The Importance of Understanding History

There have been so many crimes against humanity from the past and that’s why people always emphasize learning from history that can affect the future. The second such paradigm is the genocide that claimed the lives of millions of defenceless people during the Second World War – the Holocaust. The extermination camp had a crucial part within this dreadful event, that targeted countless people who became prisoners than to suffer and die. Currently people discuss the question whether it is correct to visit these concentration camps. Before going further let me provide a minimal insight into this subject and reveal its most obscure aspects.

Preserving the Memory

It is Sad that concentration camps remain an undeniable historical evidence of the holocaust. It remains an irrefutable testament to the pain that millions of people have experienced and memories of those who perished from hatred and bigotry. For that reason, tours offered to these sites help in making sure that memories of the victims are not forgotten. It helps to make a wide estimate of the acts committed and can be used as a decisive prevention of further actions of hatred and genocide.

Education and Commemoration

Travelling to a concentration camp is quite informative. It offers a chance to see the history of the holocaust, not only through the reader of a historical paper, but a personal interview. Through the trips around the camps, the visitors are able to identify the barbed wired barracks and the gasses chambers through which the masses were subjugated through much suffering. The main positive is that, it gives people an opportunity to think about a bright future and not the black past and that it encourages peoples to be more tolerant to one another.

Staying true to the sacredness of the Locations

Thus, though sightseeing at concentration camps may be an informative, still, it should be done with the highest level of reverence and empathy observed. They are burial grounds, where hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of people died and must be respected as such. All visitors are to follow established guidelines and policies of behavior, failing which the sanctity of sites has to be compromised. Photography and loitering should be discouraged so as to keep the memory of the bereaved people with dignity.

The social, moral and ethical issues

Controversy about the trips through the concentration camp is always connected with moral and ethical issues. Of course some people think that these places should not be visited, and they say that there is no way to feel the horror and hopelessness, which the victims went through. They claim that redevelopment of these sites as tourist attractions may distort the horror of the holocaust or make lucrative business out of the memory of the victims.

Education that goes alongside with commercialization

However, sometimes it is a very thin line between raising awareness and making a tragedy into a business. Much care has to be taken not to compromise on either the educational value of the projects or the respect due to the victims and their memory. Any reputable tour operator and organizations should pay much attention to informative and focus on the component strengthening of the visitors’ qualifications after the visiting of the Shoah sites, on making people understand how horrible Holocaust was, as well as on making people oriented to prevent such events in the future.

Planning a Visit

If you plan a trip to a concentration camp, it is of paramount importance to prepare for that trip in a right, honourable way. Here are a few tips to consider:

Research and Choose Wisely

Before making the decision for which concentration camp to choose, one must first research on its past, its importance to the tourists, and the most important of all, restrictions. Every camp is different so knowing a bit about what happened will make the tour much more engaging.

Tourism should be done with a qualified tour operator.

Choosing a sightseeing tour with an experienced operator can improve comprehension of the peculiarities and get useful tips. Be certain to locate companies or organizations that have placed a high premium on education and sensitivity in the course of the tour.

Observe Proper Conduct

When you are visiting the concentration camps, be sure to have a right attitude. Stay tuned to do’s and don’ts like do not touch anything, no photography without permission, do not speak loudly.

Reflect and Learn

Allow yourself some time to think about your visit. Participantly in thoughtful discussions of the topic and questions can be raised in order to explore the topic in more depth and materials be sought to deepen knowledge of the Holocaust. Perhaps, you could contribute to these initiatives or organizations school related or that have aims to fight prejudice or discrimination.

Conclusion

Visiting concentration camps it is possible to pay respect to the victims, to get closer to the history and, thus, develop tolerance. These sites should however be approached with lots of respect this way education triumphs over commercialism. It is through these unassuming places of incredible horror, where we pay our respects to those who were murdered and move on, ensuring those horrific moments do not reoccur.