Travel in the wake of a war

Once the dust of war settles into an uneasy calm, the places where the destruction occurred often become shrines, where tourists gather to look, mourn and perhaps, pay respect to all those innocents who lost their lives
While beauty may be what we covet, there is an undeniable allure to all dark and foreboding things. What is it about scenes of historic violence that pique the human mind? There appears to be a morbid fascination with historic sites wherein atrocities have been meted out, and an even deeper fascination with places where perpetrators of injustice have been brought to task.We take you through what remains of the most famous scenes of epic violence.
Ground Zero
There can’t be too many people in the world who could have missed the telecast, and internet videos of the fall of the twin towers. But for those who suffered, the remains of buildings serve as the unmarked graves of all the innocent victims who died there. No visit to New York is complete without a visit to Ground Zero, where people are found to reflect upon and lament, what can possibly be considered, the most dramatic and spectacular act of violence till date.
Abbottabad:
Very few members of the global audience even knew of the existence of the quaint Pakistani hill station. But less than a few months ago, the place became notorious. Not many people can access Abbottabad at the moment, all thanks to the heavy security. But we wonder if the death site of the world’s most feared terrorist could one day, perhaps become, a place that people visit. Could Osama’s mansion, someday, become a tourist attraction?
Jallianwala Bagh:
When General Dyer opened fire on a gathering of helpless civilians collected at Jallianwalla bagh in Amristar, little did he know that he would earn the ire of not only Indians, but also of the British. His attack was one of the final nails in the coffin of the British empire, as the aftermath of the massacre saw an upsurge of militant nationalists like Bhagat Singh. Today, Indians from near and far silently stare at the bulletmarks on the walls, and stare down at the well into which many jumped in order to avoid bullets.
Furherbunker:
The walls of this secret underground bunker have witnessed a great many moments in history. This is where the Nazi dictator, Adolf Hitler married Eva Braun. This is where he revealed his last will and testament to one of his staffers. This is where he spent the last days of his life. And most importantly, this was where, in the middle of a bitter fit of rage, he finally admitted to having lost the war. Many suspect that it was in this bunker that he decided that he would take his own life. People come in droves and stand amazed to be in the vicinity of a place where the very personification Hatred breathed its last (or did it really?)
Auschwitz:
This scenic town in Poland was annexed by the Nazi army in WW2, this region soon became home to several death camps wherein Jews and other ‘undesirables’ were systematically murdered. It is estimated that over three million people had died here. People now flock to the town to pay their respects to all those who lost their lives - they vow to ‘never again’ let such cruelty taint mankind.