WiTList - War Destinations

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.   

For more info, visit here: http://www.nps.gov/mima/index.htm

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.

Read more here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1342305/The-Blitzs-iconic-image-On-70th-anniversary-The-Mail-tells-story-picture-St-Pauls.html

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