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Purpose. The aim of this article is to shed light on the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) as a site of cultural heritage and a tourist attraction. Moreover, it presents the recent development of tourism in Chernobyl and sketches the perspectives on the future of the CEZ. Method. To determine the character of the change process of the CEZ into a tourist attraction, the combination of content analysis and participant observation was used. Findings. The article, according to the authors’ knowledge, is the first in Poland to provide such a description of the development of tourism in the CEZ although, there have already been some publications considering this topic. Research and conclusion limitations. Exhaustive description of the problem complexity of of intersections between tourism development and cultural dissonances exceeds the possibilities of this article. Therefore, the case study of the CEZ needs further and broader exploration on the basis of statistical data as well as of data gathered by means of qualitative methods. Practical implications. The analysis provides potential avenues of enquiry adopting the perspective that the transformation of the dissonant heritage sites is caused to great measure by uncontrolled (or slightly controlled) tourism development. Simultaneously, it shows how a tourist may modify the image of the site and offer new, positive possibilities for local economic growth. Originality. For the first time in academic, this article scholarship raises the problem of the CEZ as a tourist attraction: it presents statistical data which prove the growing popularity of this site and describe the variety of tourist offer. Type of paper. The paper is based on the empirical research.

Purpose. The attempt to create a definition of the shock tourism as a type of dark tourism. The phenomenon of spontaneous travels to sites of disasters was first described from the anthropological perspective by Chris Rojek in 1993. He used the term black spots, referring to places that became travel destinations in reaction to current media coverage (spotlights). In Polish research we hitherto lack the translation of this term, as well as explicit descriptions of travels which are the immediate result of current media coverage. The proposed definition of shock tourism will be presented not only as a kind of „sensation tourism”. The visitors, through their presence, not only influence the shape of memory sites but they also take part in creating the memory of tragic events. The example of New York’s Ground Zero shows us how much, over the course of recent years, not only the physical space of the site, but also its symbolic dimensions have changed. The narration of 11th September National Museum, the 9/11 Memorial Site and the work of non-profit 9/11 Tribute Center contribute to changing the perception of „shock sites” from lieux de l’imagination to lieux de mémoire. Method. Fieldwork, participant observation (an analysis of narratives of 9/11 National Museum and Memory Site; observation of tourists’ and tour guides behaviour). Findings. An analysis of narratives of 9/11 National Museum and Memori Site, as well as the activity of 9/11 Tribute Center became a starting point to further considerations on the role of tourists in creating postmodern lieux de mémoire. Research and conclusions limitations. Limited time of fieldwork (10 days). Originality. The paper concerns postmodern phenomenon of the evolution od post-disaster sites into the memorylands, according to Sharon Macdonald’s concept. The framework of shock tourism opens new horizons and research perspectives of this process. Type of paper. Theoretical paper based on case study of 9/11.

Chernobyl in the Postmemory Zone. The Guide Narration of Alexander Sirota – „the Mayor” of Pripyat The goal of this article is to show how the memory of Chernobyl catastrophe is being reconstructed and later pass on by the guide with his narration. The example of Aleksander Sirota and his mother will show how big of a factor in constructingmemory of a ‘second generation’ is played by post‑traumatic creation of a close person, as well as accumulated video recordings and photographies taken before the accident. Also, comperative approach of confronting photos with authentic‘forgotten’ space of Pripyat city used by the tour guide will allow us to understand the level of influence in which visual aspect can affect reinterpretation of abandoned heritage. The same can be said of actual presence of a tourist in such environment and its effect on alteration of the memory of the event. The activity of Aleksander Sirota presented in this article will allow us to look at Chernobyl catastrophe through the lens of post‑memory discourse and will reveal how multilayered research issue it really is.