"A former Nazi bunker in Hamburg, built by forced laborers to shelter tens of thousands of Germans during Allied air raids in World War II, will soon house hotel guests," reports The New York Times (NYT). Fit with a five-story terraced roof garden, the hotel will house 136 rooms, and is due to open in mid-2021.
The bunker was one of thousands built by the Nazi's during the war. A spokeswoman for NH Hotel Group, the organization designing the new space, told NYT that the group is "aware of the history of the building" and that they "would like to send a positive signal to the city of Hamburg.
Thomas L. Doughton also spoke to NYT, expressing how "part of the concern with some people in Hamburg, as well as in other locations in Europe and elsewhere is that the real significance of some of these sites will become lost."
The hotel will include a 560 square foot exhibition space to commemorate the structure's past, seeking not to "hide the history," but instead "to make it more visible."
According to the article they didn't try to blow it up because the explosives needed would take the neighborhood with it.
Other travelers, he said, are drawn to the “pornographic” aspect of violence. “Dark tourism,” as the growing trade is known, involves profiting from places that were once sites of shame and horror, contributing to what Dr. Doughton calls the “gentrification of terror.”
Since once an air raid shelter, it might also be a good place for a cult of martyrdom—German.
Yuck.
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To complete the experience they need to fly the Nazi flag and staff it with slave laborers.
Stay away from the steam room in spa.
According to the article they didn't try to blow it up because the explosives needed would take the neighborhood with it.
Other travelers, he said, are drawn to the “pornographic” aspect of violence. “Dark tourism,” as the growing trade is known, involves profiting from places that were once sites of shame and horror, contributing to what Dr. Doughton calls the “gentrification of terror.”
Since once an air raid shelter, it might also be a good place for a cult of martyrdom—German.
Yuck.
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