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Dark Tourism in Auvergne
I'm going to talk about dark tourism sites in France. There are numerous sites in my country
but I chose to presentate two sites in the region where I live.
First, I'd like to talk about Gergovia, a Gallic city at the gates of Clermont-Ferrand. An
important battle between Julius Caesar and Vercingetorix took place there.
Second, I'll move on to the Mont Mouchet, where a famous group of French resistance
fighters established a maquis during the Second World War. Finally, I'll explain and analyze the
results of my survey.
First of all, I'd like to locate the region Auvergne. She is in the Centre of the France. The
region is divided in four departments : Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Gergovia is
an important dark tourism site in Puy-de-Dôme.
I. Gergovia
A long time ago the Auvergne was a part of Gaul. In the 2nd century BC Gaul was an
independent region which forms today France, Belgium, Luxembourg and a part of Swiss, Germany
and Netherlands. Approximately 60 tribes lived in Gaul. Among them, the Arverni people lived in
the North of the Massif Central, this area coincide with the borders of the modern Auvergne.
This people was reputed rich, powerful and very influential on a large number of Gallic
populations. Their reputation was spread by the antic writers who spoke about « Arverni Empire ».
From the 2nd century BC, they began to built their most important cities in strategic sites. They were
permanently inhabited and difficult to reach because they was protected by natural defense. Caesar
will called them « Oppida » when he encountered this cities during his military campaign. The
Arverni people traded coins, craft with the other Gallic tribes. The three oppida Corent, Gondole
and Gergovia form the Arverni capital in the middle of the 1st century BC.
At the same time, Julius Caesar, the roman's leader decided to invade the independent Gallic
territory. It was the start of the Gallic wars that would last seven years from 58 to 51 BC. During six
years, Caesar and his roman armies accumulating victory and pillaging towns in Gaul. In 52 BC, the
Gallic peoples rebelled against roman occupation. At this time a young Arverni chieftain called
Vercingetorix rallied several Gallic tribes. After five days' march the Roman army arrived in the
Oppidum of Gergovia. Caesar decided to set up his camp in the plain down below the mountains.
He wanted to besiege the oppidum occupated by the gallic forces.Vercingetorix and his armies
repulsed the attacks of the romans and finally the outcome of the besiege was in favour of Gallics.
Today, this battle is still one of the greatest battle of the Gallic Wars.
In 1862 Napoleon the 3rd came to Gergovia called up until then Merdogne. He decided to
rename this village because of the Gallic victory against the Romans. The emperor wanted to
reinforce the national feeling with the high memory sites. In fact the 19th century was the period of
the national state. So each national state started to try to differentiate and to built his own national
history. It was also the began of more intensive excavations in the site during the 19th century. This
excavations revealed the potential of the site, so a group of people decided to create an association
in 1990 to promote the Gergovia site, develop studies and researches in archeology, history and
natural science.
Few years later the authorities in collaboration with the association decided to create the
« Home of Gergovia ». This place welcomes temporary exhibitions, the tourism office, a shop and
especially an interpretation centre. This strucuture is kind of museum but in more fun, she is
considerate like a tool for the heritage promotion. It's a way to communicate with the visitors about
the place they visiting. Most of the time this places suggest interactiv visit with a lot of educational
tools. So, here the strucuture explains the geological aspects of the site, the human life in Neolithic,
the Iron age, the creation of an oppidum and especially the battle of Gergovia.
In 2011, 13 500 visitors came in the Home of Gergovia and more than 6 000 have visited the
interpretation centre. Some people come for the historicals aspects but a lot of them come also for
the extraordinary panorama on Clermont-ferrand and the Chaîne des Puys. The geological aspect
allows to organize event like Cervolix a very famous kite festival which welcomes approximately
30 000 visitors every year. So the Communauté de Communes which managed the tourist
developments have decided to extend the welcoming space. This year, a new project called « The
Home of Gergovia 2 » started. The structure will be completly refurbish in a new building with a
parking, a projection room and the others things already present. The buildings works will be
finished in 2015. So, Gergovia is a renowed place for tourism but the authorities try to increase the
frequenting. For instance, they created in 2006 the event « The Arverniales ». It's a Gallic
archeoparty in the plateau of Gergovia. This event take place every year during 2 days in July. The
aim is to recreate the everydaylife of the gallics and the romans in the 1st century BC. So, they
reconstruct a gallic and a roman camp where the aspects of civil and military life are explained and
a Gallic Tavern « the Auberge of Popillos » The manifestation suggests also initiation to
excavations, arts and crafts. A great moment is the historical reconstruction of battles between
gallics and romans. There is also a gallics tanks show. During the two days, the Home of Gergovia
suggests guided tour of the plateau and documentary films. Approximatly 10 000 visitors came
every year to the event.
Now, I'd like to turn your attention on the impact of the site promotion with an example. I
mentioned earlier a craze for the battle in the 19th century. It was in this period that people started to
think that the Arverni are bearded and with a good head of hair. A representation which stays in the
minds even today. The comics Asterix diffused more widely this idea with his village of
indomitable gallics. Actually it is totally untrue because a gold coin depicting the Arverni chieftain
Vercingetoix discovered in Gergovia shows that he was not bearded at all. So, I think we have to
take precautions with the way to communicate about missing person or historical event. A little
wrong idea can stays in the mind for several years.
To conclude this part, Gergovia still today a major place in the history of Gaul and also a
symbol of resistance against enemy in France. This leads me to the Mont Mouchet an another
important place of resistance in France.
II. Mont Mouchet
Now, let's move on to the second part. Here I will talk about the Second World War and
especially about the resistance against nazi forces. A famous place in Auvergne is the Mont
Mouchet a 1,497 metres high mountain of the Margeride massif covered with a very dense forest.
He is located on the borders of Cantal, Haute-Loire and Lozère in the commune of Auvers. This
place is famous thanks to the battle between the French resistants fighters and the nazis troops in
1944 and was called the « Maquis duMont Mouchet » (maquis in refere to the very dense vegetation
of Corsica). He was the 2nd biggest maquis of France after the maquis of Vercors.
I'll say more about this later, first I'd like to explain the situation in 1944 in France and in Auvergne.
The France was divided in two parts : an occupied zone in the north and a free zone in the
south since the armistice signed by Petain and the Vichy regime in June the 22th 1940. The major
part of Auvergne was in free zone. At this time, a little group of french people refused the
artimistice and wanted to liberate France. June the 18th 1940 Charles De Gaulle « call upon all
Frenchmen who want to remain free to follow [him] » on the BBC. It was the beginning of
resistance.
Petain decided to install his government in Vichy in 55 km from Clermont-Ferrand. It's in
Clermont-Ferrand that De Gaulle have been sentences to death August the 2nd 1940. In 1941
resistance begins to get organized in the Puy-de-Dôme. One of the firsts resistance movements
established their camp in Gergovia. Due to her special situation toward the government and her
relief the region Auvergne was a region which resisted a lot. Numerous resistance movements were
created especially in 1942 after the invasion of the free zone by the german army. One of the most
famous was the MUR (Unified Movements of Resistance) created in 1943. He rallied the major
movements of the free zone. In 1944 London announce the imminence of the Normandy landings.
So, in may 1944 the chief of the MUR decided to create 3 « réduits » ( a place very difficult to
reach which permits to hide the resistance fighters scattered in the mounts of Auvergne and to
organize the movement). Their function were to prevent the progress of the german troops toward
Normandy. One of them was the Mont Mouchet. In 15 days 2700 mens get to the Mont Mouchet.
The maquis was managed by Colonel Gaspard and the maquisard were relatively well armed. June
the 10th 1944 the German attacked the maquis all day long but finally they were forced to replied.
The following day approximatly 2800 germans headed for the Mont Mouchet but once more they
were repulsed. However the resistance fighters ran away to the réduit of the Truyère in Cantal. The
last attack of the german June the 20th forced the maquisard to scattered in the Cantal but without
heavy losses. After the battles of the Mont Mouchet persons in charge of the Resistance decided to
changed their stategies to form little groups of resistants fighters. Finally, the differents groups
gathered together in july in the French Forces of the Interior (FFI) managed by the Colonel
Gaspard. August the 31th 1944 The FFI of Auvergne finished, on their own, the liberation of the
region.
Today, there is a National memorial for the French resistance fighters and for the maquis of
France. This monument depict two maquisards with their arms and the coat of arms of the highest
groups of resistance. Alongside the memorial there is also a Museum of Resistance which focus on
Auvergne resistance. The museography is planed for adults and childrens. For the latter a story in
comics recount the greatest moments which stand out this place. Two characters Lucien and Pierrot
gets to the Mont Mouchet and we follow their lifes until the end of the war. This comics allows for
the childrens to learn the history in a playful way. For the adults, they can follow the facts in
chronological order with authentics tools, documents and videos. Several very good friezes
explained the progress of the war. As a destination of « Region of Art and History » they suggest on
the summer holiday guided tour of the museum and of the forest.
In fact, the Mont Mouchet is above all a classified natural site for his exceptional geography.
So today the authorities wanted to combine heritage and nature in the site to pull the tourists. In
fact, in the 90's the museum have welcomed up to 30 000 visitors but since few years the
frequenting doesn't stop to reduce. We can explain that with the death of the most of the old
resistants fighters and their families. The new generation shows less interest than the people who
lived the war.
So, in 2009 the authorities decided to integrate the Mont Mouchet in a more vast touristic
unity. The aim was to give a new tourist qualification.They focus the tourist attraction on the
exceptional geography with thematic hiking pathes, discovery of fauna and flora. They had also
created a new museography (that I have described earlier). The region decided to buy the inn
located near the museum for the welcoming of the visitors. The goal of all the developments is to
promote the site as an exceptional destination for memory and nature.
Finally, we can wonder what are the expectations of this new generation. And it is what I
tried to analyze in my last part.
III. Survey analyze
Indeed, for the generation who didn't know the war what represents the memorial sites? And
first, what the dark tourism concept means ? For the students of my country that I have questionned
this concept is directly linked with war and death. Most of them think that this kind of tourism
allows to remember the past events which took place in the place they visit. For some, dark tourism
is also a cultural tourism, in the way that he provides general knowledge. It's a way to take over the
history. The national sites are essentials for the comprehension and the discovery of a country and
his culture. They also permit to understand the history of a region or a city. But for half the people it
also kind of a lesson, as it allows to study the causes and consequences of major history events,
such as the world wars. Visiting significant sites forces to face the reality, and so permits to avoid to
reproduce the past mistakes. To go to memorial sites is also a tribute to the victims, a way of
respecting the persons who died for the causes they defended. A small part of the pooled students
reminds that dark tourism won't be an alibi for the thirst for dark, blood, morbid for some.
Three-quarters of the pooled feel good with the dark tourism concept. But only the half are
relatively interested to visite places related to war, disaster, death or suffering. Most of the sites they
visited are linked with the two world wars. Most mention are Oradour sur Glane a village massacre
by the nazis four days after the Normandy landings to revenge, rightly the beaches of the landings,
various cemeteries and museum and the battlefields of 1st World War in the south eastern of France.
Only few peoples have visited some dark tourism sites abroad. The destinations evoke are Pompei
in Italy, Ronda in Spain, Berlin in Germany and Chile. One person says that she has never visited a
dark tourism site. None of them told me about a new potential place which could be considered as
« dark tourism » attractions. All the places evoked are already existed as a tourism sites.
All the pooled students come into this places to better understand and to learn more of what
happened. And also to better understand the heritage of places they visit. For the ¾ the visit allows
to make the event real for them but doesn't help them to feel empathy with the victims. For the half
the tour permit them to feel closer with their heritage and they come because they want to « see it in
order to believe it ». Finally, none of them comes because it's a tourist attraction or because they are
interested in seeing sites linked to death or suffering. It is not also to have an emotional experience.
So, I mentioned earlier the fact that the dark tourism concept is directly linked with war and
death. Indeed, the destinations evoke in first are always sites linked to the two Worlds Wars. I think
that it is because they are recent events so they are staying in our mind. But it is also because they
are very strong and significant memories, especially fort the 2nd World War, even for the generation
who didn't lived the war. But when peoples take time to think they find several places that they don't
consider as dark tourism attraction until then such as Gergovia or Pompei. I think it is because they
are very old destinations, more or less renowned. Over the years visitors don't consider the death or
the war in the same way. More the event are old less the people feel the tragedy so they have a more
distant look. I think it can be a good thing for the tourism because they are less ethicals problems.
For example in Oradour sur Glane use the site for tourism is very complicated because the families
of the deaths are opposed to the restoration of the site. It is understandable but it can be leads to the
disappearance of the site. And in the same way, to the oblivion.
Conclusion
So, this presentation shows that tourism is not always easy in memorial sites. A fall of the
frequenting seems inevitable after the death of the persons directly concered. We need to find a
complement attraction to pull tourists. Sometimes the memorial sites are inextricably linked to a
special landscapes. So, combine memory and discovery of the nature seems pertinent for the places
less renowed .
In France, the question of who managed and leaded the site is going to become a problem.
Indeed, most of the site lived thanks to association of war veterans. But they will died in the next
decades. So dark tourism are an interesting way to keep alive these sites. All more since the new
generation seems relatively interested by this kind of tourism.