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| How the Martinitower looks |
I bought a ticket and climbed the tower. First I thought: Maybe the tower is accessible for people with a disability. Then I saw the stairs and I thought: No. The 'Martinitoren' over 500 years old, people did not have tourists in mind back then. The stair has 251 steps, so you have to be fit in order to climb the tower. When you have reached the top of the stairs, you can see the view of the centre of Groningen from above. This is a wonderful sight.
But it is a pity this is not available for people with a disability. They also want to do the same things as other tourists. So they might want to watch Groningen from above.
I thought about dark tourism. Maybe the 'Martinitoren' is an example of a dark tourism attraction. Dark tourism means that you want to take a risk on your holiday (Buda, d'Hauteserre, Johnston, 2014). The risk could be going to a place which is very dangerous at the moment, like Syria now. But it can also be a dangerous activity, like bungee-jumping. Before I climbed the 'Martinitoren', I thought it might be a dark tourism attraction, because you climb to a certain height. When you have reached the top, you know it is a bit dangerous, because it is possible to fall down. So you're feeling excited and maybe a bit nervous. You want to take the risk. But when I had reached the top, I saw fences around the tower. Now it is not dangerous anymore. But people might still feel some excitement when they climb in the tower.
So the 'Martinitoren' is not accessible for people who cannot walk, or are not very fit. For the people who are able to climb the tower, it might be a bit like a dark tourism attraction, but not entirely. They may feel scared, but it is not dangerous, because of the fences.
So that was the 'Martinitoren'. I have done more things about which I will tell in my next blogpost.
References:
Buda, D.M., d'Hauteserre, A., Johnston, L. (2014). Feelings and tourism studies. Annals of Tourism Research, 46, 102-114.
I thought about dark tourism. Maybe the 'Martinitoren' is an example of a dark tourism attraction. Dark tourism means that you want to take a risk on your holiday (Buda, d'Hauteserre, Johnston, 2014). The risk could be going to a place which is very dangerous at the moment, like Syria now. But it can also be a dangerous activity, like bungee-jumping. Before I climbed the 'Martinitoren', I thought it might be a dark tourism attraction, because you climb to a certain height. When you have reached the top, you know it is a bit dangerous, because it is possible to fall down. So you're feeling excited and maybe a bit nervous. You want to take the risk. But when I had reached the top, I saw fences around the tower. Now it is not dangerous anymore. But people might still feel some excitement when they climb in the tower.
So the 'Martinitoren' is not accessible for people who cannot walk, or are not very fit. For the people who are able to climb the tower, it might be a bit like a dark tourism attraction, but not entirely. They may feel scared, but it is not dangerous, because of the fences.
So that was the 'Martinitoren'. I have done more things about which I will tell in my next blogpost.
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| Some views from the Martinitower |
Buda, D.M., d'Hauteserre, A., Johnston, L. (2014). Feelings and tourism studies. Annals of Tourism Research, 46, 102-114.
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