I’ve been to one of the sites in Berlin where they’ve preserved part of the wall. Known for bad reasons, but better than being forgotten.
[QUOTE=erie774]
Nuremburg (war crime trials)
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Nuremberg was not chosen at random to hold the war crimes trials. Some of the earliest National Socialist party conventions were held there, and it was an important city to the Nazi government. They built a site there for their rallies, including a parade grounds and (unfinished) congress hall. It was chosen for the trials in part for its signifigance in the rise of Nazism.
Salem, MA is quite proud of its creepy heritage, which is funny, because all of the “witches” lived in the western part of town that has since split of to become the town of Danvers.
The village of Sing Sing, NY was so unhappy with the connotation of their town, they changed the name to Ossining. Unfortunately for this tactic, the notorious prison on nearby Mt. Pleasant that shared the town’s former name briefly changed (or at least talked about changing) their name to Ossining State Prison. It is currently Sing Sing Prison.
I forgot another fun tidbit about Sarasota: it was the place where a woman was killed in front of her several toddler or younger children in a contract killing and they weren’t found for days(?). They’re so fun down there!
[QUOTE=Robot Arm]
I’ve been to one of the sites in Berlin where they’ve preserved part of the wall. Known for bad reasons, but better than being forgotten.
Nuremberg was not chosen at random to hold the war crimes trials. Some of the earliest National Socialist party conventions were held there, and it was an important city to the Nazi government. They built a site there for their rallies, including a parade grounds and (unfinished) congress hall. It was chosen for the trials in part for its signifigance in the rise of Nazism.
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Also, it has to be pointed out, the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg was chosen because it was large enough and it wasn’t damaged. I would imagine that it was hard to find a standing courthouse in post-war Germany.
I’ve been to Dachau, Germany. It’s a lovely suburb of Munich with a cute little castle. Schloss Dachau. And…there’s…some…other thing that people go to see. I can’t remember what it was.
Well, I live in Columbia, SC, site of the huge flag controversy. (They moved it off the dome of the capitol, so now it’s down in front on a pole where you can’t miss it. Sigh.) You can take it as a souvenir of several bad events - us getting our asses handed to us by the North, segregation, or the unfortunate events surrounding its eventual removal from the top of the State House.
[QUOTE=AndLuna]
It’s not exactly, uh, treated as a tourist attraction, though.
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The local council is missing a trick! I think you should write a white paper…
Well, give it a hundred years maybe - a few places in London capitalise on their connections with Jack the Ripper.
[QUOTE=casdave]
That Aberfan example is a good one, it surprises me that although 144 people were killed, the vast majority of children attedning the school that was engulfed, I wonder why the Universal pit disaster at Senghenydd is not much more widely known, since it killed more people.
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Or the Westhoughton Pretoria Pit disaster. It doesn’t even get a decent Wiki page.
[QUOTE=casdave]
That Aberfan example is a good one, it surprises me that although 144 people were killed, the vast majority of children attedning the school that was engulfed, I wonder why the Universal pit disaster at Senghenydd is not much more widely known, since it killed more people.
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I would guess it’s not better known because it was an explosion, IIUC, in a mine. Mining accidents, resulting in multiple fatalities, are sadly not uncommon.
Aberfan catches people’s imagination precisely because of the tragedy’s unexpected nature.
Miners (and their families) have some awareness of the risks involved in mining. Children and teachers (at least back then) have no expectation of being killed while attending school.