Soviet theme park introduces ‘Gulag tourism’
By Raffael Agustus Smickles • Jan 25th, 2008 • Category: The FeedMickey Mouse, roller coasters, and cotton candy typify the average theme park. But in one Lithuanian town, those amenities are exchanged for belt whippings and some good old fashioned KGB interrogation.
It’s called “Gulag tourism.” And Grutas Park offers visitors a journey back to 1984 to remind citizens what life was like under Soviet rule. Organizers believe that for those old enough to remember life in the Soviet Union, visiting the park can be therapeutic, filled with old memorabilia and humor.
“There are still many in Lithuania who are sick with Soviet nostalgia,” said one organizer, “so we’ve started this show to help them recover.”
SOURCE: David Edwards and Adam Doster, The Raw Story
Raffael Agustus Smickles is from the hills of St. Mary. Raffael is a freelance writer, photographer without portfolio and a dedicated pan-Jamaicanist and Garveyite. While a strong believer in compassionate capitalism, he always locks the car-doors at the traffic-lights.
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