How to make money out of air, water, forest or books? Some tourism objects are alive only thanks to the beautiful legends and gullibility of tourists. We will tell you what the guides are cunning and the guidebooks are silent about: all these sights are at least controversial and dubious, at the maximum - fake and invented, but this does not prevent them from attracting travelers from all over the world.
Six birthplaces of Columbus
In Genoa, you will be shown the house where little Christopher Columbus lived. However, this house was built in the XVII-XVIII centuries, and Columbus was born in 1451. Little problem? This is not so bad! Six cities in Spain and Italy claim the title of the homeland of the future navigator and discoverer of America, and there is no compelling evidence that he was born in Genoa, in a house that is not even an original, but just a reconstruction. The original building was destroyed by the French in the 17th century. You might as well visit the Columbus house in the Spanish city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, where there is a museum dedicated to the famous voyages of sailors. It is at least known about him that Columbus did stay there. True, only once, in 1492, it was forced: he waited until his ship was repaired. And the building is not original,and rebuilt in 1777. So it cannot be said about this house that its walls remember Columbus himself.
Columbus House in Genoa, Italy
House of Columbus in the Spanish city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
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Five tombs of Jesus Christ
In Japan, there is a rather strange place for most Christians: the tomb of Jesus Christ. It is located in the village of Shingo in the north of the country. There are two crosses on the grave: one symbolizes the crucified Christ, and the other - his brother Isukiri. Japanese Christians believe that Jesus did not die, his selfless brother died for him in Jerusalem, and the Son of God himself spent his early years near Tokyo, then traveled to the Middle East, where the events described in the Bible took place. After the crucifixion of his brother, he returned to Japan through Siberia and Alaska and quietly lived to 106 years in the village of Shingo.
There are at least four more tombs of Christ in the world: three in Jerusalem and one in the Indian state of Kashmir.
The grave of Jesus Christ in the village of Singo
View of the sarcophagus inside the tomb of Jesus, Srinagar, Kashmir
20th century remake: Stonehenge
Guides and tour guides present British Stonehenge as an ancient stone structure, one of the most famous and mysterious archaeological sites on the planet. Scientists regularly publish research on how and why the ancient people lined these giant boulders in a circle. Various versions were put forward: Stonehenge was declared either a sanctuary of the Druids, or an astronomical calendar, or a cemetery, or a center for spiritual practices and healing. However, not a single guidebook publishes photographs of the large-scale reconstruction of the monument, which was carried out in the 20th century. These footage, recently leaked to the Web and making a splash, prove that Stonehenge is no longer what it was in antiquity. In 1958, it was dismantled almost to the ground and rebuilt using modern technology and concrete. At the same time, attempts at restructuring were made earlier - from 1901. Archaeologists raised and placed the fallen stones in their own way, so that modern Stonehenge can be considered a building of the Druids with a big stretch. Today it is a well-executed renovation and a popular tourist attraction.
Two poles of cold
The Yakutsk village of Oymyakon positions itself as the pole of cold - the coldest place on Earth. This attracts numerous lovers of exotic and extreme sports to the remote northern settlement. Yakut travel agencies are successfully selling tour packages under the name "Expedition to the Pole of Cold". Oymyakons are busy in the tourist business, they introduce visitors to the way of life, rituals, nature of the North, hold thematic events: the festival "Oymyakon - Pole of Cold" and the Yakut holiday Ysyakh. However, in fact, the title of the pole of cold is still the subject of disputes between Oymyakon and Verkhoyansk. And to be absolutely precise, the record temperature in Verkhoyansk was lower than that of the competitor by 0.1 ° С, amounting to -67.8 ° С in 1885. The Verkhoyansk Museum of Local Lore is officially called the Ulus Museum "Pole of Cold". At the same time, the memorable sign "Pole of Cold" was installed in Verkhoyansk,and in Oymyakon.
Yakutsk village Oymyakon
Verkhoyansk
Loch Ness: money out of thin air
Could the Scottish Loch Ness count on worldwide fame if there was no legend about a mysterious monster? In search of him, tourists from all over the world go with a guide and without. An entire industry has developed under the brand of a nonexistent monster, with hotels, restaurants, boats and travel agencies named after him. And how many souvenirs are sold thanks to the mythical Nessie - they are innumerable! However, tourists who come to Loch Ness often feel deceived and disappointed, as they expect something fabulous and extraordinary, but in fact they see the most ordinary lake, rather boring terrain and no signs of the life of a monster.
City of Romeo and Juliet
Did William Shakespeare know when he wrote Romeo and Juliet that he provided the future glory and comfortable life for the city of Verona in northeastern Italy? Millions of tourists enjoy visiting Romeo's house and Juliet's house, where they are shown the “very” balcony on which the key love scene of the play took place. A must-see on the program is also a visit to Juliet's tomb - the flow of pilgrims has not dried up for several centuries. “The transition from Juliet’s house to Juliet’s grave is as natural for the visitor as it is for the poor Juliet herself…” Charles Dickens described his “tour” to Verona in Essays on Italy in 1846. - Accompanied by a guide, I went to the old-old garden … here they showed me something like a small vat or tub for water, and a quick-eyed woman, wiping her wet hands on a headscarf, said:La tomba di Giulietta la sfortunata (Tomb of the unfortunate Juliet). Ready to believe in this with all my soul, I could, with all my good desire, believe only that the quick-eyed woman believed it; So, I gave her a loan for this, and besides that I paid her with hard coins. Almost the same thing happens nowadays, and hardly anyone remembers that in fact Romeo and Juliet were never in Verona.
Evgeniya Shmeleva