The name of this site directly translates to "House of Slaves" and serves as a memorial for the slave trade in the 15th to 19th century. Goree Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due its history of being the largest slave trading center in Africa. The "Door of No Return" in the middle of the house marks the door that everyone walked through to get to the slave boat. Visitors can tour the house and look at the cells where slaves were locked up in.
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This site is one of the most popular dark tourism site in the world. The Chernobyl disaster happened in 1986 due to a malfunction in one of the reactors that led to deaths and long-term health effects of survivors. The disaster was so severe the Pripyat is still a ghost town till this day. Visitors can see the power plant or even tour inside the plants if they apply for a permit. Chernobyl today can be visited safely.
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The Auschwitz Concentration Camp is a UNESCO World Heritage site that was used as a concentration and extermination camp by the German Nazis in WWII. This place served as the mass extermination camp where more than a million Jews and Polish nationals were tortured and killed. The concentration camp can now be visited by tourists to remember the Holocaust and view artefacts and belongings of the victims.
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The Hiroshima Peace Memorial is a UNESCO World Heritage site that is also known as the Genbaku (atomic bomb) dome. It is the only structure near the focus of the first atomic explosion in 1945 left standing. The memorial now serves as a symbolisation of world peace and displays the victims' belongings and photographs. A ceremony is held every year on the 6th of August to remember the victims of the bombing and pray for world peace.
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The Nanjing Massacre was a series of rape and murder committed by the Japanese Imperial troops which resulted in over 300,000 deaths. The memorial showcases a coffin-shaped mausoleum containing bones of the victims found during the construction of the memorial hall. Visitors can tour the museum and look at photos, artefacts and films about the massacre.
(Paju, South Korea)
Panmunjom is located on the heavily guarded De-Militarized Zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea. This place is technically still a war zone since a peace treaty was never signed between the North and South and Panmunjom is the center of the DMZ as well as the point where one can see the actual separating line. Visitors can visit the very place where negotiations were held and the armistice was signed during the Korean War. The only way one can visit Panmunjom is through an official guided tour.
The catacombs of Paris are filled with millions of bones from the deceased who were reburied under the city after major cemeteries were evacuated due to disease concerns in the 1800s. The route that tourists take is about 2 kilometers long and brings visitors to a different location from the entrance. One can expect to see walls of bones and skulls stacked in artistic ways, with some even used to disguise reinforcement columns.
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Stalin's Bunker was built in the 1930s as a safe hiding space for leader of the Soviet Union, Stalin. Stalin had planned for the bunker to be hidden in a stadium, but construction of the stadium was never completed. The bunker officially opened for visitation in 1966 as a branch of the Central Armed Forces Museum. Visitors can attend a guided tour that lasts about an hour to experience Stalin's hiding space during World War II.
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This is the very building that Anne Frank and her family hid in during World War II. The famous Dairy of Anne Frank was written in this house as well. The museum officially opened in 1960 with the help of Otto Frank. Visitors can relive the life of Anne Frank through photos, quotes, films, Anne Frank's original diary and even tour the hiding places known as the "Secret Annex" behind the bookshelves mentioned in her diary.
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Pearl Harbor was a naval base attacked by Japanese forces in 1941. About 2500 people lost their lives at the harbor that day. Today, Pearl Harbor acts as the headquarters of America's Pacific Fleet. The memorial site opened in 1966 before expanding and becoming part of World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument. The memorial exhibitions cover the history and exhaustive accounts of the Pearl Harbor attack. Visitors can also tour the extra attractions such as the USS Bowfin Submarine at the memorial.