Plastinarium in Guben, Germany-Controversial Tourist Attractions

Plastination is a technique used in anatomy to preserve a body for study purposes, but it turns out that it can also be a good source of revenue. Dr Gunther von Hagen's museum has stirred as much controversy as it has received applause. What you can see here among other things are techniques of dissection presented interactively and real human bodies "involved" in all sorts of activities. 

While nobody is denying the huge contribution Plastinarium makes to the training of medical students, was it really necessary to seat the exhibits at the poker table or on a bike? And why would anyone other than a doctor or a young adept of medicine want to see all this from up close? The truth is however that since the opening in 2006, Plastinarium has received over a 100 thousand visits.

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Dharavi Slum in Mumbai, India-Controversial Tourist Attractions

The idea to take the tour of Asia's largest slum may be quite hard to justify, but one thing is certain - it is a sobering visit. Oppressive odor, heart-breaking conditions and poverty that goes beyond imagination are a depressing reality for about 1 million people.

Now that it's been popularized by the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire, Dharavi draws countless visitors willing to "get the real taste of distress".

On the one hand, the revenues from the tours are said to go directly to the community, which is very honorable. On the other, there is something inherently strange about wanting to watch other people's suffering, isn't there?

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