Concentration
camps have left deep scars on the landscape of Europe. They
are the physical testaments to the Nazi ideals of racial
superiority, and their approach to annihilating the Jewish
Race. Despite the negative connotations associated with
the camps, several have become major tourist ‘attractions’.
It is suggested that approximately six million visitors
each year visit six of the major museums and former camps
connected with the Holocaust. At many of the sites there
is, however, little or no interpretation. In this respect,
this paper discusses and contrasts the developed site at
Terezin and the largely ignored site at Lety, both located
in the Czech Republic. Terezin’s importance is related
to its notorious history as a concentration camp which incarcerated
Jews, following the Nazi occupation of the Czech lands.
Terezin is, however, now a significant tourist and visitor
attraction receiving more than 250,000 visitors per year.
In contrast, the camp at Lety was intended for the internment
of ‘anti-social’ Roma from Bohemia, and around
1,300 prisoners passed through it. Minimal interpretation
exists at this site today. It is underdeveloped, shows limited
investment and its site and buildings have been covered
and replaced with a large agricultural plant. This paper
will suggest that there are a number of reasons for the
varying levels of development at these sites beyond the
obvious difference related to whether or not the original
buildings are extant. |
