This page is the result of a genuine interest in everything related to World War II, Third Reich and to some extent Communism. Already as a little kid in the mid-seventies, I sat with my father and older brother in the TV-room and watched the British series, World at War, with great interest. The series depicted various theater of war and it was these sites that later laid the foundation for an interest in how these sites have been preserved for posterity. Have they been preserved? If so, what is there to see? Since I started travelling in historical footsteps 1996 I have visited over 800 sites, predominantly in Europe, and still it is interesting and exciting to discover history.

My documentation is based on what the site looked like during my visit, what I knew was there to be seen and had the opportunity to document. Many sites I therefore return to if possible because there is more to be seen since my last visit. Some sites are atmospheric and provide historical justice, others don’t. Many sites can and have changed over time, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, and sometimes without me knowing anything about it since my (last) visit. How we experiencing history and how we approaching history are subjective experiences without right or wrong. Political, Cultural, Social, Religious and Economic aspects decides how history is to be preserved and how it should be told. Ranking the sites is impossible, anticipation, mood and external factors determine the experience, regardless of the historical events that took place on the site. I am more historically inclined than photographic and the quality and quantity of the images might not meet expectations. The majority of the pictures has been taken by me, but some has been taken by others but published with permission.

With a few exceptions I have planned the trips all by myself and most of the trips has been conducted without any kind of company. Although in recent years, traveling with family or like-minded friends has been more common. Most of the time I rent a car on site because this gives me a flexibility to visit rural destinations. The times I have hired a guide/driver has been for logistical and linguistic reasons. In these countries, the destination has been outside the cities and difficult to reach if you don´t master the language or if the country in question is not covered by the Western European GPS network. Today, this only applies to Russia, but since February 2022 it is not possible like before to travel to Russia.

This webpage was previous available only in Swedish, but with the new upgraded version launched in 2024, I decided to include an English version. As English isn´t my native language the text most likely contains errors in grammar and sentence construction, but I hope you have indulgence with this and find the site interesting and informative.

Thank you.

Tomas Karlsson, Sweden