Menschen verstehen verstörende Orte gemeinsam und nicht alleine: Der Besuch von Gefängnismuseen und anderen dunklen Stätten des kulturellen Erbes wird weniger durch Etiketten, Ausstellungen oder Audioguides geprägt, als vielmehr durch die Art und Weise, wie Menschen sie gemeinsam erleben

>The research shows that objects associated with punishment and suffering, such as whips or prison cells, take on different meanings depending on how people engage with them together. Shock, empathy, humour, discomfort and curiosity all emerge through interaction, not just through the artefacts themselves. In some cases, visitors use humour as a way to cope with disturbing material, while in others they align their body language or tone to signal shared seriousness or reflection.
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>The findings challenge the idea that heritage sites can fully control visitor experience through design alone. While interpretation panels, audio guides and layouts matter, they do not determine how people understand or feel about what they encounter. Visitors actively negotiate meaning with one another, moment by moment, as they move through a space.
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>The study also questions the assumption that some sites are inherently “darker” than others. What feels disturbing, shocking or meaningful varies between groups, depending on relationships, shared cultural understanding and the dynamics of the moment. In practice, the perceived darkness of a site is constantly shifting.

[Social interaction and dark tourism in prison museums – ScienceDirect](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160738325002087)