For many, the Dominican Republic is synonymous with white beaches, palm trees and all-inclusive resorts. For me, however, on my A to Be World Tour 2025/26, it was one thing above all else: a place where beauty and history are closely intertwined – sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes moving.
With the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492, a new chapter in world history began on Hispaniola, the island now shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic – but it was a chapter with dark shadows. The indigenous population, especially the Taíno, was almost completely wiped out within a few decades. Forced labour, violence and disease made centuries of life invisible.
When there was a shortage of indigenous labour, the systematic importation of enslaved people from Africa began. Sugar cane, gold and later other colonial trades made the island an economic hub of the Spanish colonial empire – at the expense of human lives. This past is still palpable today, even if it is often obscured by everyday tourist life. If you look more closely, you can see how much history has shaped identity, culture and social structures.
Puerto Plata – Falco Wall
A very personal moment of my trip took me to Puerto Plata, to the so-called Falco Wall. This is where the tragic accident involving Falco, one of the most influential German-speaking artists, occurred in 1998. I am not a fan of sensational places, but this place had something calm and contemplative about it for me.
Between dream setting and reality
The Dominican Republic has shown me once again that travelling can be more than just consumption. Behind every dream backdrop there is a story, behind every postcard view there is a reality. That is exactly what makes this stop on my world tour so valuable: not just seeing places, but understanding them.
Sometimes travelling does not mean escaping everyday life – but getting closer to the truth.