In Massachusetts we are taught from an early age that we are
lucky enough to live in a place that gave birth to America. It is no doubt that
most of our best tourist spots revolve around Revolutionary War history and the
people who fought to found our nation. From Paul Revere to John Hancock, their
names are legendary and the occurrences have become lore.
Destinations of significant moments in war require delicate
balance between information and entertainment. How do you make visitors enjoy a
visit to a place where hundreds or thousands of men were slaughtered? How can
someone understand the weight of a patch of grass, overgrown over time? What do
you want visitors to tell people back home when they’re asked, ‘how was your
trip?’” The answers at a killing field or a concentration camp are not always
attainable.
But regardless of solemnity, the impact a war-related
destination can have is different for everyone, sometimes immeasurable.
I left the Dachau concentration camp in a haze, having stood
in front of ovens used to burn thousands of human corpses. But on the grounds,
there were other young people laughing, joking, apparently immune to the
emotion behind the barbed wire.
The experiences are more personal, and that is where war
destinations truly hold their travel lure. The locations on this list are not
museums or memorials (although some have them on the grounds). These are
locations where significant events in wartime occurred. The sites have been
preserved, rebuilt, or in some cases destroyed, in order to show the world the
events that made them significant.
My reaction when people ask me about what visiting these
places is like, typically goes something like this: “It was emotional.”
But we don’t travel to take photos. Or even to get fodder to
write stories. We travel to have experiences, and emotional experiences are
usually the ones we remember the longest.
1. Antietam Battlefield - Sharpsburg, Maryland (American Civil War)
Located in the Hallowed Ground of Maryland’s most visited
Civil War region, the Antietam Battlefield is awe-inspiring because of its
sheer size. The location was considered the bloodiest battle of the American
Civil War and as you drive around the battlefield (yes, drive because it is so
large), you begin to imagine holding a line or retreating to the tree line.
At
the Sunken Road, or what is also called “Bloody Lane,” a very knowledgeable
guide described the view Confederate soldiers had from one side of the gulley.
Union bayonets were hidden due to the contour of the land until they marched up
over a ridge and into the field across the Sunken Road. The fighting there was
ravenous, Union soldiers broke the line and ultimately no ground was gained by
either side.
Antietam is full of stories and spots like this. Bridges, fields,
overlooks, are all dotted with canons and hundreds of metal signs that tell the
tales of skirmishes and soldiers, no matter what rank or side they fought on.
One of the most impressive aspects of Antietam is its ability to provide
unbiased information, giving information on fighters from both sides with
unwavering respect.
2. Dachau Concentration Camp - outside of Munich, Germany (World War II)
The solemnity of a visit to Dachau may not strike the
average tourist as a fun way to spend your afternoon in southern Germany. There
are, of course, so many beer halls and Bavarian castles awaiting your arrival
with open arms and empty steins. But the thoughtful traveler will go and be
struck by the power in a few photographs, or a small concrete room, or a
twisting rusty barb-wire gate, or a long row of poplar trees.
There is meaning here and no one person can tell another
how or where to find it. The gate through which you enter reminds you, “work
will make you free" and the inscribed stone above a tomb of unknown
prisoner ashes says, “Never Again.” Cause and effect personified. But some
things pluck different strings on every heart. I watched a young Italian woman
in a tour group become overwhelmed and not be able to look into the cremation
ovens.
The museum here provides a long, informative timeline of
Dachau and Nazi concentration camps during World War II. There is more
information here than one visit can handle, in my opinion, which is not a bad
thing. Choose a few aspects and immerse yourself into them; get a rounded understanding of what you're experiencing.
But the real power of Dachau is not in the museum but
rather in the stark, open gravel-covered grounds. A lot is said with so much open space; it makes the structures and sculptures that much more potent. To walk the paths at Dachau, where so many bare and broken feet had trod without hope, is to support the purpose of the site's continued, post-war existence - to remember and, as the memorial on the grounds says, to "Never Forget."
3. Minute Man National Historic Park & Battlefields - Lexington &
Concord, Massachusetts (American Revolution)
April 19, 1775: British soldiers clash with colonial militia
and the American Revolution begins in earnest. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s phrase,
“the shot heard round the world,” may eloquently reflect the historic and
worldly significance of this event, but a trip to Minute Man National Park will
do more.
Located in a beautiful wooded area, this is the home to the
famous Minute Man statue, a symbol of Massachusetts, and the North Bridge,
where much of the fighting on that day back 1775 took place. Houses on the
grounds, called “witness houses” were actually there during the time of the
battle and serve as strong symbols of the independence and freedom that was
culled from that day.
Lest you forget, take a walk to the grave of the British
soldiers – an actual burial site. The men buried there fought just as bravely
in the name of duty as their American counterparts, and this show of respect
reflects the spirit of Minute Man.
4. St. Paul’s Cathedral - London, UK (World War II)
There are many reasons to visit St. Paul’s Cathedral in London,
not the least of which is its stunning architecture and grand size. But once
you wade through the significant British history built into its foundations,
pay close attention to the stories from World War II.
The Nazi’s Blitz on London was a time of hellish destruction
and fear. But as Churchill denounced Hitler and encouraged Brits to continue
defying evil, the city burned at all corners. Throughout the attack, people
were stationed on the dome of St. Paul’s as lookouts, risking life and limb
atop one of London’s most recognizable buildings.
The cathedral was targeted several times, including the
night of December 29, 1940. The night included intense bombings across the
city, with heavy concentration on St. Paul’s and surrounding areas. The
cathedral was hit by multiple strikes, bombs pierced the iconic dome and fire
raged inside. Molten leads dripped from above and the entire building appeared
lost. But the determined fireman and volunteers brought St. Paul’s under
control. When Londoners awoke the next morning, terrified, frantic and
exhausted, the dome of St. Paul’s remained steadfast and erect amongst the
rubble.
The image became a lasting symbol of British resilience
throughout the war and a visit here will inspire as much as overwhelm.
5. Les Invalides - Paris, France (French Revolution)
I know I said that I was not going to include locations on
this list that were primarily museums. Les Invalides in Paris is home the Army
Museum and multiple other military-related venues, making it seem as though I
went against my word above.
However, I include Les Invalides on this list for two
reasons: because of what it used to house and because of who it houses now.
Les Invalides was, in its heyday, an armory. On the night
French Revolutionaries stormed the Bastille, they first stormed this facility.
They took from it ammunition and weapons used later to storm the Bastille and
erupt the French Revolution into full-blown, bloody conflict. It’s historical and
military significance, which you will learn over and over with a visit, is
unrivaled. Make all the jokes you want about the French Military, this is still
some good history here.
But Les Invalides is also significant because of its most
famous resident: Napolean Bonapart. His tomb is located in the central rotunda
and is impossible to miss. In stark contrast to his shortened stature, this
historic legend is laid to rest in an enormous wooden ark of a tomb. It can be
viewed both from above and from the ground floor, making Napolean’s final
resting place an awe-inspiring symbol of dominance.
Do you have any favorite war-related destinations? Post them here in the comments section or on Twitter @WhereverItTakes
