Imperial War Museum London (And similar organisations globally)

[LZ-129]

I recently visited the Imperial War Museum London for the first time in almost a quarter of a century and was not only captivated but humbled.

The building that houses the museum and its artefacts is an astounding beauty. Within are wonders from eras spanning from the First World War through to far more recent conflicts.

As awe inspiring as it was for an enthusiast of technology from the First and Second World War I foolishly didn’t anticipate how humbling the experience would be. Beyond many exhibits of machinery from the time as an entire section dedicated to the Holocaust. With moving pieces of victims clothing and personal belongings. Accompanied by footage from the time.

I would highly recommend a visit if you are UK based.

Aside from the primary part of my post I was curious to hear from people from across the globe whom have experiences with venues closer to them or perhaps sites they have traveled to visit and the emotions evoked within yourself.

(The photographs attached are my own from my visit a couple of weeks prior. All content is my own.)

 

[fresh_42]

I will never forget Verdun which I visited with my parents as a child. I cannot imagine a place that demonstrates the senselessness of war any better than this location. It's the ensemble that makes the impressions more than a single spot, e.g. the craters and bunkers in the landscape that can still be seen, or the ossuary. Everywhere you look you will encounter an unanswerable "why?".

 

[LZ-129]

I will never forget Verdun which I visited with my parents as a child. I cannot imagine a place that demonstrates the senselessness of war any better than this location. It's the ensemble that makes the impressions more than a single spot, e.g. the craters and bunkers in the landscape that can still be seen, or the ossuary. Everywhere you look you will encounter an unanswerable "why?".

That’s an amazing experience that I both equally envy and fear. There isn’t enough sand in the hourglass to comprehend such a place.

 

[fresh_42]

That’s an amazing experience that I both equally envy and fear. There isn’t enough sand in the hourglass to comprehend such a place.

On another occasion, I was looking for a specific grave in a cemetery nearby. It was the grave of a Sinto and I have been told it was extraordinarily beautiful. Well, I haven't found it. Instead, I found a small section where Russian soldiers from WWI had been buried. Reading the gravestones was a geography lesson about Russia, most places many thousands of kilometers away, and most of these soldiers weren't even 30 years old.

As for the technical part of your question, I have to pass. We have a different point of view here in Germany on military exhibits. The closest I came was a Russian sub and a training module of the MIR in the Europa-Park. However, walking through a one-to-one copy of the MIR was impressive.

 

[LZ-129]

On another occasion, I was looking for a specific grave in a cemetery nearby. It was the grave of a Sinto and I have been told it was extraordinarily beautiful. Well, I haven't found it. Instead, I found a small section where Russian soldiers from WWI had been buried. Reading the gravestones was a geography lesson about Russia, most places many thousands of kilometers away, and most of these soldiers weren't even 30 years old.

As for the technical part of your question, I have to pass. We have a different point of view here in Germany on military exhibits. The closest I came was a Russian sub and a training module of the MIR in the Europa-Park. However, walking through a one-to-one copy of the MIR was impressive.

I salute your dedication to walk amongst the graves.