Military historical tourism in all countries of the world
Military-historical tourism is an active and at the same time informative type of recreation. As a rule, he is preferred by people who are interested in the legendary battles of the past, as well as those who want to feel like a heroic fighter and gain experience using modern weapons and equipment. In Western countries, tours are widespread in which an ordinary person becomes a real soldier for a week or two – he is engaged in combat training, shooting, and is training hard. Some US travel agencies semi-legally arrange trips to countries where the U.S. Army conducts operations for a given period of time. Military-historical tourism associated with excursions to museums and active military units is more common in Ukraine and the CIS countries. It can be divided into several main types.
Visiting the battlefields of past years and military-historical museums;
Shooting from firearms, grenade launchers and anti-aircraft mounts;
Driving in army jeeps, tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other ground equipment;
Helicopter and aircraft flights as a co-pilot;
Life in the army, participation in military training programs;
Excursions to various military facilities – missile silos, bunkers, training ranges.
Military-historical tourism in Ukraine and other countries of the near abroad is quite developed. Not least of all, this is due to the turbulent history of these territories, saturated with frequent wars. Since the period of Kievan Rus, Eastern Europe has been an arena of constant confrontation – from battles with the Mongol-Tatars and crusaders, to the Second World War. In Ukraine, military-historical tourism is also strongly associated with the island of Khortytsya, as well as other places associated with the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks. A large number of museums dedicated to World War II are available in the Crimea and Kiev.
The possibilities of military historical tourism
Military historical tourism provides an opportunity not only to learn a lot of interesting things about the great battles of the past, but also to gain personal experience using various types of weapons. Typically, tour operators for an affordable fee offer field trips or visits to military units with firing from a Kalashnikov assault rifle and a Makarov pistol. In some travel agencies you can find more non-standard options, involving, for example, firing from weapons of the Civil and World War I – Mosin rifles, Maxim machine guns, Nagan and Mauser pistols. Special tours can even include firing from a grenade launcher and hand-held anti-aircraft systems.
Military-historical tourism is quite popular, which involves riding on existing army equipment – tanks, armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles. In the framework of corporate leisure, battles between the Soviet T-34s and the German Tigers are organized at Russian tankodromes as part of corporate leisure. In this case, gunfire can be carried out by single shells or special paintballs filled with paint.
Perhaps the most expensive kind of military-historical tourism are flights on combat aircraft. They can take place with aerobatics, simulated aerial combat, climb to the stratosphere (up to 25 km) and acceleration to supersonic speed. In Ukraine, military-tourist flights are made from airfields located near Uman, Mirgorod and Ivano-Frankivsk. In this case, fighters and attack aircraft Su-27, MiG-31, MiG-25, as well as older models are most often used. According to the program, officially approved by the Ministry of Defense, tourists receive special uniforms, undergo professional instruction, and upon the results of flights, they are awarded memorable prizes and gifts.
Around the world, in various countries there are obelisks in honor of the participants and heroes of the war. It is we, representatives of the tourist community of greater Eurasia, who carefully preserve them. We teach history and collect relics, create museums and search squads.
We know that in addition to memorial complexes, there are also: modest obelisks on mass graves, military equipment installed in the places of past battles, memorial steles, solitary graves of heroic defenders, and memorial sites related to people and events of the heroic battle. Monuments not only in granite and marble, but also in music, literature, cinematography were erected in honor of the feat of the victorious peoples … ETO believes that this cultural and historical potential has great educational value for the military-patriotic feelings of the young generation. The acquaintance of compatriots, especially youth, with the military-historical heritage inherited from our ancestors is of invaluable educational value.
All monuments are objects of study of tourist routes and sightseeing shows and can be part of one or another sightseeing route, as well as independent objects of military-historical tourism. Currently, local museums, travel agencies and other tourism industry enterprises are conducting work in the development plan for this area together with ETO.
