, it was an ideal place to send rebels stirring trouble for the ruling Raj.

The first such colony was Viper Island, west of Port Blair. After the attempted “Mutiny of 1857” (known in India as the “First War of Independence”), freedom fighters were captured and incarcerated on Viper.

However, as the fight for India’s independence gained traction, the colony proved too small. There were just too many rebels being captured.

The larger replacement became Cellular Jail, with construction taking place between 1896 and 1906.

Conditions in the Jail

The plan was to ensure that rebels spent the rest of their lives in the penal colony. Isolated from their homes and loved ones, they could not influence revolt from their dank prison cells in Port Blair.

Being sent there was the highest form of punishment. Not only was the emotional distance meant to break the inmates, but physical punishments and torture were also commonplace too.

In its working form, the prison consisted of seven three-story cell block wings. These all radiated out from a central guard station, (imagine the spokes of a wheel with the spindle being the lookout tower).

The colony also had an administrative block, gatehouses, and a building to house the gallows.

The prison block had a total of 693 cells; all of which were built so that inmate life was near-constant solitary confinement. There were no proper windows. Ventilation came via a small grill high up on the cell wall.

To ensure prisoners could not see each other while in their cells, the blocks were arranged so that the cell door of one would face the rear wall of another.

Inspiration for the inhumane design came from the French penal colony on Devil’s Island, in French Guyana. The British admired it greatly.

Forced Labor and physical torture

When prisoners did see each other it was while chained together and shackled. The British used the inmates for nearby construction projects as well as the oil mills.

The latter involved the prisoners grinding coconuts by pulling a heavy frame around in a circle, a job done by horses or buffaloes in other parts of the world.

Anyone that failed to toe the line was severely beaten. Plain torture for the entertainment of the officers was also part of the MO. There were also stories of prisoners being subjected to medical experiments.

Many unfortunate souls that ended up in Celluar Jail never experienced freedom again, they died from diseases, exhaustion, or at the hands of their captors.

The closure of cellular jail

After WW1 (which saw tens of thousands of Indians die while fighting for the British) the Andaman penal colony fell out of favor with the ruling establishment.

The harsh conditions were relaxed and by 1922, deportations to the Andamans were suspended.

However, the colony remained open and with further Indian independence uprisings taking place in the 1930s, the prison was once again the location for captured rebels.

This didn’t last long. Significant pressure to end the brutal regime at Port Blair meant that by the end of the decade the repatriation of prisoners had begun. In 1939 cellular jail was finally empty.

Cellular Jail Today

After decades of abandonment (with some parts of the jail demolished to make space for a new hospital on the grounds), cellular jail was turned into a national monument in recognition of the martyrdom of its inmates.

This only happened because of an organization set up by former inmates, called the “Ex-Andaman Political Prisoner’s Fraternity Circle”.

They petitioned the government to acknowledge the prison as a memorial. They also ensured that no significant changes were made to the building.

As a result of their efforts, the Prime Minister of India dedicated the prison to the nation on 11th February 1979.

The three remaining cell blocks have been open as a museum to visitors ever since.

Where is cellular jail?

• Address: Atlanta Point, Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands 744104

Visiting Cellular Jail

The preserved cell blocks are the main cultural heritage sight on the Andaman Islands and are a must-see for anyone visiting Port Blair.

It houses exhibitions covering the stories and struggles of the freedom and political fighters during India’s fight for independence, as well as the treatment of inmates within the prison.

The prison also houses a library on the first floor, with books related to the freedom movement. A gallery is located here too.

Facsimiles of original British documents describing policy within the prison are also on display. (As an Englishman, these are a little difficult to read in terms of how the establishment clearly saw the inmates as less than human).

Other areas of the former prison house items that once belonged to prisoners, (clothes, shoes, etc).

I especially liked the large scale model of the prison showing its form with all 7 blocks in place.

Once outside you have the option of heading to the gallows building or exploring the remaining cell blocks.

Looking into the empty cells is a disconcerting experience. One can only imagine the horrible existence it must have been to live within these walls.

You can also climb to the top of the central watchtower, and see the colony from a guard’s perspective.

Apart from the excellent vantage point to watch the prisoners, they also had a fantastic view.

Here you can see the hospital that replaced some of the former blocks, as well as the vista across the strait. A sight that includes Ross Island as well as the glistening Indian ocean.

The gallows is clearly the most macabre stop on the tour. Passing through a doorway you reach a small wooden hut. Inside this, three nooses hang from the ceiling with trap doors below. Executions were so regular, they could conduct 3 at a time. Make of that what you will.

Back in the sunshine of the courtyard and you will see a sculpture of a convict tied to a flogging frame, along with other “artworks” of dummies in shackles and chains, and depictions of forced labor at the coconut mills.

Throughout the year, various other exhibitions are held in the vacant areas of the site.

In the evenings it is also the setting of a Sound & Light Show. Again, the subject matter is obviously the prison and the plight of those that were held there. However, should you have the time, it is worth experiencing the setting at night with the audiovisual element included.

Featured Image: Vidit Goyal, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

John Lennon’s Murder: Dark Tourism New York

November 4, 2019August 31, 2020

Visiting the Sri Lanka Tsunami Train Wreck

July 28, 2020August 31, 2020

Balaklava Submarine Base, Crimea’s Secret Soviet Sub Complex

March 13, 2020August 31, 2020

Darvaza Gas Crater, A Raging Inferno For Nearly 50 Years [Dark Tourism in Central Asia]

October 29, 2019August 31, 2020

Follow us on Instagram!

The 1st-century fortress at Masada was the location of one of the deadliest mass suicides in the history of the middle east. It was also the most dramatic revolt of the Jewish-Roman wars.

At the turn of the first millennia, a group of Jews stormed the Roman garrison at Masada and managed to take control. Defending the fortress against the Romans, they ended up living there with their families for 3 years.

However, in the year 73, the Romans retaliated with the means to succeed. Knowing they didn’t stand a chance against the mighty force, the Jews drew lots to decide the order of their own self-sacrifice.

They determined who would kill who until the last ones standing had no choice but to kill themselves.

When the Romans finally entered the fortress they were met with the site of over 1,000 dead, men, women, and children.

Today, Masada has been restored to a similar condition it would have been 2000 years ago. It is a hugely popular (dark) tourist destination in Israel.

History of the Masada, Israel

Built in the Roman style by Herod, the king of Judea, the imposing fortress sits 1,500 feet above the Dead Sea on one side, with the Judean desert stretching out from the other.

In essence, nature provided the most efficient fortifications. Masada was once extremely difficult to get to, making it very easy to defend.

The purpose of the fortress was to be the king’s refuge. A private palace was constructed within the safety of its confines.

There were also administrative centers for the court, storehouses to ensure enough supplies during any potential siege, and a well-equipped armory.

After Herod’s death, the fortress became less important. Almost an empty residence, it was not very well guarded. The Jews were able to take control with ease.

Jewish Zealots fleeing from trouble in Jerusalem were involved too. For the next 3 years, they lived there trouble-free. Masada was not a priority to the Romans.

Little is known why the Roman army suddenly took a vested interest. Maybe the Romans had just been biding their time. When they attacked, they did with considerable force.

The Romans built a ramp around the walls and used battering rams until a hole was created.

With no means of escape, the Jews decided to kill each other rather than be captured. The Siege of Masada was one of the final events in the first Jewish-Roman war.

After the Romans

After the fall of the Roman empire, the fortress was briefly used by Byzantine monks. After this, the magnificent edifice remained untouched for more than 13 centuries.

Nature took over and all signs of human habitation disappeared.

It wasn’t until the 1800s that humanity began to rediscover the secrets of Masada. Excavations took place, and the history of the siege gained more widespread attention.

So much so, the site is now a poignant symbol of the Jewish plight against oppression, with the words “Masada shall not fall again,” being a mantra for all those that serve to protect the Jewish state of Israel.

Where is Masada?

Visiting Masada today

Visiting Masada today is a treat. The site has been very carefully restored in recent years. This includes Herod’s private palace, which is built on three overhanging rock terraces with magnificent views of the gorge below.

This area also has bathhouses with preserved Roman mosaics and murals, as well as a synagogue.

For history lovers, there are also the remains of Roman siege camps located outside the fortress.

Other areas of the site include the mikveh (a Jewish ritual bath), original storerooms, and watchtowers.

As you walk around Masada, various artifacts that have been excavated in recent years are on display. They help bring history to life and include decorated pottery, Roman scrolls, and coins.

In some areas of the ruins, beautiful embossments and murals were discovered. These have since been restored by Italian experts in order to maintain their authenticity.

How to get there

There are a few ways to reach the top of Masada. One of the most enjoyable is the cable car that takes you from the tourist center at the bottom of the mountain, right to the base of the site.

The “Snake Path” is a more ambitious method of ascent, and timing your hike to watch the sunrise over the Dead-Sea is highly recommended.

Another way for seasoned hikers only is to climb the mountain on the ancient “Runners” path. From here you can visit Masada, then walk down again via Elazar Mountain.

This will take an entire day, however along the route you will come across the ruins of several Roman siege camps. You’ll also get some of the best available views of Masada.

However, none of the hikes should really be attempted in peak summer when the Israeli sunshine is at its hottest.

Opening Times

The Fortress museum is open during the following times:

• April to September: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
• October to March: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm

On Fridays and the days before public holidays, the site closes one hour earlier than listed above.

The cable car operates during the following times:

• Sat. to Thurs: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm.
• Friday and holiday eves: 8:00 am – 2:00 pm
• Yom Kippur Eve: 8:00 am – 12:00 pm.

The Snake Path is open an hour before sunrise. In summer it will close for the ascent at 09:00 with the descent closing at 10:00. (On extremely hot days, those times are 08:00, and 09:00 respectively).

Featured Image: Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia

Museum of Tolerance – Los Angeles (A Complete Guide)

August 6, 2020October 21, 2020

Red Terror Memorial Museum – Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

July 7, 2020August 31, 2020

A Trip Along the Alpine Wall – Italy’s WW2 Fortifications

May 14, 2020August 31, 2020

Balaklava Submarine Base, Crimea’s Secret Soviet Sub Complex

March 13, 2020August 31, 2020

Follow us on Instagram!

Operating covertly from inside Estonia, the infamous Soviet secret police force demonstrated their innate ability for brutality and terror, against citizens accused of political subversiveness.

Any unfortunate local suspected of such a “crime” was more often than not sent off to the gulag.

However, their fate would first be sealed in the subterranean cellar of Tartu’s “Grey House”. Used as a holding cell, torture and interrogation would take place to ascertain the full nature of the misdemeanor and whoever else might be involved.

Information extracted, summary executions could follow.

Those that escaped that would fair only marginally better, in the form of a prolonged death sentence inside a Siberian work camp.

Today, the KGB Cells Museum functions out of the very same location. A dark but fitting tribute to the atrocities that once took place against innocent Estonian peoples.

• Related Content: KGB Museum Riga [Dark Tourism in Latvia]

History of the Tartu KGB Cells

One of the most chilling aspects of the “grey house” was how the exterior was designed to look completely ordinary so that it didn’t raise any suspicions

Built in 1938 and was taken over by the NKVD (later renamed to the KGB) just 2 years later, the Soviets made very few alterations to the building.

The upper floors were used as office space for what looked like a drab, nondescript government department, (but was in fact the secret police); the cellar was used for the trial, torture, and execution.

Fitting in seamlessly with other such buildings on the street, locals had no incline of what was taking place under their very noses.

The darkest, busiest period of the KGB in the grey house was throughout the 1950s. Thousands of innocent Estonians passed through its doors, with many never seeing their family or friends again.

The brutality eased during the latter stages of Soviet rule, however, the KGB still ran an office there right up until the end of the USSR.

In 1991 the building was returned to the descendants of its original Estonian owners (can you imagine occupying such a place with the knowledge of the murders that took place there?).

10 years later in 2001, the basement was opened as a museum and memorial.

• Related Content: KGB Cells Museum – Tartu, Estonia

Where is the Tartu KGB Cells Museum?

• Address: Riia 15b, 51010 Tartu, Estonia
• Phone: +372 746 1717
• Website

Visiting Tartu KGB Cells Today

The basement cells have been restored to demonstrate the original conditions for the prisoners. Visitors can walk inside and imagine the terror of being held against your will for a crime you very often didn’t do.

Some cells display information about the Estonian resistance to their Soviet overlords. One such band was a secret society called the “forest brothers” who acted against the communist rule in any way they could covertly get away with.

The punishment chambers have also been restored. These were used to force prisoners into excruciating positions where they would be held for days without being able to sit or lay down.

Artifacts made by Estonian prisoners sent to the Gulags are on display, along with fliers that were once distributed by the anti-Communist resistance.

• Related Content: Hotel Viru – KGB Museum Tallinn [Dark Tourism in Estonia]

There are also a number of exhibits with details of the KGB, including plans that were prepared for the mass deportation of Estonia’s educated classes (politicians, skilled workers, clergy, educators, farmers entrepreneurs, and managers).

The aim was to render the country defenseless against the occupying power. Total subjugation was the goal.

The museum also contains photos and documents illustrating Estonia’s history under communist oppression.

In keeping with the way the basement was during the time of the KGB, the museum is one of the few sites in Estonia that reflects its dark purpose during Soviet occupation.

• Related Content: Spac Prison: Albania’s Dark Tourism Destination Reveals a Haunting History

Featured Image: Flickr/Adam Jones

Dargavs Village – Inside the City of the Dead

December 16, 2019August 31, 2020

House of Terror Museum – Nazi & Communist Crimes in Budapest

June 30, 2020August 31, 2020

A Tour to Pyramiden: Soviet Ghost Town in Svalbard

February 18, 2020September 10, 2020

A Trip Along the Alpine Wall – Italy’s WW2 Fortifications

May 14, 2020August 31, 2020

Follow us on Instagram!

Not only is the island home to the worst loss of life in New York’s history until Bin Laden’s terrorists attacked the twin towers, but it has also been the chosen location to treat typhoid sufferers, tuberculosis victims, and house WWII veterans, and drug addicts.

Now, the entire island sits abandoned. The once-grand Victorian buildings are in ruins, choked by the undergrowth that now commands the land.

Entering is by authorization of the Parks Authority; only dark tourists with a good reason can set foot on the island legally.

History of North Brother Island

The island was uninhabited until 1885. At this point, the city purchased the island so they could relocate the old Riverside Hospital on Roosevelt Island, to a brand new building on North Brother Island.

The hospital was designed for the unfortunate souls suffering from contagious diseases. Closed off to the mainland, patients were victims of diseases such as typhus, tuberculosis, yellow fever, and smallpox.

“Typhoid Mary” Mallon

The most famous resident at the hospital was one “Typhoid Mary” Mallon. She was the first documented asymptomatic carrier in the U.S of the bacteria that causes typhoid fever.

Mallon was quarantined at Riverside Hospital in 1907 after seven households where she had worked as a cook had typhoid fever outbreaks.

Doctors at the hospital concluded that Mallon carried the bacteria, despite having no typhoid symptoms.

After 3 years of quarantine she was released in 1910, and told not to go back to being a cook; advice she duly ignored.

Before long there were typhoid fever outbreaks wherever she took up residence. By 1915 she was back at North Brother Island, where she ended up spending the rest of her days in strict quarantine. She died at the hospital from pneumonia in 1938.

• Related Content: Poveglia Island – Former Plague Station in the Venetian Lagoon

General Slocum

A few years before Mary first stepped ashore, the island hit the headlines due to the tragic loss of life involved in a boating disaster.

On June 15, 1904, a steamship called General Slocum burst into flames and sank in the East River beside North Brother Island.

Many of the hospital staff assisted in the rescue, jumping into the waters to drag some of the 321 survivors to safety.

1,021 passengers died, however, their bodies washed up onto the shore of the island for days afterward.

New York would not experience a larger loss of life from one incident until 2001.

North Brother Island after WWII

During WWII a tuberculosis facility was opened on the island. However, within a handful of years the widespread use of the tuberculosis vaccine after 1945, meant that the center was deemed obsolete.

Repurposed as residential relief for WWII veterans and their families, the island attempted to assist in Manhatten’s increasingly dire housing situation by accommodating those returning from the now silent battlefields of Europe.

Once the housing shortage was no longer a problem, the island was abandoned until the 1950s. Its next incarnation would be as a center to treat adolescent drug addicts.

Controversy would surround this, however. Heroin addicts were confined much like the quarantine victims of old. Locked in a room until they were clean, many suffered greatly, believing they were being held against their will.

Bad press, undesirable results (drug addicts often left in the worst condition than their arrival) and staff corruption forced the facility to close in 1963.

North Brother Island has been abandoned ever since. It is now a bird sanctuary for Black-Crowned Night Herons.

Where is North Brother Island?

• Related Content: Inside Saint Elmo, Colorado’s Best Preserved Ghost Town

Visiting North Brother Island

North Brother Island is a protected area. Authorized access to the island is rare. The Parks and Recreation authority does consider requests for entry under specific conditions, however.

Access is available within allowable time and should be for “compelling academic and scientific purposes”. They have a form on their website for applicants, (although no visits are taking place during the current coronavirus outbreak).

In non-COVID times the island is closed between March 21 and September 21, due to the shorebird breeding season.

Illegal entry is possible of course. You just need to be good friends with a boat owning local, or a willing to kayak across to the island.

Beware, however, police do patrol the waters of the East River, (Rikers Island Correctional Institute is less than a mile away).

What you can expect to see on North Brother Island

Should you get permission to access North Brother Island you are in for a treat. The eerie, abandoned location is a dark explorers dream.

The island is accessible only by boat, with the most convenient departure point from New York, being Barretto Point Park in the South Bronx.

Assuming you have contacted the park authority about your trip, one of their escorts will be joining you for the day.

Pulling up to the island you will see the first signs of the aged dilapidation. Broken dock supports protrude from the water like the blackened, rotten teeth of a hobo.

What once was a bustling port for the disembarking of hospital workers and supplies is now covered in kelp and almost totally submerged during high tide.

Leaving the boat and walking onto the island, your path is immediately impeded by the encroaching overgrowth.

Remnants of streets and sidewalks can barely be traced beneath the thick tentacles of weed and trees. The island’s sub-canopy is choked with native plants of all sizes.

One of the first buildings you reach from the dock is the morgue. The cracked chimney juts above the treeline, visible long before you reach the ruined walls of the facade.

The buildings are off-limits mind you, your Park official will ensure that you comply. Everything is in a dangerous state of disrepair and it is easy to see why you are not allowed.

Still, looking through the glassless windows and broken doors it is possible to see the equipment left behind after the last inhabitants abandoned the island in 1963.

Rusted bed frames are stacked against walls, and rotted cupboards, chairs, and shelves are strewn around the floor.

There’s also a few signs of illegal entry; faded graffiti adorns the crumbling plasterboard throughout the facility.

Ivy too dominates here, a double tennis court is all but visible beneath the dull, green stranglehold.

One impressive building seems relatively intact. During the years North Brother Island was a hospital, many of the workers opted to live in the Nurse’s Home rather than shuttle back and forth on the ferry.

Here, the 40,000-square-foot Victorian-style mansion offers tantalizing evidence of what life was once like. A large porcelain bathtub and colored tiling can be seen in one of the downstairs bathrooms.

Further on, you will come across The Staff House. Constructed in 1885, this is one of the oldest (and most dilapidated) structures on the island.

Beyond this is the Male Dormitory, built the same year it now has collapsed ceilings and trees growing through the roof.

The largest building that still exists is the Tuberculosis Pavilion. This sprawling four-story, 83,000-square-foot building was the last structure to be completed on North Brother Island.

It is here that World War II veterans were housed in the aftermath of the war. This large, brooding building oozes with post-apocalyptic gloom.

Moving on and in places, the foliage is too thick to allow passage. After everyone left almost six decades ago, the island has been left to mother nature.

To this day, the city seems unsure of what the future will bring here. For now, the authorities are content to allow this (somewhat prime) real estate to be the domain of history and as a bird sanctuary, which is the role it officially has now.

That being said, North Brother Island may never see redevelopment for the purpose of human habitat.

The land is ground-zero for rising sea levels. According to extreme climate change projections, the island will be completely underwater by 2100.

Featured Image: reivax from Washington, DC, USA / CC BY-SA 2.0

The Cadaver Tomb of René of Chalon [Dark Tourism in France]

January 9, 2020August 31, 2020

Visiting the Scene of Rasputin’s Murder – Yusupov Palace, St. Petersburg

June 18, 2020August 31, 2020

Dodengang (The Trench of Death) – Travels in Diksmuide

November 14, 2019September 22, 2020

How to Visit Grytviken Whaling Station, South Georgia

May 5, 2020August 31, 2020

Follow us on Instagram!

At the height of its prosperity, Ruddock was a picturesque almost idyllic town built on stilts above the wetlands of the area.

Stilt-supported wooden sidewalks snaked through the buildings, with walkways leading up to the front doors of the houses. It was a good place to live.

And then came the 1915 Louisiana hurricane.

Within a few, short, hours the entire town was ripped apart. 58 residents were killed and Ruddock was never rebuilt.

Over a hundred years later the ghost town is still marked on maps. It is ever signed as an exit on Interstate 55. For dark tourists passing through, it is definitely worth the detour.

History of Ruddock, Louisiana

By 1855, a rail line serviced the western shore of Lake Pontchartrain, curving through the swamp and deep cypress forests between Laplace and Ponchatoula.

Within a few years, the route would stop at some of the small settlements established to support the sawmill businesses being built there.

One such enterprise was that of William Burton and C. H. Ruddock. In 1892, they had founded the Ruddock Cypress Company and the small town of Ruddock quickly grew around it.

With a population of up to a thousand (and similar sized settlements Napton and Frenier, further south), the area was growing rapidly.

Many of the early settlers were German immigrants, and the progressive community definitely had a European vibe.

There was a small town hall, a blacksmith, schoolhouse, and the Holy Cross Catholic Church.

Liberal men’s entertainment came courtesy of the Owl Saloon, which was discretely located outside of the town so as not to offend the church-going locals.

The all-important railroad had its own depot with a two-story house attached, and the office and commissary for the Ruddock Cypress Lumber Company was also a substantial building.

Although there was no large grocery store, housewives could take the daily train to do their shopping in LaPlace or even New Orleans.

The train was also vital in the movement of supplies and lumber in and out of Ruddock.

• Related Content: The Ruins of Villa Epecuén, Argentina – A Resort Town Submerged

The September 1915 New Orleans Hurricane

On September, 30th, 1915, chaos came to the small town of Ruddock in the form of a deadly, Category 4 hurricane. Obliterating every building in its path, the town along with nearby Frenier, was completely destroyed.

Residents that remained in their predominantly wooden homes, didn’t stand a chance.

Those that survived had either paid heed to the warning of bad weather and had already fled, or managed to find more robust shelter. A heavy steel caboose at the railroad depot and the schoolhouse being two places of note.

The railroad in the region was also very badly damaged. With the death toll relatively high and so much of the town destroyed, survivors did not want to return.

From that date forward, what was left of Ruddock became an abandoned ghost town.

Where is Ruddock, Louisiana

Visiting Ruddock, Louisiana Today

Today, the road to Ruddock of Interstate 55 leads to a boat launch on the edge of the lake.

The meager remains of Ruddock after the 1915 hurricane have mostly been swallowed by vegetation.

However, for the eagle-eyed and those in the know remnants can be found. Decaying wood from the buildings and wooden walkways protrude from the swamp in places.

Local historian and retired police officer Wayne Norwood have spent decades exploring and documenting his finds in the area where Ruddock once stood.

He has collected thousands of artifacts that once belonged to the people that lived in the community.
Trudging through the swamplands and diving the lake he has unearthed, bottles, everyday houseware tools, and pieces of old equipment belonging to the mills and railroad.

To house his extensive collection Norwood opened the Louisiana Treasures Museum in Ponchatoula (10290 LA-22). For those interested in Ruddock ghost town the home-brew affair is a must-see.

Norwood has also written and published a book on the events of the 1915 hurricane. Called “The Day Time Stood Still: The Hurricane of 1915,” the narrative explores the life of Ruddock before the disaster and what happened in the aftermath.

• Related Content: Visiting Deadly Lake Nyos [Dark Tourism in Africa]

The Abandoned Cemetery

Location: Ruddock, St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, USA

Another place you can visit to explore the history of Ruddock is the abandoned cemetery.

Located close to the rebuilt railroad tracks outside of the ghost town, up to 100 people are said to have been buried here, including some of the victims of the hurricane.

Abandonment, mother nature, and vandals have taken their toll on Ruddock Cemetery, however, the sight of the ruined headstones and upturned terrain is one of the more visceral indications that the area was once a large community of many hundreds of people.

It can be found approximately 3 and 2/3 miles north of Frenier, (west of the rail line).

Balaklava Submarine Base, Crimea’s Secret Soviet Sub Complex

March 13, 2020August 31, 2020

Visiting Hartheim Castle Memorial Site (Austria)

October 21, 2020November 27, 2023

How to Visit Grytviken Whaling Station, South Georgia

May 5, 2020August 31, 2020

Port Royal – Sunken Pirate City, Jamaica

August 29, 2020September 28, 2020

Follow us on Instagram!

Built by gulag inmates during Stalin’s big purge in the 1930s, this desolate region on the very edge of Europe was given purpose by the rich deposits of coal discovered nearby.

However, what was once the lifeblood of Vorkuta has now disappeared. After the collapse of the U.S.S.R., the mines were privatized, and within a few years, almost all were shut down.

Surrounded by abandoned mines and filled with derelict apartment blocks, the city – which is the coldest place on the continent (clocking in a record -52 degrees C) – is in steep decline.

The population plummeted from 217,000 in the late 1980s to less than 50,000 today. Vorkuta is now Russia’s fastest dying city.

History of Vorkuta

Vorkuta was discovered during an expedition by Russian geologist Georgy Chernov in the early 20th century.

Once Stalin was aware of the vast wealth waiting to be mined there, the region became vital in his efforts to industrialize Russia.

In tandem with the tyrant’s plans to “re-educate” vast swathes of the population (in the “Great Terror” repressions of 1937 and 1938), Gulags were hastily constructed in the district.

Vorkutlag was the largest camp in European Russia. Political prisoners sent there were forced to work the mines and build the necessary infrastructure. From this, Vorkuta was born above the permafrost.

For 25 years, prisoners and exiles battled the elements to transform the remote arctic landscape into one of the largest coal sources of the Soviet Union.

At its height, the complex had 20 mines, roads, and railroads, power stations, and a small community of mining towns. The city of Vorkuta was the hub between them all.

By the 1960s people from all over Russia moved to Vorkuta for the promise of employment and higher salaries offered by the mining industry and surrounding economy.

So much so, in the 1980s Vorkuta could boast of being one of the richest northern cities in the USSR.

• Related Content: Kadykchan – Abandoned Soviet Mining Town

Then the iron curtain fell. The collapse of the Soviet economy set a chain reaction of chaos through communities like Vorkuta.

Industry dried up as the now Russian Federation scrambled to function in a capitalist market economy. Unemployment and inflation grew, crime was rampant, living standards plummeted.

The exodus from Vorkuta began.

Within a short space of time, whole suburbs turned into ghost towns.

Jobless and with no prospects of work for the foreseeable future, many people packed what measly belongings they could and headed for the southern cities of Russia.

To this day, whole apartments still contain the rotting furniture of the last inhabitants to live there, decades ago.

As the community shrank, schools, hospitals, nursery schools, and many other governmental institutions had to close through lack of numbers and investment.

Today, Vorkuta’s population continues to decline every year. Before long a city that once had close to a quarter-million residents will be down to its last few thousand.

Where is Vorkuta?

Visiting Vorkuta today

Vorkuta today is a depressing, desolate place to be. Decaying Soviet block housing is blanketed in heavy snow for most of the year. In many instances, one family may live in a building meant to house 50.

And that’s where the people still live. Across large parts of the city (particularly along the Vorkuta River), apartments have been abandoned long ago. Derelict and forlorn, they stand windowless looking out onto the frozen tundra.

The few mines that still run and connected by old railroad tracks that are desperately in need of repair.

Positioned at the horizon on the edge of town, their distant smokestacks belch black threads into the pale arctic sky.

The city is full of old folk, too tired to leave and with no other options anyway. They huddle in decrepit courtyards, or outside the stores that remain open.

The few children around, jostle in ruined playgrounds under the shadows of old Soviet statues.

The desolation is almost poetic, only if you are lucky enough to not live there.

• Related Content: Traveling the White Sea Canal – A Waterway Built on Blood

Walking around Vorkuta

A dark tourist making a trip to Vorkuta will find vast areas of the city empty and easy to explore.

Many of the aforementioned abandoned homes can be roamed freely; their shelves, wallpapers, curtains, and lamps relics of the 1980s and before.

Vorkuta cannot be classed as a ghost town mind you. The locals who still number in the tens of thousands, live and work amid the ruins.

To them collapsed buildings on the end of the street, or the empty stairwell on the way to their front door is ordinary life.

The lack of infrastructure means that many turn to fishing and hunting to sustain themselves.

Self-made cars are another strange, yet common sight on the streets of Vorkuta. Resourceful locals have built themselves these large tank-like vehicles, known as Karakaty, that enable them to move through the thick, snow-clogged tundra.

The indigenous Nenets also remain. The dwindling community makes a living through reindeer herding. Every autumn, reindeer in their thousands are brought to Vorkuta to be traded.

Outside the city limits, most of the old mining settlements are completely abandoned.

Some, such as Yurshor and Rudnik are worthy of a visit. Once part of the gulag camp system, the dark history attached to these locations makes for a poignant experience.

Whipped by the wind of the cold arctic, these empty ghost towns are both eerie and beautiful in their decay. Nature has taken over, the white-blue vastness surrounding you is nothing but humbling.

Featured Image: f-Lars / CC BY 3.0)

The Patarei Sea Fortress: Abandoned Soviet Prison in Tallinn

January 29, 2020August 31, 2020

Darvaza Gas Crater, A Raging Inferno For Nearly 50 Years [Dark Tourism in Central Asia]

October 29, 2019August 31, 2020

A Tour to Pyramiden: Soviet Ghost Town in Svalbard

February 18, 2020September 10, 2020

Plokstine Missile Base – Dark Tourism In Lithuania

July 10, 2020August 31, 2020

Follow us on Instagram!

Caught in the midst of The Battle of Verdun, (one of the longest and fiercest artillery battles of the Great War), French and German soldiers razed the village, alongside 8 others during the ongoing carnage.

The battle raged for over 300 days, and was fought with so much ferocity, the combat zone became heavily contaminated with lead, arsenic, and lethal poison gas from the high level of shelling.

The damage to the villages was absolute. After the war, France determined that most of them could not be rebuilt.

Today, Fleury exists only as markings that outline the site of the original village. With its bomb craters and battle strewn terrain (where artifacts from the war can still be found in the soil), it is an important military tourism location.

The village, alongside nearby monuments such as the Verdun War Memorial and Douaumont ossuary, serves as a poignant reminder of the devastation brought upon France in the First World War.

Fleury-devant-douaumont – A Short History

The scant remains of Fleury-devant-Douaumont are located in the Grand Est in north-eastern France.

The village was much like others in the area before the German invasion. A small population of 422 people living a simple rural life on the back of agriculture and woodworking.

However, it’s a position not far from the western border of Germany meant that conflict was inevitable as the Great War progressed. In 1916 the village was captured and recaptured by the Germans and French forces a total of sixteen times.

During the fighting, approximately 230,000 men died out of 700,000 casualties. The Battle became known in German as Die Hölle von Verdun (The Hell of Verdun).

At the epicenter of such brutal wrangling, the village and others within what is now called the red zone did not stand a chance.

After the war ended in 1918, the French government deemed 1,200 sq km of land near Verdun too dangerous to inhabit.

Contaminated by corpses, explosives, and poisonous gas, Fleury-devant-douaumont was beyond rehabilitation. To this day, only 2 of the 9 villages that were raised during the war have been rebuilt.

Although no-one lives in any part of the Red Zone (with some of it fenced off to visitors for being too dangerous), French law recognizes the destroyed villages as municipalities.

With designated mayors who receive government money to receive guests and preserve the memory of what’s left, sites such as Fleury-devant-douaumont are deemed safe enough to be open for the public.

Local museums and other sites of interest have been erected to memorialize the soldiers who lost their lives in the bloody Battle for Verdun.

• Related Content: Sanctuary Wood & Hill 62 Memorial – Ypres, Belgium

Where is Fleury-devant-douaumont?

Visiting Fleury-devant-douaumont today

Nothing remains of Fleury-devant-Douaumont except for a smattering of stone foundations where some of the buildings once stood.

Walking into the village, visitors can follow a thin path through the ruins. Markings show where certain landmarks once existed, such as the grocery store, the school, and the blacksmith’s barn.

With a stretch of the imagination, it is possible to imagine the 19th-century village with its humble inhabitants going about their lives before war destroyed it all.

The evidence of war is everywhere, however, as the terrain is pockmarked with shell craters. Venture too far from the path (which visitors are recommended against doing), and it is still possible to stumble across macabre remnants of the war.

For example, in 2013 archaeologists unearthed 20 skeletal remains after hikers found bones protruding from the soil near the village.

It is still possible to trace the lines of people’s homes, and throughout the village, several small memorials have been erected that cause visitors to reflect on the futility of war, and why such mass bloodshed can never happen again.

Parts of the old fortification network exist too. It is possible to walk along one of the communication trenches (where soldiers would have scurried across carrying messages), the end of which stands the hidden, moss-covered ruins of a bunker.

A quick rummage here and there and you will likely locate metal fragments of exploded shells. The area is littered with them.

The forest now encroaches on this part of the village. Nature has claimed what humans destroyed.

• Related Content: Dodengang (The Trench of Death) – Travels in Diksmuide

Other WWI sites in the area

There are a number of other sites in and around the red zone that should be visited when in the area.

Romagne ‘14-‘18

Just outside the Red Zone, is a small private museum named Romagne ‘14-‘18. This provides a poignant retelling of the Battle of Verdun from a personal perspective of those that lived and fought there.

The large collection of war memorabilia, developed from a private collection owned by local Jean-Paul de Vries, is fascinating and well worth a visit.

Mémorial de Verdun

South of Fleury-devant-Douaumont, is the famous Mémorial de Verdun. Opened in 1967 by the French government, the museum and memorial give visitors a comprehensive view of WWI.

The location of the memorial is on what was once, the battlefield. It remembers both French and German soldiers as well as local citizens caught up in the fighting.

The military museum includes rifles, machine guns, and field artillery as well as vehicles, uniforms, and general equipment that were used by both sides in the war.

Douaumont Ossuary

The Douaumont National Necropolis and Ossuary is also located close to Fleury-devant-douaumont.

The imposing ossuary contains the skeletal remains of approximately 130,000 French and German soldiers, making it one of the largest of its kind in the world.

Inside the ossuary, the ceiling and walls are partly covered by plaques bearing the names of French soldiers who died in the battle.

In front of the monument, is the largest French military cemetery of WWI. It contains 16,142 graves. Christian, Jewish, and Muslim names adorn the white headstones, a reminder of how French colonial forces were instrumental to the war effort.

Featured Image: Engbtmp / CC BY-SA

Travels Along the Road of Bones: Kolyma Highway, Russia

July 2, 2020September 10, 2020

Moynaq: Desert Ships and the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan

November 13, 2019September 14, 2020

Leon Trotsky Museum [House and Murder Site]

November 19, 2019August 31, 2020

Bubanj Memorial Park, Niš, Serbia – WW2 Mass Execution Site

June 10, 2020October 20, 2020

Follow us on Instagram!