Thanatourism at Grodno Castle in Zagórze Śląskie

Aleksandra Chlebicz, Paweł Konczewski

doi:10.37190/arc210409

Abstract

Thanatourism is a concept involving travel to sites associated with death and suffering. It is not a cult of death, but merely a form of tourism aimed at discovering places of human tragedy. Grodno Castle is a popular destination of thanatourists, as it features specific forms of attractions, namely a starvation dungeon with a displayed skeleton, a torture chamber, and burial crypts of the previous owners. The article discusses the phenomenon of the growing attractiveness of thanatourist places. Secondly, it presents the results of a study of human bone remains found in the starvation dungeon of Grodno Castle. The assumption was that the bone material could belong to the heroine of the legend of Princess Margaret (i.e. it could have been artificially assembled for the purposes of the exhibition) or it could come from the tombs of the last owners of the castle. An anthropological analysis was carried out, involving determination of the sex, age and other parameters, and appropriate measurements were taken. The analysis of the material showed that the remains belonged to at least three individuals of different ages, and both sexes (young woman, 19–22 years old; adult male, over 35 years old; mature woman, 45–55 years old). Most likely, some of the examined bones used to make up a displayed skeleton in the past. The article also presents findings of a survey conducted among tourists at Grodno Castle, concerning their characteristics, as well as their motivations for visiting. According to our findings, Grodno Castle is mostly visited by women aged 35–44 with higher education, who live within 100 km from the castle. The main motivations for their visit are their interests in the past and the opportunity to tour the castle. The most frequent feelings expressed by the tourists during their visit were curiosity and enjoyment. Thanatological elements did not attract much attention. The lookout tower turned out to be the best tourist attraction. The exhibitions of human remains, coffins and the torture chamber mostly aroused curiosity, compassion and sadness among the visitors.

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2021

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DOI: 10.37190/arc210409

Aleksandra Chlebicz*, Paweł Konczewski**

Thanatourism at Grodno Castle in Zagórze Śląskie

What is thanatotourism?

The German concentration camp in Auschwitz, mass

graves in Katyn Forest, Thailand after tsunami, war zones

(e.g., in Palestine) or ground zeroes (e.g., Ground Zero in

New York) – all of these places are tourist destinations.

While they are associated with death and suering, they also

serve to commemorate and document catastrophic events.

Travelling to such places is called thanatourism. The need

to isolate this concept as a subcategory of broadly dened

tourism arose at the end of the 20

century, when a growing

interest in this type of travel was rst observed, even though

the phenomenon is thought to date back to Christian pil-

grimages and gladiator games in the Roman Empire [1], [2].

But what drives people to travel to death sites? Firstly, it

is worth pointing out that not all of these sites are perceived

as connected to death by the visiting tourist, as the character

of death spaces varies

. It is believed that “dark” sites are

* ORCID: 0000-0001-5761-5362. Faculty of Chemistry, Wrocław

University of Science and Technology, e-mail: chlebicz.aleksandra@

gmail.com

** ORCID: 0000-0002-6326-8181. Faculty of Biology and Animal

Science, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences.

We currently distinguish 5 categories of thanatourism destinations

[3], [4]:

– visitation to sites of public death or sites serving as testimonies to

public death – such as gladiator games, crucixions, executions, sites of

natural disasters or terrorist attacks,

– visitation to places where mass or individual death has been re-

corded or discovered – such as former concentration camps (Auschwitz,

Gross-Rosen), sites of air accidents or incidents,

– visitation to sites and monuments commemorating the dead

– such as burial sites of famous people,

– visitation to sites not directly associated with an event, but only

displaying material evidence of death or staging the event – such as mu-

seums exhibiting murder weapons, instruments of torture, blood-stained

clothing, wax gures, or embalmed bodies,

– visitation to sites of death staging or simulation – such as combat

and battle re-enactments, religious depictions of the Passion of Christ.

non-commercial places with underdeveloped infrastruc-

ture, where tragedy has struck fairly recently. These are far

more controversial than “light” sites, which are either not

directly associated with tragic events or which merely stage

them, present material evidence, or commemorate them in

the form of monuments, crypts, and cemeteries [5].

According to Sławoj Tanaś [2], the motivations of

“thanatourists” may be divided into two groups. The rst

group, described as sacrum, consists of motivations stem-

ming from religion, empathy, identity, and remembrance.

These motivations are characteristic of an aware tourist

who wishes to pay their respects to the victims and is ori-

ented towards solemnity and contemplation. The second

group, described as profanum, consists of motivations in-

volving a thirst for knowledge, curiosity, entertainment,

and emotion. This group of motivations drives an unaware

tourist, for whom the death space is exciting, pop-cultural,

and informative. These people often take plenty of pho-

tographs with artefacts, sometimes causing damage, and

even commit theft. Scientic research also indicates that

a great role in shaping people’s motivations to make these

types of trips is played by today’s media, whose portray-

al of death (through reports, lms or games) invokes the

feeling of death’s universality, although the viewer does

not consider it as involving them directly. At the same

time, it is a sign of the times that “ugly” death stays out

of our sight – in hospitals and care homes – and our soci-

ety is oriented towards a happy, perfect life instead. This

arouses the desire to encounter death in a direct, but safe

way [2], [6].

A great role in thanatourism is also played by the sites

themselves, as they draw tourists through their advertising.

But why are these places even available to tourists? This

question is answered by Tanaś [2], who mentions three

main reasons. The sites may simply care for remembrance,

they may aim to spread information about human death

in an attempt to avoid future catastrophes and atrocities,

but they may also treat thanatourism as a way to benet

92 Aleksandra Chlebicz, Paweł Konczewski

nancially. Włodzimierz Kurek (as cited in [7]), on the

other hand, points out that leisure tourism revolving around

luxury hotels is currently being pushed aside by a type of

tourism that encourages deepening of knowledge, emo-

tional development, physical activities and excitement.

Grodno Castle in the context of thanatourism

Grodno Castle is located in the village of Zagórze

Śląs kie (Lower Silesia Voivodeship, Walim district), in

a nature reserve called Góra Choina, 450 m above sea

level. The rst written records of the castle date back to

1315. According to a 19

century tradition, it had been

erected much earlier, in the 11

or 12

century (Fig. 1). The

castle boasts many assets. The basic one is that it is one of

the best-preserved objects of its kind in Poland. Well-pre-

served relics of mediaeval and renaissance architecture

are an asset in itself. Tourists can also admire a pictur-

esque view from the castle tower over Bystrzyckie Lake,

as well as Wałbrzyskie and Sowie (Owl) Mountains [8].

Apart from the above-mentioned assets, Grodno Castle

also oers a tour of its chambers, whose nature has much

to do with death space, which is an intrinsic part of than-

atourism. Tourists are encouraged by the opportunity to

visit an underground torture chamber featuring replicas of

old instruments of torture. The neighbouring room holds

a crypt of the von Zedlitz family – the castle’s last own-

ers from before the World War II. Moreover, visitors are

drawn in by legends that accompany the castle’s history,

one of which tells a story of young Princess Margaret, who

falls in love with a young man. Their love is opposed by

the girl’s father, who chooses a dierent candidate for his

daughter – a wealthy, older man, who owns a neighbour-

ing castle. Refusing to marry her father’s pick, Margaret

pushes the old man o a steep boulder. The whole thing

is witnessed by the father, who then sentences the prin-

cess to death by starvation. The credibility of this legend

is supposed to be strengthened by a skeleton displayed in

the starvation dungeon (Figs. 2, 3). According to Marek

Dudziak [8], the skeleton has been displayed in the castle

Fig. 1. Grodno Castle

in Zagórze Śląskie

(photo by M. Świtulski)

Il. 1. Zamek Grodno

w Zagórzu Śląskim

(fot. M. Świtulski)

Fig. 2. Starvation dungeon

with the skeleton

of Princess Margaret,

(photo by P. Franieczek, 2018,

https://www.zycie.me/)

Il. 2. Loch głodowy ze szkieletem

księżniczki Małgorzaty,

(fot. P. Franieczek, 2018

https://www.zycie.me/)

 ThanatourismatGrodnoCastleinZagórzeŚląskie 93

since 1905, and the legend was invented to make the site

more attractive.

Anthropological study of human bone remains

One of the aims of this study was to determine the ori-

gin of the remains found in the castle. We started with two

hypotheses. According to the rst one, the remains could

have belonged to a member of the von Zedlitz family, as

was suggested by empty cons in the crypt next to the

torture chamber. The premise of the second hypothesis

was that the bone material was made up of earlier exhibits.

The anthropological analysis was performed on a bone

material discovered in the southern part of the starvation

dungeon

. The material involved a skull, two right femurs,

two left hip bones, a left humerus, a left talus bone, a left

tibia and a rib fragment. The features of the rib led us to

the conclusion that it belonged to an animal, and the rest

of the remains were human material. It was established

that the bone material belonged to at least 2 individuals. In

order to determine the sex, we conducted morphological

analysis of the skull and hip bones. We took appropriate

measurements

and calculated relevant anthropometric

The anthropological examination was not carried out on the hu-

man skeleton displayed in the starvation dungeon as the remnants of

princess Margaret. This skeleton was brought to the castle in the 1970s

from the collection of the Anthropology Department of the University

of Wrocław.

The bones were measured in line with Martin’s method (after: [9]).

indicators. Based on this method, we established that

the bones belonged to individuals of both sexes. We also

analysed the age of the individuals at the time of death.

This allowed us to indicate that the material came from

people of dierent ages belonging to juvenis and adultus

cohorts

. We also analysed lesions and pathology. During

the analysis, we observed remnants of wires and holes left

by wires on some of the bones, which could mean that the

bones used to be a part of a display skeleton.

The data collected as a result of the anthropological

analysis allowed us to reach a rm conclusion that the

human bones from the starvation dungeon belonged to at

least 3 individuals:

– a young woman (19–22 years),

– an adult man (over 35 years),

– a mature woman (44–55 years).

The obtained information, in conjunction with the fact

that the crypt of the last owners contained the remains of

two men – Ferdynand Maksymilian von Zedlitz and his

son Franz Robert – may suggest that the adult man could

have been one of the aforementioned gentlemen, however

the evidence is not sucient to make a rm conclusion

in this regard. Undoubtedly, some of the analysed bones

used to constitute a display skeleton, as evidenced by the

remnants of wires and the holes left by them. It is unlikely,

Age estimation categories used [9]: Infans I (early childhood to

6–7 years), Infans II (late childhood to 12–14 years), Juvenis (adoles-

cence to 18–22 years), Adultus (adults to 30–35 years), Maturus (ma-

tures to 50–55 years), Senilis (elderly ca. 60 years).

Fig. 3. Plan of Grodno Castle

with the location

of the starvation dungeon

(www.medievalheritage.eu.pl,

compiled by A. Chlebicz)

Il. 3. Plan zamku Grodno

z lokalizacją lochu głodowego

(wg www.medievalheritage.eu.pl,

oprac. A. Chlebicz)

94 Aleksandra Chlebicz, Paweł Konczewski

The visitors most often learnt about the castle from

friends and family (39.1% of the respondents), from trav-

el guides (23.4%) and on the Internet (21.6%). Informa-

tion channels such as television, the press, radio, or other

sources constituted a minority (15.9% altogether). Few

people were visiting the castle by chance (6.3%). Usual-

ly the visit was the main goal (43.8%) or a part of a trip

(49.8%). The respondents were most often travelling with

family/loved ones (59.8%) or with friends (24.0%), less

often with an organised group (11.1%) or alone (5.0%).

The respondents’ motivations for visiting Grodno Cas-

tle were divided into two categories in line with the availa-

ble literature [10] – push factors (pertaining to the tourists

themselves, i.e., what had “pushed” them to make certain

decisions, Fig. 4) and pull factors (the assets of the site

itself that had encouraged the tourists to visit, Fig. 5). The

respondents could choose more than one of the available

options. One of the purposes of the questions about moti-

vations was to determine whether the thanatourist oer of

Grodno Castle constituted the main factor that pulled the

tourists in, or not.

The analysis of the answers allowed us to conclude

that thanatourist attractions, such as the torture chamber

or the dungeon with the princess’s skeleton are not the

main interest of visitors to Grodno Castle. It turns out that

the strongest push factor among the visitors was their in-

terest in the past (26.2%), curiosity (23.0%) and a thirst

for knowledge (12.8%). As for the pull factors, the re-

spondents mostly chose the opportunity to tour the castle

(32.2%), the opportunity to see a well-preserved castle

“live” (22.0%) and the lookout tower (19.3%).

To complement the study of thanatourism, the tourists

were asked about the feelings they experienced while tour-

however, that these remains constituted elements of a sin-

gle exhibit, as it would have been anatomically incorrect

(apart from dierent ages at death, the skeleton would

have been composed of two left hip bones or two right

femurs), making it dicult or impossible to assemble it.

In conclusion, it is assumed that the human bones found

in the starvation dungeon most likely belonged to the last

owners of the castle as well as to an exhibit older than the

one displayed currently.

Attractiveness of the castle’s offer

in the eyes of the tourists

The second aim of the study of thanatourism within

the context of Grodno Castle was to determine the char-

acteristics and motivations of its visitors. To this end, we

prepared a survey, which was disseminated between 10

and 24

November 2018 electronically (as a Google form

shared mainly with people interested in Lower Silesia)

and on 10

and 11

November 2018 directly among tour-

ists visiting Grodno Castle. The obtained material com-

prised 108 physical copies and 228 digital copies of the

survey – 336 copies in total. Of those, 21 were discarded

(mainly from the physical version) due to a considerable

number of questions being unanswered, which means that

the total of 315 copies were submitted for nal analysis.

The survey contained 22 questions, both single and mul-

tiple choice, which provided the following information

after analysis. Hence, Grodno Castle is mostly visited by:

– women (60.0%),

– aged 35–44 (34.3%),

– with higher education (56.2%),

– living within 100 km of the castle (62.5%).

Fig. 4. Motivations of visitors

to Grodno Castle in Zagórze

Śląskie – push factors

(elaborated by A. Chlebicz)

Il. 4. Charakterystyka motywacji

odwiedzających zamek Grodno

w Zagórzu Śląskim

– czynniki push

(oprac. A. Chlebicz)

 ThanatourismatGrodnoCastleinZagórzeŚląskie 95

ing the whole castle. Most of the respondents pointed to cu-

riosity (69.1%) and enjoyment (52.8%). While touring just

the thanatourist assets (torture chamber, starvation dun

geon),

the majority of the respondents chose curiosity (57.0%),

compassion/empathy (45.4%) and sadness (28.7%).

In summary, according to the respondents the most

attractive asset of Grodno Castle was its lookout tower

(37.3%). The starvation dungeon obtained 11.2% of the

votes, and the torture chamber – 7.8%. As much as 47.3%

of the respondents claimed that they did not associate the

site with death and suering, while 29.8% stated to the

contrary (the rest had no opinion). These ndings corrob-

orate the aforementioned data obtained in the course of

the study.

Conclusions

To sum up the above, one may ask, what direction

should Grodno Castle take when developing its oer. The

ndings of the study presented herein clearly show that

of all the attractions listed by the castle, those associated

with death space were not the most popular among the

respondents. Nevertheless, they still constitute a distin-

guishing feature of the castle. The obtained results suggest

that Grodno Castle should develop its oer addressed to

families with children/friends who wish to enjoy their free

time. This is because tourists do not perceive the castle

as a death space. The most popular features are the castle

walls themselves as well as the lookout tower. Therefore,

it seems reasonable to invest in essential renovation of

these places without overwhelming the castle with mod-

ern infrastructure, as many of the visitors are interested in

the past and are appreciative of the fact that they can view

a well-preserved castle to “travel back in time”, as it were.

Towards the end of the survey, the respondents were

encouraged to voice their opinions on the castle’s opera-

tion. The comments were both positive and negative. Most

of the time, the respondents praised the knowledge of the

guides and the quality of their work, but they also pointed

out that the exhibition and cleanliness could be improved.

The survey ndings allow us to conclude that the replica

of the torture chamber and the invented legend about the

princess are hardly attractive to a contemporary tourist.

As for the human remains in the starvation dungeon, al-

though it was not unambiguously established whom they

belonged to, the anthropological analysis does provide

us with some valuable suggestions pertaining to further

study – for example genetic testing to establish whether

the material contains the remains of the castle’s pre-war

owners. These tests may have a practical aspect, as their

ndings may be used to promote the castle. In general, it

would also be relevant to include the continued study of

the castle in the management strategy for the cultural her-

itage (the castle) and the strategy for tourist development

in Walim district.

Translated by

eCORRECTOR

Fig. 5. Motivations of visitors

to Grodno Castle in Zagórze

Śląskie – pull factors

(elaborated by A. Chlebicz)

Il. 5. Charakterystyka motywacji

odwiedzających zamek Grodno

w Zagórzu Śląskim – czynniki pull

(oprac. A. Chlebicz)

References

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“Teksty Drugie” 2012, Nr 3, 174–186.

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10.18778/7525-924-7.

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rowej, “Peregrinus Cracoviensis” 2006, Nr 17, 85–100.

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and macabre related tourist sites, attractions and exhibitions,

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wmediachjakopróbaprzekroczeniatabuśmierciiumierania, [in:]

96 Aleksandra Chlebicz, Paweł Konczewski

Abstract

Thanatourism at Grodno Castle in Zagórze Śląskie

Thanatourism is a concept involving travel to sites associated with death and suering. It is not a cult of death, but merely a form of tourism aimed

at discovering places of human tragedy. Grodno Castle is a popular destination of thanatourists, as it features specic forms of attractions, namely

a starvation dungeon with a displayed skeleton, a torture chamber, and burial crypts of the previous owners. The article discusses the phenomenon

of the growing attractiveness of thanatourist places. Secondly, it presents the results of a study of human bone remains found in the starvation dun-

geon of Grodno Castle. The assumption was that the bone material could belong to the heroine of the legend of Princess Margaret (i.e. it could have

been articially assembled for the purposes of the exhibition) or it could come from the tombs of the last owners of the castle. An anthropological

analysis was carried out, involving determination of the sex, age and other parameters, and appropriate measurements were taken. The analysis of the

material showed that the remains belonged to at least three individuals of dierent ages, and both sexes (young woman, 19–22 years old; adult male,

over 35 years old; mature woman, 45–55 years old). Most likely, some of the examined bones used to make up a displayed skeleton in the past. The

article also presents ndings of a survey conducted among tourists at Grodno Castle, concerning their characteristics, as well as their motivations for

visiting. According to our ndings, Grodno Castle is mostly visited by women aged 35–44 with higher education, who live within 100 km from the

castle. The main motivations for their visit are their interests in the past and the opportunity to tour the castle. The most frequent feelings expressed

by the tourists during their visit were curiosity and enjoyment. Thanatological elements did not attract much attention. The lookout tower turned out

to be the best tourist attraction. The exhibitions of human remains, cons and the torture chamber mostly aroused curiosity, compassion and sadness

among the visitors.

Key words: death tourism, dark tourism, tourists’ motivations, human remains, anthropological analysis

Streszczenie

Tanatoturystyka na zamku Grodno w Zagórzu Śląskim

Tanatoturystyka to termin oznaczający podróżowanie do miejsc związanych ze śmiercią i cierpieniem. Nie jest ona kultem śmierci, a jedynie

formą turystyki, która ma na celu poznanie miejsc tragedii ludzkiej. W obszar zainteresowania tanatoturystyki wpisuje się zamek Grodno ze względu

na to, że posiada on specyczne formy atrakcji: loch głodowy ze szkieletem „księżniczki Małgorzaty”, salę tortur oraz krypty grobowe poprzednich

właścicieli. W artykule omówiono zjawisko rosnącej atrakcyjności miejsc tanatoturystycznych. W dalszej kolejności przedstawiono wyniki badań

ludzkich szczątków kostnych z lochu głodowego. Przyjęto założenie, że materiał kostny mógł być elementem starszych szkieletów, które dawniej

eksponowano jako szczątki „księżniczki Małgorzaty”. Omawiane szczątki ludzkie mogły również pochodzić z tzw. krypty grobowej ostatnich wła-

ścicieli zamku. Przeprowadzono analizę antropologiczną, podczas której dokonano oceny m.in. płci i wieku oraz wykonano stosowne pomiary.

Analiza materiału osteologicznego pozwoliła wskazać, że odnalezione szczątki należały do co najmniej trzech osobników w różnym wieku, obu płci

(młoda kobieta, 19–22 lata; dorosły mężczyzna, ponad 35 lat; dojrzała kobieta, 45–55 lat). Najpewniej niektóre z badanych kości rzeczywiście sta-

nowiły w przeszłości szkielet ekspozycyjny. W artykule podano też ustalenia dotyczące charakterystyki osób odwiedzających zamek Grodno, a także

motywacji ich przyjazdu, wynikające z ankiety przeprowadzonej wśród turystów. Wyniki badań ankietowych wskazały, że zamek Grodno najczęściej

odwiedzały osoby: płci żeńskiej; mające 35–44 lat; z wykształceniem wyższym; mieszkające w Polsce w promieniu 100 km od zamku. Głównymi

motywacjami przyjazdu okazały się zainteresowanie przeszłością i możliwość zwiedzenia zamku. Podczas zwiedzania turystom najczęściej towarzy-

szyły zaciekawienie oraz przyjemność. Elementy o charakterze tanatologicznym nie cieszyły się większym zainteresowaniem. Największą atrakcją

turystyczną okazała się wieża zamkowa i panorama gór widoczna z jej szczytu. Ekspozycje szczątków ludzkich, trumien i izba tortur najczęściej

wywoływały wśród odwiedzających zaciekawienie, współczucie i smutek.

Słowa kluczowe: turystyka śmierci, ciemna turystyka, motywacje turystów, szczątki ludzkie, analiza antropologiczna

A. Gralczyk, M. Laskowska, P. Drzewiecki (red.), Media wobec

śmierci, t. 2, Dom Wydawniczy ELIPSA, Warszawa 2012, 17–28.

[7] Popiel M., Darktourismjakoelementinnowacyjnościbiurpodróży,

“Przedsiębiorczość – Edukacja” 2012, Nr 8, 386–395.

[8] Dudziak M., ZamekGrodno–dzieje,tajemnice,legendy, Wydaw-

nictwo Replika, Zakrzewo 2017.

[9] Malinowski A., Bożiłow W., Podstawyantropometrii.Metody,tech

niki,normy, PWN, Warszawa 1997.

[10] Yuill S.M., Darktourism:understandingvisitormotivationatsites

of death and disaster, MA thesis, Texas A&M University, College

Station, Texas, 2003, http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/89.