Let's Do Some History: Visiting The Great Historic Sights of World War II

Whenever we look back at history, a multitude of events, from the bad to the really bad, to even the most extreme, seem to have culminated in certain time periods wherein the world used to dream for the peace humanity now currently has, despite the present peace being somewhat questionable. The second World War, which began on the 1st of September 1939 and ended on the 2nd of September 1945, is a fresh memory to those in their golden years, an elderly tale from the golden’s children, and a textbook information for the young, the hopefuls, the future. 

Now, although much of history has gone and faded away through time and human intervention, from the psyche to the continuous efforts to reconnect humanity’s torn ties, there are still certain points in the world, certain destinations for those who seek the past at present time. The great historic sights of World War II present a sort of insight to what was, and to where the world should be headed now. Empower yourself with the lessons of the past and deepen your understanding of how these events have accrued into the precious yet fragile peace humanity is presently fortifying in the continuous and endless effort towards true world peace. See for yourself the sights of the second World War: 

Anne Frank’s House

photo from: https://www.annefrank.org/en/museum/

With a diary recording her personal accounts of the Holocaust, Anne Frank and her name is already woven into the fabric of the history of World War II. Naturally, one of the most important aspects of her story is where it took place: her house.

Anne Frank, a German Jewish teenager, hid in this very house, along with her family, the van Pels family, and a man named Fritz Pfeffer, to evade the Nazis from capturing them. There were a total of 8 people that lived in the secret annex of the attic, which was hidden by a moveable bookcase. However, the group meets a tragic fate when their location is revealed to the Nazis. And in March 1945, Anne Frank died in Bergen-Belsen, and her father only discovered her diary later on, which was then published, reaching worldwide acclaim on the experiences of a teenage girl navigating her life through the horrific events of the war.

Presently, the house serves as a museum where tourists can witness for themselves the moveable bookcase that served as the group and Anne Frank’s lifeline, along with the cramped annex where they hid and lived. The original version of Anne Frank’s diary is also on display for people to see. 

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial

It was 1945, on the 6th of August, when the United States’ forces dropped the first-ever atomic bomb to hit human lands, specifically the city of Hiroshima, devastating its Japanese residents, not leaving any young or old person untouched by its sheer power of destruction. And only one infrastructure managed to survive the havoc it wreaked, which is now home to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. 

The domed structure was originally built in 1915 with the purpose of serving as an office building. Now, this building is now part of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park as a UNESCO World Heritage site, having certain tourist spots such as the museum to learn more about the past.

Yad Vashem 

photo from: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/yalta-conference

As both a museum and a memorial for the victims of the Holocaust, Yad Vashem is a place where over 6 million Jews and 5 million more from ethnic groups are remembered for their lives and for the suffering and genocide they underwent through the hands of the Nazis under Adolf Hitler. The location empowers visitors to understand and to never forget the past through photographs, personal accounts from the actual victims, information panels, and art installations. All of these recall the horrors of the Holocaust and why humanity must persevere to build a world where this act of pure evil never repeats again. 

In Yad Vashem’s The Hall of Names, it’s almost always certain that visitors will never leave unscathed, through tears or sympathy, as this hall is one of the most moving sights in the entirety of the museum and memorial. And its key element is the hole in the floor which recognizes and acknowledges, in a manner of symbolism, the nameless lives which have perished under the tyrannical rule of Hitler, giving them the chance to be mourned and remembered as well. 

The founders of this historic sight also honors the gentiles who have put their own lives on the line to save that of the Jews’ through the Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations. 

Auschwitz, Poland 

It is an undeniable fact that concentration and death camps are real and continue to horrify the people who come across the realities of our history. Auschwitz-Birkenau, widely known simply as Auschwitz, was the largest among the Nazis’ concentration and death camps, consisting of three camps in total and including a killing center. This camp, opened in 1940, is located south of Poland when the Germans occupied their territories. The camp was originally meant to serve as a place for political prisoners, a detention center. 

Auschwitz was open until 1942 and was closed come January of 1945 after it was liberated by the Soviet army. Approximately 1.1 million people lost their lives in this camp, including nearly 1 million Jews, and those who did not perish inside gas chambers were subject to forced labor. What made Auschwitz different is that, unlike other Nazi killing centers, this included a concentration camp, a labor camp, a crematoria, and large gas chambers all constructed to execute the mass murder of the population of Jews in Europe. 

Yalta, Crimea 

Held in February 1945, the Yalta Conference, also known as the Crimea Conference or the Argonaut Conference, was a discussion among the Heads of State of the World War II allies: the United States’ President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the United Kingdom’s British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and the Soviet Union’s Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin, with the objective of determining the reorganization of Europe after the war. It was conducted inside the Livadia Palace, a castle known as one of the best in Europe, which is located  along the coast of the Black Sea in the Peninsula of Crimea. But this place was and remains to be shrouded in controversy given the events that took place. 

Many Central European nations perceive the conference as the betrayal of the western, given that, despite continuously preaching their democratic rule and signing a number of pacts and military agreements, they allowed the Soviet Union to take control of smaller countries in the region, essentially turning some into communist states. The Big Three world powers enacted a sacrifice of freedom all for the sake of reaching stability, and many have come to believe that this has led to the power struggle of the proceeding Cold War. Their decisions and concessions, especially Roosevelt and Churchill, during the wartime meeting all resulted in another conflict-stricken and unstable world.