WSC 2024: Dark Tourism - Alcatraz Island History

Dark Tourism Sites

• Tours are conducted by knowledgeable guides who provide historical context and share moving stories of the individuals affected.

Titanic

• The RMS Titanic was a British passenger liner that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1912 after colliding with an iceberg during its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City.
• Over 1,500 people died in the disaster, making it one of the deadliest commercial peacetime maritime disasters in modern history.
• The wreck of the Titanic lies at a depth of about 3,800 meters (12,500 feet) and was discovered in 1985.
• Several museums and exhibitions around the world offer insights into the tragedy, including artifacts from the ship, personal stories of passengers and crew, and interactive displays.

Alcatraz

• Alcatraz Island, located in the middle of San Francisco Bay in California, USA, is infamous for having housed Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary from 1934 to 1963.
• The island was initially developed with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military prison.
• The penitentiary was established to incarcerate the most troublesome prisoners and was notorious for its high-security measures and harsh conditions faced by inmates.
• Over 1.5 million visitors annually visit the public museum and tourist attraction, which includes tours of the cellhouse, historic gardens, remnants of early military fortifications, and the iconic lighthouse.

Hiroshima

• Hiroshima became known worldwide after the atomic bomb was dropped on it on August 6, 1945, during World War II.
• The bomb, named "Little Boy," directly killed an estimated 70,000 people, with thousands more dying later from radiation exposure.

Paris Catacombs

• The Paris Catacombs are an extensive network of underground ossuaries in Paris, France, which hold the remains of more than six million people.
• The catacombs were created in the late 18th century to tackle the city's overflowing cemeteries and extend over 300 kilometers beneath the city's streets.
• The walls are lined with bones and skulls, arranged in a macabre display that fascinates visitors.

Auschwitz

• Auschwitz was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland during World War II and the Holocaust.
• More than 1.1 million men, women, and children lost their lives at the camps.
• Today, Auschwitz-Birkenau is a memorial and museum, preserving the remains of the camps to educate visitors about the atrocities committed and to honor the victims.

Explore the history of Alcatraz Island, known for its infamous former federal penitentiary which housed some of America's most troublesome prisoners. Learn about the island's origins as a military fortification, lighthouse, and military prison, and its transformation into a popular dark tourism destination.