Introduction

During centuries people have worked hard for a better society. In October 1917 a few dedicated people mobilised  the masses in Russia and overthrew the feudal society of the Tsar. Here, the people started to build a new society where capital was in the hands of the masses of blue collars and farmers. During seventy years many efforts were made to create in Russia a new kind of society. A communist society. The strong pull of the communist philosophy created in the sixties and seventies of the last century a global network of communist oriented countries. In this network people experimented with a wide range and very special forms of socialistic societies.

On October 20th 1962, Che Guevara could start his speech at a UJC (Union of Young Communists) meeting with these words: "One of the most pleasant tasks of a revolutionary is observing over the years of revolution how the institutions that were born at the very beginning are taking shape, being refined and strengthened; how they are being turned into real institutions with power, vigour and authority among the masses. Those organizations that started off on a small scale with numerous difficulties and hesitations became, through daily work and contact with the masses, powerful representatives of today’s revolutionary movement."

Today the world is different. In many former paradises the memory of the communist period has been erased from daily life. The history has been rewritten and the communist period has been reduced to a black page in the history books. A page to be turned quickly. As if life in Russia under Tsar Nicolas was a cosy happening, Batista in Cuba didn't build the biggest Brothel of the world and Vietnam should be better off as a French colony. There are different attitudes as well. In many countries in Eastern Europe communists are elected in the parliaments. In East-Germany (the former Deutsche Demokratische Republik)  a wide range of "Ostalgie" - museums about life in the DDR can be visited. In a Georgian village near Tbilisi the Kunelauri family have erected a private Mausoleum for Stalin. 

There are many travellers who like to visit places of the communist development. Travellers who won't forget the historical importance of communism. To find these places you have to read a lot of travel guides. And most travel guides don't tell you much about the background of these places. Or they tell you only a few highlights. This internet-site has the ambition to tell about all the existing places with an importance to the left-wing development all over the world. Yet this site is far from complete. Only a few countries and a little background has been documented. We invite everybody to send us information to make this site as complete as possible. In the future we like to make this site inter-active as well. 

The structure of this site is very simple. For each country the following webpages have been made: 

• Cities & sites: all the interesting places.

• History: a short summary of the communist development. 

• Events: an overview of public holidays and special events.

• Statesmen: course of life of the important statesmen and partyleaders.

• Heroes & Villains: people who made a big contribution to the communist development and people who frustrated the development of communism.

• Culture: various themes: music, theatre, sculpture, photography, etc.

• Need to know: various subjects, which help to understand the country better.

• Everything else: various subjects like external links, billboards, money, etc.

Of course we thank everybody for their contributions to complete this site.