Dark Tourism: Places Beyond Ordinary

The world is filled with aesthetic and stupendous places. While typical people rejuvenate from these, they are few who crave for dark experience or rather adrenaline pumping adventures. Dark tourism is defined as tourism involving travelling to sites historically associated with death or tragedies. Here are few extraordinary places for those dark tourists which will quench their wanderlust.

Pompeii, Italy

Pompeii was an Roman town near mordern Naples in the region of Campania, Italy. This town was developed and flourished in 7th century BC, but an inevitable event occured which destroyed the town. It was destroyed and buried under ash and pumice due to eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. The event killed almost 11,000 people and the site was lost for 1500 years until it was rediscovered in 1599. But the intresting fact is that the objects which were in the city were preserved for many centuries, due to absence of air and moisture. During excavation, plaster was used to fill the voids between ash layer that once held human bodies. This helped us to see the exact position the person was when they died. Pompeii is UNESCO World Heritage Site and a famous place in Italy.

Pripayat, Ukarine

Pripyat is a town located in the northern Ukraine. This town is known for the infamous Chernobyl disaster which occurred in April 1986. It was one of the worst nuclear power plant accident in history, releasing radioactive particles into atmosphere, which spread over much of the USSR and Europe. It was reported that almost 4,000 to 93,000 lost their lives due to this incident. Long term deformities and cancer can be seen even today. Though this place is highly radioactive, Ukarine announced that tourist can be allowed to visit the site to 30 mile exclusion zone around the exploded reactor.

The Island of the Dolls, Mexico

The Island of the Dolls, located in the channels of Xochimilco, south of the center of Mexico City, is the creepiest tourist attraction of Mexico. The origin of this island is a tragedy. There is a folktale associated with it, the island’s only inhabitant, Don Julian Santana, found a body of a drowned girl in the canal. He was then haunted by her spirit, to get rid of the spirit he began to buy dolls for the girl by selling his farm's fruits and vegetables. But his efforts were vain, and the man’s body was found in the same spot where the girl’s body was found. Today, hundreds of terrifying mutilated doll scare tourists who even dare to visit the island.

Sedlec Ossuary, Czech Republic

The Sedlec Ossuary is a small Roman Catholic chapel, located beneath the Cemetery Church of All Saints in Czech Republic. What makes this place interesting is that it contains skeletons of more than 40,000 people. The bones have been artistically arranged to form decorations and furnishings of chapel. There is even a large chandelier made of bones, containing almost every bone in human body. It is present in the center with garlands of skulls hanging on the vault.

Banff Springs Hotel Alberta, Canada

The Banff Springs Hotel is said to be one of the most haunted places in Canada. It was built in 1888, considered to be one of greates hotels. There is a folktale associated with it about a woman in her wedding dress lost her life after falling from the stair case when her dress caught fire. There has been reports that people has seen the woman in her wedding dress, often seen dancing in the ballroom. Another popular story is about a family who was murdered in a room. People claim to see the family in the hallway outside the room.

Suicide Forest, Japan

Also known as Aokigahara, it is a forest which lies at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan. This place is closely related with demons in Japanese mythology, the density of trees in the forest is so high that it blocks winds and makes it look like a perfect setting in a horror movie. What makes this intresting is that it is a hotspot for suicides. Almost 100 suicides occur every year in that forest. It is also said that there are many dead bodies which are undiscovered and lying there.