Abandoned places - a world without people. Eerily beautiful abandoned places

They say the only constant in life is change. Literature on history is one way to understand the passage of time, but there are also material monuments that can tell a lot about past times. And if some such places are looked after and taken care of, sometimes it is those that have long been in desolation that are interesting. We bring to your attention several abandoned places around the world, each of which has its own special charm.

Under all this dust, rust and cracks, there are stories of people who once lived here, prayed, and went about their daily business. And when you try to imagine these people and their lives, a special atmosphere and nostalgia is born. It seems that people have recently collected their things and left the abandoned places. On the other hand, it is interesting to see how some things that once belonged to people are now returning to nature.

This is part of the cooling tower of an abandoned power plant in Monceau, Belgium. The funnel-shaped structure of an abandoned site in the center supplied hot water, which then cooled, draining through hundreds of small concrete chutes.

Kolmanskop, Namibia

This is a small abandoned settlement in Namibia that flourished in the early 1900s. Then the German settlers started mining diamonds here. The influx of funds ended after the First World War, when the diamond field began to deplete. By the 1950s, the city was completely abandoned by people, and now only photographers and tourists come here to the abandoned place.

Floating forest in Sydney

This is the hull of the large steamship SS Ayrfield, which was decided to be dismantled in Homebush Bay, Australia, after World War II. But when the shipyard closed, this ship, like several others, remained where they had been abandoned. Now it is an abandoned place, a beautiful and mysterious floating forest, which serves as an example that nature can survive always and everywhere.

Sea forts of Munsell, England

These forts were built near the mouths of the Thames and Mersey rivers in the UK to protect the country from a potential German air threat during World War II. When they were taken out of service in 1950, several people lived here, including operators of pirate radio stations, as well as the Principality of Sealand, a self-proclaimed independent state.

Last home on Dutch Island, USA

This abandoned place was once part of a fairly successful island colony in the Chesapeake Bay in the United States. However, due to rapid soil erosion, there was less and less space left on the island. The house pictured was the last one on the island before it collapsed in 2010.

Pripyat, Ukraine. Pripyat is an abandoned city in northern Ukraine, in the Kyiv region

The city is located on the banks of the Pripyat River, 3 km from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, not far from the border with Belarus. Distance to Kyiv - 94 km. The abandoned place Pripyat was founded on February 4, 1970. The general reason for the founding of the city was the construction and subsequent operation of one of the largest nuclear power plants in Europe, Chernobyl, a city-forming enterprise, which gave Pripyat the title of a city of nuclear scientists. Pripyat became the ninth nuclear town in the Soviet Union.

Many workers of the Chernobyl station lived in Pripyat, the work of which ended in a major disaster in 1986. After the evacuation, Pripyat remains a radioactive ghost town that can only be visited with specialized guides.

House of the Bulgarian Communist Party

The former building of the memorial house, built in the 1980s in honor of the Bulgarian Communist Party, today looks creepy both inside and out. This abandoned place, similar to a flying saucer, fell into disrepair after the collapse of the USSR. Now it is only a ghost of the former building, although there is talk of starting restoration work.

Nara Dreamland Amusement Park, Japan

The park opened in 1961. But by 2006 it was already closed. It is now a popular abandoned site among the city's "discoverers", although guards periodically patrol the area and impose fines on violators who enter the closed area.

Uninhabited island in southeast Florida, USA

These abandoned places are small domed structures built in 1981 at Cape Romano, off the coast of the United States. They were the summer residence of oil tycoon Bob Lee, but then fell into disrepair. It is still unclear what fate awaits them.

Abandoned mill, Italy

This building in the Valley of the Mills in Sorrento was abandoned in 1866. Once upon a time, wheat was ground here, and there was a sawmill nearby. The abandoned site was isolated from the sea after the construction of Tasso Square, which increased the humidity levels in the region and forced the mill to be abandoned.

Michigan Central Station in Detroit, USA

The station was built in 1913 to create a new transport hub. However, several construction errors led to the abandoned site having to be closed in 1988.

The fate of the station has not yet been decided, but it appeared in several films, for example, in Eminem's 8 Mile.

Sunken yacht, Antarctica

This spooky ghost ship is the Mar Sem Fim, a Brazilian yacht that sank off Ardley Cove in Antarctica. On the yacht, a Brazilian film crew decided to shoot a documentary, but due to strong winds and a storm, they had to abandon it. The water that got on the ship froze, broke through the hull and sank the yacht.

Abandoned Theater New Bedford, USA

This is an old theater in Massachusetts. It was opened in 1912 and closed in 1959. Since then, he has already managed to visit a tobacco store and a supermarket. Now the non-profit organization is trying to raise funds to renovate the building.

Abandoned railway station, Abkhazia

This station in Sukhumi was abandoned during the war in Abkhazia in 1992 and 1993. As a result of the conflict between Georgia and Russia, this region was abandoned, but the station still has traces of its former greatness, such as amazing stucco.

Abandoned wooden houses, Russia

All these exquisitely decorated buildings are located in the Russian outback. Some of them are surrounded by forests.

Due to their remoteness, they remained untouched.

Underwater city in Shichen, China

This incredible underwater city, lost in time, is 1341 years old. Shichen, or Lion City, is located in Zhejiang province in eastern China. It was flooded in 1959 during the construction of a hydroelectric power station. The water protects the city from wind and rain erosion, so that it remains in relatively good condition.

Abandoned subway station in New York, USA

This beautiful subway station is right under New York City Hall. That is why much attention was paid to its design, but because of the neighboring stations, this one never received due attention from the public, and its curved route was considered not safe enough. The station closed in 1945 and remains closed to this day, apart from a few exclusive tours for tourists.

Hotel Salto, Colombia

The hotel opened in 1928 next to the Tequendama Falls in Colombia to serve tourists who came to view the 157-meter waterfall. The hotel was closed in the early 90s, after interest in the waterfall faded. But in 2012 this place was turned into a museum.

Abandoned subway tunnel in Kyiv, Ukraine

This photo was taken in the subway near Kyiv. Many of the tunnels are partially flooded, and stalactites hang from the ceilings.

Abandoned submarine base in Balaklava, Ukraine

Although this base is not completely abandoned, it is still impressive. Until its closure in 1993, it was one of the most secret bases in the USSR. Today it is the State Maritime Museum.

Abandoned military hospital in Belitz, Germany

This massive hospital complex would have been built in the late 1800s. In it, Adolf Hitler was recovering from a leg injury sustained during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. Some parts of the complex are still in operation, but most were abandoned after the Russian authorities left the hospital in 1995.

Hashima Island, Japan

This island has many names including Warship (due to its shape) and Ghost Island. From the late 1800s to the late 1900s, the island was inhabited because it gave access to underwater coal mines.

However, as Japan gradually switched from coal to gasoline, the mines (and the buildings that sprang up around them) closed down, leaving behind a ghost island that resembled part of a ghostly warship.

UFO houses in San Zhi, Taiwan

These alien houses in Sanzhi were originally intended to be resort houses, in particular, for US military officers serving in Asia. However, due to low investment and accidents with cars, the site had to close in 1980, shortly after it was built. Unfortunately, these amazing buildings were demolished in 2010.

Abandoned church in the snow.

The ghost town has long been a symbol of the apocalypse for filmmakers. From the 1948 ghost town in Gregory Peck's Yellow Sky to the deserted streets of London in the film, writers have exploited this image to the fullest for years, showing us their forms in every possible way. Danny Boyle 28 Days Later. Feelings of fear, anxiety, and tension are associated both with the video game Silent Hill, which was popular in the 90s, and with the post-apocalyptic wilderness in the novel The Road by Pulitzer Prize winner Cormac McCartney. Wherever you turn, the topic has already been traveled far and wide. It has become a magnificent entourage for all kinds of entertainment genre, whether it be a film or a literary work.
But what is the reason for such a mass disappearance of the population? One of the main factors is the depletion of local natural resources and poor communication with the main highways and railways. Another, more threatening cause could be a catastrophe. Take the case of Pattonsburg, Missouri, for example. Its inhabitants since 1845, when their city was founded, have been victims of about 30 floods. But after two floods in a row, their patience came to an end, and in 1993, with the help of the authorities, the entire city was completely rebuilt at a distance of 3 km from the old place. It is now known as New Pattonsburg. Old Pattonsburg is a completely abandoned ghost town.
In this list, we bring together 10 of the most interesting abandoned places on our planet, hoping in this way to bring the spirit of real life into what many consider to be a purely fantastic phenomenon.

Body, California

Founded in 1876, Bodie has become a true American ghost town. It began its existence as a small mining settlement, which eventually became very successful due to the surrounding gold deposits. By 1880 Bodie had a population of 10,000 and the town was flourishing. At the peak of its economic prosperity, there were 65 saloons on the main street of the city and even had its own “Chinatown” with several hundred immigrants from China.
Over time, natural resources have been greatly depleted. Although having lost its former importance, the city continued to exist, even after a fire that destroyed much of the city's business center. Bodie is now uninhabited.
It was named a National Historic Site in 1961. And in 1962, the city became the Bodie State Historic Park, home to the few remaining old-timers.
Today, Bodie is in a state of ruin. Only a small part of it is still preserved. Here, visitors can walk along the abandoned streets, look inside the buildings, where the interior is still the way it was once left. body open all year round, but the long road that leads to it is usually impassable in winter, so the best time to visit it is during the summer months.

San Zhi, Taiwan

San Zhi was originally built as a futuristic luxury getaway for the wealthy. However, after numerous deaths during construction, the project was shelved. Lack of money, coupled with a lack of desire, led to a complete halt in construction. As a result, structures that look like flying ships of aliens remain only a kind of reminder of those who are no longer there. There are rumors around this place that ghosts are now found in the city - the souls of those who died.
The government, which initially supported this project, tried to distance itself from incomprehensible incidents. Thanks to this, the names of the architects remain a mystery to everyone. Due to growing legends and all sorts of rumors, the project will probably never be restored and the site is unlikely to be used for anything else, if only because destroying the homes of lonely ghosts is a bad omen.

Varosha, Cyprus

Varosha is a district of the city of Famagusta in Cyprus, occupied by the Turks. Previously, it was a modern tourist area, which has become one of the most luxurious places to stay in the region. However, in 1974, the Turks captured Cyprus and divided the territory. Many residents left the island, hoping to still return to their homes after some time. However, the Turkish military surrounded the place with barbed wire and completely took it under their control. Nowadays, no one is allowed to enter here, except for military personnel and peacekeepers. Oddly enough, there is a positive side to all this - rare species of turtles began to nest on deserted beaches.
There is a project to return the site of Varosha to the Greek Cypriots. Currently, Laxia Inc. 3 luxury hotels have been developed and in the near future the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus will apparently reopen the territory of Varosha.

Gunkanjima, Japan

Hashima Island (Border Island) is one of the 550 uninhabited islands of Nagasaki Prefecture, located 15 kilometers from the city of Nagasaki itself. It is also known as "Gunkan-jima" or fortress island. It all started in 1810 when Mitsubishi bought the island and started a project to extract coal from the bottom of the sea. This attracted a large influx of people, and in 1916 the company was forced to build Japan's first cement high-rise building on the island. It was a residential building needed to accommodate many workers.
In 1959, the population grew to 5,259 people, with a coastline of about 1 km, one of the highest populations in the world (139,100 people per sq. km). As oil began to be used instead of coal in the 1960s, coal mines began to close across the country, and the mines of Hashima Island are no exception. In 1974, the Mitsubishi company made an official announcement about the closure of the mine and now the island is deserted and abandoned, but open to the public.

Balestrino, Italy

It was extremely difficult to find any concrete information about Balestrino, at least on this topic. No one can give an exact answer when the city was founded, although written references to it date back to the 11th century, when Balestrino was the property of the Benedictine monastery of San Pietro dei Monti. Population records date back to about 1860, at that time about 800–850 people lived in the city - mainly farmers who, taking advantage of its favorable location, grew olive trees.
In the second half of the 19th century, numerous earthquakes shook the northwestern coast of Italy. In 1887, one such earthquake (with a magnitude of 6.7) destroyed several settlements in the vicinity of Savona and, although Balestrino is not mentioned in official sources, this period coincides with massive repairs in the city and a significant decline in population.
The city was eventually abandoned in 1953 due to "geological instability" and the remaining inhabitants (about 400 people) were moved to the safer western region. The abandoned part of Balestrino, which has remained untouched and inaccessible for more than 50 years, is now under reconstruction.

Katoli World, Taiwan

How about we get out of the abandoned mossy slums and admire something like the Oscar-winning film "Spirited Away" by Hayao Miyazaki. Those who have seen him will understand that at the beginning of the film, the family wanders around an abandoned amusement park, built back in the 80s, but then lost its popularity and, as a result, was completely forgotten. In Asia, this is a common thing, where you can find many amusement parks that are now left to rust. The world of Katoli is one of them.
Located in Dakeng Scenic Area at the exit of Taichung, Taiwan. It was opened in the mid 80s. It enjoyed good success and was one of several roller coaster parks on the island of Taiwan.
However, Katoli World was closed after a strong earthquake on September 21, 1999. Thousands of people died then, but no one was hurt inside the park, as the earthquake hit an hour before the opening. The place where children's laughter once sounded is now slowly rusting.

Centralia, Pennsylvania

Centralia was founded in 1841 and by 1866 had received the status of a small town. Here, in 1962, an open coal vein was ignited by the weekly burning of rubbish, resulting in a major underground fire. Attempts to extinguish the fire were unsuccessful, and it continued to burn in the 60s and 70s.
In 1979, local residents realized the full extent of the problem when a fuel temperature of 77.8 degrees Celsius was noted at a gas station. This attracted worldwide attention, which became even more intense in 1981, when a 12-year-old almost died when he fell into a 45-meter-deep crevice that suddenly opened up under his feet.
In 1984, $42 million was spent on resettlement, then most of the residents moved to neighboring Mount Carmel and Ashland. In 1992, Pennsylvania declared all houses in the campus uninhabitable, leaving only a handful of people, mostly priests, of the 1,000 residents who lived there in 1981.
The underground fire is still raging and, according to experts, may still rage for the next 250 years.

Yashima, Japan

Yashima is a vast plateau northeast of Takamatsu, the second largest city on Shikoku, one of Japan's largest islands. At the top of this plateau is the Yashima Shrine, a well-known place of religious pilgrimage. This is perhaps the only place that draws crowds to this godforsaken geographic anomaly, but this has not always been the case.
During the economic upturn in the mid-eighties, the people of Takamatsu decided that the plateau was a great place for tourism and began to invest in the development of this sacred land. 6 hotels were built, many parks with paths and even an aquarium. However, at some point, people realized that the Yashima plateau is not such an attractive place. The number of visitors dropped sharply, and soon completely dried up. Through bitter experience, having failed to conduct proper economic justifications, the Takamatsu leadership paid dearly for their lack of insight. Huge investments made in the project failed, and the city of Yashima turned into a ghost town.

Pripyat, Ukraine

Pripyat is an abandoned city located in the closed zone of northern Ukraine, in the Kyiv region, on the border with Belarus. Before the evacuation, the population of the city was about 50 thousand people, these were mainly workers of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Here in 1986 there was a disaster, and the place was abandoned due to the threat of radiation. After that, for a long time Pripyat remained a kind of museum that perfectly demonstrates the history of Soviet life. However, over time, the city was completely looted, nothing remained, even the toilet seats were stolen.
A certain number of years must pass before the city can be inhabited, but even then people will not dare to restore it again.

Craco, Italy

Craco is located in the Basilicata region of the province of Matera, about 40 kilometers inland from the Gulf of Taranto. It was built on the edge of a cliff. Since its founding in the 8th century A.D. e. repeatedly suffered from invaders and earthquakes.
In 1891, the population of Krako was over 2,000. However, due to crop failures between 1892 and 1922, more than 1,300 residents of the city left. In addition to underdeveloped agriculture, such disasters as landslides, earthquakes and war were added. All this led to mass migration. Between 1959 and 1972, Kracko was depleted by natural disasters. In 1963, the remaining 1,800 inhabitants were resettled in the nearby valley of Craco Peschiera, and the original Craco remains deserted and ruined to this day.

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What you see on your monitor screens is not horror movie stills, although each of the locations captured in these photos can become a ready-made film set for a chilling thriller or horror movie. And in some places, filmmakers have already worked. The online magazine Unusual Hotels invites you to go on a virtual tour of the abandoned places on the planet, the sight of which makes even the most staunch pragmatists uncomfortable. one.

Now it is a ghost town in the Kyiv region, which was founded in 1970 in connection with the construction of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, and was empty in April 1986 after the explosion of one of its power units. At the time of the disaster, about 43,960 people lived in Pripyat, including 15,500 children. Most of the townspeople were employees of the ill-fated facility.

Mir underground diamond mine.

It is located in the village of Mirny of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in Western Siberia. Strictly speaking, this deposit is still being actively developed today, so it cannot be called abandoned. However, now mining is carried out only underground, and the open part of the mine, 525 meters deep and 1200 meters in diameter, has not been used since 2001. This quarry is the 4th in the world in depth after another Yakut deposit "Udachnaya", the Chilean Chuquicamata and the American Bingham Canyon.

Abandoned house on Seneca Lake, New York, USA.

The gloomy cottage, long abandoned by its inhabitants, makes an even more eerie impression from the fact that several old cars have found their last refuge in its immediate vicinity.

The Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea.

Its construction began back in 1987. According to the original design, the height of the Ryugyong Hotel was to be 330 meters. Had it been delivered on time, it could have become the tallest hotel and the 7th tallest building in the world. Futile attempts to complete the construction of Ryugyong continued for more than 20 years, until the authorities of the North Korean capital announced their intention to partially commission the facility in 2013. Which, however, has not happened so far.

Willard Mental Hospital in New York.

Is it worth explaining the reasons why such an oppressive atmosphere reigns here. The institution was founded in 1869, years the methods of curing mental ailments were not distinguished by any kind of humanity. The patients were in the walls of Willard not of their own free will and were subjected to rather cruel procedures. The clinic has been closed for 20 years.

UFO houses in Sanzhi, Taiwan.

Also known as "skeet houses". This is a complex of 60 buildings in a futuristic design that has not been put into operation.

Six Flags amusement park in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

The once grand entertainment complex ceased to exist in 2005 after the infamous Hurricane Katrina nearly destroyed the city.

Gulliver's Travels amusement park in Kawaguchi, Japan.

The magnificent view of Mount Fuji did not save this complex from ruin. Having existed for less than 5 years, Gulliver's Travels closed due to the financial problems of the owners.

Bannerman Castle on Pollepel Island, New York, USA.

Frank Bannerman was a wealthy Scottish arms dealer who made a huge fortune selling ammunition during the Spanish-American War. Finding no better place to store his goods, he bought an island and built a traditional European-style castle on it and used it as a warehouse. In 1969, a major fire caused irreparable damage to the buildings, and the state government, which had bought the land a few years earlier, decided not to restore them.

Disney's Discovery Island Park in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA.

The area, owned by the Walt Disney Company, has been used as a zoo and conservation area since 1974. The island was closed to the public in 1999, and all its inhabitants moved to the nearby Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park.

Lighthouse at Cape Aniva in the Sakhalin Region.

The 31-meter-high structure was built in 1939, but has not been functioning for many years and has been looted by looters.

Train station in Canfranc, Spain.

An international station was opened in the municipality of Canfranc near the border with France in 1928. The station managed to survive the Second World War, but the collapse of the railway bridge in 1970 led to its closure.

Miranda Castle in Sele, Belgium.

Built in 1886, the building has been unoccupied since 1991 due to legal disputes between the former owner's heirs and the local municipality.

Stopped functioning due to the full development of the field.

Eilean Donan Castle on an island in the Loch Duich fjord, Scotland.

It was erected in the 13th century along with a stone bridge, through which communication was carried out with the mainland. In 1719, during the next battle between the Scots and the British, the building was destroyed. At the beginning of the 20th century, representatives of the MacRae clan bought the castle and began work on its restoration. Today this place is a tourist attraction and receives tourists from all over the world.

Hashima Island, Japan.

This is a small Pacific island located near the city of Nagasaki. The area has been rich and populous since 1810, when coal was discovered. After the reserves ran out, the mines were closed in 1974. The population left the island in a few weeks.

Mill building in Ontario, Canada.

One can only guess why no one showed interest in the restoration of the historic building, which fell into disrepair, as the equipment used in the production of flour was hopelessly outdated and the mill was closed.

City Hall underground station in New York City, USA.

The grand opening of the new New York subway station took place in 1904. After 40 years, it became obvious that the building did not meet the technical standards of operation. In 1945 City Hall was closed.

Orpheus Theater Hall in New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA.

It was a popular entertainment venue for the city's public from 1912 to 1958. After closing, it was used as a warehouse for tobacco products. Charitable organizations are currently raising funds to help restore the theater to its former glory.

Holy Land Park in Waterbury, Connecticut, USA.

Probably, the biblical stories on which the theme of the park was based ceased to be popular with visitors, and in 1984 the institution was closed.

Power plant building in Monceau, Belgium.

More specifically, her cooling tower for water, which over the years of inactivity has grown over with moss.

The SS America liner wrecked off the coast of the island of Fuerteventura in the Canary archipelago.

For more than 50 years of operation, the ship has changed several names and many owners. At the beginning of 1993, it was decided to arrange a 5-star hotel on board. But this never happened, as the liner got into a storm and ran aground.

The underwater city of Shi Chen in China.

The territory of the ancient city was flooded by an artificial lake after the construction of a local hydroelectric power station was completed. The mysterious city, buried under a water column of 26-40 meters, is well preserved and still attracts the attention of numerous researchers.

Domino sugar factory in New York, Brooklyn, USA.

The territory, empty for several decades, has finally attracted the attention of investors. In the near future, a new residential quarter with a developed infrastructure should appear here.

Mansell Sea Forts - Sealand, UK.

These are fortifications erected during the Second World War to protect the United Kingdom from the German invasion. They got the name of their developer Guy Munsell. The troops left these structures in the 50s, after which they were used for other purposes. So, one of the forts turned into an unrecognized state, called the Principality of Sealand.

Section of the Great Wall of China, China.

This is a monumental frontier fortification, which was built to protect the borders of the Chinese Empire from nomadic raids from the north. The construction of the wall began even before our era, and throughout its history it has been destroyed and forgotten more than once. Despite the fact that restoration work has been going on for more than 30 years, the sections of the wall that are far from tourist routes are still in a deplorable state.

Michigan Central Station in Detroit, Michigan, USA.

It existed from its opening in 1913 until January 1988, when the decision was made to stop the operation of the station.

Dadipark amusement park in Dadizel, Belgium.

It was opened in 1949. After an accident that resulted in a serious injury to a child, in 2002 the park was closed for reconstruction, but never resumed its work.

Military hospital in Belitz, Germany.

Located 40 km from Berlin, the building complex was built between 1898 and 1930. After the Second World War, this territory was occupied by Soviet troops, and the hospital was taken over by them. The fall of the Berlin Wall and the political events that followed brought the institution to an end.

Wherever he is, music has not been heard here for a long time.

Partially preserved Gothic stained-glass windows almost do not let in light, but the chairs are still waiting for the parishioners.

Wonderland amusement park in Beijing, China.

Its construction was suspended in 1998 due to financial problems, but never resumed.

Railway depot in Czestochowa, Poland.

Both the depot building and the trains themselves were not needed by the city.

This is just one of the many facilities of the military industry, which fell into disrepair in the 90s.

Hotel Del Salto in Colombia.

In 1923, a mansion designed by architect Carlos Arturo Tapia was built, later turned into a hotel. Due to the deterioration of the picturesque Tekendama waterfall, located nearby, the flow of tourists began to dry up. In the 1990s, the period of decline of the building began. Currently, the hotel, which received the status of a cultural heritage site, has been reconstructed and turned into a museum.

Christ from the abyss of the bay of San Fruttuoso off the coast of Italy.

The bronze statue did not sink at all. It was installed by scuba diver Duilio Marchante, wanting to perpetuate the memory of his deceased colleague. The height of the statue is 2.5 meters, the placement depth is 17 meters.

Railroad in Lebanon, Missouri, USA.

Apparently, it turned out to be unclaimed after the closure of the iron ore mines.

Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

The neo-Gothic building, erected in 1829 by architect John Haviland, was honored a hundred years later to host the famous gangster Al Capone, who was convicted of illegal possession of weapons and sentenced to 10 months in prison. The prison was closed in 1971, and now there are guided tours for everyone.

Tunnel of Love in Klevan, Ukraine.

A 4 km long section of the railway track has become a natural monument that attracts the attention of tourists. Thickets of trees and bushes are tightly intertwined, forming a picturesque tunnel of an ideal arched shape.

It often happens that, for various reasons, people leave their homes, projects and buildings and leave them alone with nature. Then the creations of human hands acquire their unique and slightly creepy beauty.

life guide invites you to see abandoned places that have been completely swallowed up by nature.

Christ from the Abyss, San Fruttuoso Bay, Italy

The bronze statue of Christ was made by the sculptor Guido Galleti and installed under water at a depth of 17 meters in the bay of San Fruttuoso in 1954. The height of the statue is about 2.5 meters. In 2003, the statue, thoroughly overgrown with algae under water for 50 years and having lost part of its arm from an unsuccessfully thrown anchor, was removed from the water, cleaned and restored, and a new pedestal was built at the bottom. On July 17, 2004, the statue was installed in its original place.

Kolmanskop town in the Namibian desert

Kolmanskop — ghost town located in the Namib Desert, Nabmibia. In 1908, diamonds were found near the city, then investments were made there, many houses, a hospital and a stadium were built. But after a few years, the supply of diamonds dried up, and people left this city. Now most of the houses are almost completely covered with sand and are a somewhat depressing sight.

dome houses, Southwest Florida

These domed futuristic needles were built in 1981 in Naples, Florida, but were never completed. Some time later, one dome homeowner seeking to restore the building faced only exorbitant fines and bureaucratic hassles in the process. Therefore, they remained unfinished.

The SS Ayrfield in Australia

The massive 1140-ton SS Ayrfield was launched in 1911 in Great Britain, and a year later it was registered in Sydney. The ship was decommissioned in 1972 and moored at the mouth of the Parramatta River in northwest Sydney. The locals call it the floating forest, because after many years it was overgrown with dense mangrove trees.

Luna park near Beijing, China

Wonderland is an abandoned amusement park project located 30 km from Beijing. This park could become the largest entertainment center in Asia (49 hectares). But its construction stopped in 1998 due to financial problems. In 2008, the project was again tried to resume, but to no avail.

Fisherman's hut, Germany

This fisherman's hut has been abandoned by the lake in national park Berchtesgaden after the flood.

Dutch Island, Chesapeake Bay

Dutch Island is an island in the Chesapeake Bay, near Dorchester, Maryland. Once on the island there was a small prosperous town inhabited by fishermen and farmers. But the water level on the island gradually increased, as a result of which, in 1922, the entire population left the island. The last house remaining on the island collapsed in 2010.

Kerry Way Walkway, Ireland

The Kerry Way is a 214-kilometer circular route that runs along the Iverach Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. In addition to a huge number of attractions, castles, lakes and valleys, on the way you can stumble upon old, moss-covered, abandoned stone houses.

Pripyat, Ukraine
This city is probably the most popular abandoned place. After a terrible accident in 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, this prosperous city was completely empty. The photo shows the most iconic place of this city - the Ferris wheel.

Monastery in black forest, Germany
The Abbey of St. George in the Black Forest was founded in 1084-85. For a long time the monastery was independent and received benefits from the papacy, but after a fire in 1244, the abbey began to slowly fall into disrepair. And in 1536 the Duke of Württemberg completely dissolved the abbey. In 1865, the monastery survived another fire, after which it finally collapsed.

Kalavantin Durg, India

Kalavantin Durg is an ancient Indian fort located near Mumbai. It is a majestic building, towering on an 80-meter cliff. To climb the fort, you need to walk for three hours on steps carved into the rock.

The wreckage of the Pegasus plane at McMurdo, Antarctica

On October 8, 1970, a Pegasus plane crashed on landing near McMurdo Bay. Fortunately, none of the passengers were seriously injured. The plane has not yet been removed and it lies covered with snow.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Angkor Wat is a major Hindu temple complex in Cambodia. It was built in the 11th century in honor of the god Vishnu. In the 15th century, the complex stopped working and was abandoned. The temple is now included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Fort Maunsell, England

These defensive towers were erected in 1942 during the Second World War. The purpose of these structures was to protect the cities of England from attacks from the air and sea. With the end of the war, the towers that had lost their purpose were partially dismantled. Today, out of 21 forts, only 13 remain.

Bodiam Castle, East Sussex, England

The castle was founded in 1385 by Edward Dalingridge, a descendant of an old English family. The castle changed owners frequently, and now it belongs to the National Trust, which maintains its state.

Abandoned railway depot in Czestochowa, Poland

Sunken yacht, Antarctica

This 25m yacht under the name Mar Sem Fin sank off the coast of Antarctica. Four crew members were rescued from the yacht which belonged Brazilian journalist.

Michigan Central Station, Detroit

This building was built in 1913 to relieve the flow of trains from another station. Due to its inconvenient location, the station was closed in 1988. Several attempts were made to restore the building, but due to the very large investments that had to be made, nothing came of it.

Bobsleigh track in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
This track was built for Winter Olympic Games, which took place 1984 . After that, the track was never used.

Craco, Italy

Craco is an abandoned commune in Italy, located in the Basilicata region. After another earthquake in 1963, the village was completely abandoned, as it was dangerous to stay there and the rocks gradually collapsed.

Plant Elektoromash, Russia

This incredible photo was taken by a young woman who secretly snuck into a factory that makes powerful liquid-propellant rocket engines for space launch vehicles.

Abandoned windmill from 1866 in Sorrento, Italy

This old mill had to be closed due to a strong increase in humidity, which had a negative effect on grain processing.

Cooling tower of an abandoned power plant

House Bulgarian Communist Party

This house crumbled along with communism. After the fall iron curtain in 1989, Bulgaria entered a new era parliamentary democracy.

Abandoned city of Keelung, Taiwan

Lawndale Theatre, Chicago

When the Lawndale Theater closed in the mid-2000s, it was used as a church. The balcony was shielded from the main level when the theater was converted into a church.

North Brother Island, New York

This island is located near New York, 350 meters from the mainland. On this island there was a clinic that specialized in the treatment of smallpox, and then for the rehabilitation of drug addicts. Since 2011, the island has been completely uninhabited and closed to the public.

Hotel del Salto in Colombia

The reason for the closure of this hotel was that it is located next to the beautiful Takendamo waterfall, which forms the Bogota River. Sewerage began to be drained into the river, because of which it began to exude an unpleasant smell, which made this place unsuitable for living.

Nara Dreamland Park in Japan.

This amusement park was opened in 1961, but due to economic reasons, it was closed in 2006.

On our planet, there are a huge number of ghost towns, empty and creepy, frightening a traveler who accidentally wandered here, with empty eye sockets of windows of rickety buildings ...
In this ranking, we will present the 10 most famous abandoned cities abandoned by people for various reasons: some were abandoned due to bloody wars, others were abandoned under the onslaught of almighty nature.

1. The city of Kolmanskop, buried in the sands (Namibia)

Kolmanskop

Kolmanskop is an abandoned town in southern Namibia, located a few kilometers from the port of Lüderitz.
In 1908, Zakaris Leval, an employee of the railway company, discovered small diamonds in the sand. This discovery caused a real diamond rush and thousands of people rushed to the hot sands of the Namib Desert, hoping to make a fortune.

Kolmanskop was built in record time. It took people only two years to erect beautiful German-style residential buildings in the desert, rebuild a school, a hospital, and even a casino. But the city's days were already numbered.

After the end of the First World War, the cost of diamonds on the world market fell, and every year the production of precious stones in the mines of Kolmanskop became worse and worse. The lack of drinking water and the constant struggle with the sand dunes made the life of the people of the mining town increasingly unbearable.

In the 1950s, the last inhabitants left Kolmanskop and it turned into another ghost town on the world map. Soon, nature and the desert almost completely buried the town under the sand dunes. A few more old houses and the theater building remained unburied, which is still in good condition.

2. City of nuclear scientists Pripyat (Ukraine)

Pripyat is an abandoned city in the "exclusion zone" in northern Ukraine. Workers and scientists of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant lived here until the tragic day - April 26, 1986. On this day, the explosion of the 4th power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant put an end to the further existence of the city.

On April 27, the evacuation of people from Pripyat began. Nuclear workers and their families were allowed to take with them only the most necessary things and documents, all the property acquired over the years, people left in their abandoned apartments. Over time, Pripyat turned into a ghost town, visited only by extreme and thrill-seekers.

For those who want to see and appreciate the full scale of the disaster, the Pripyat-Tour company provides excursions to an abandoned city. Due to the high level of radiation, you can safely stay here for no more than a few hours, and most likely, Pripyat will forever remain a dead city.

3 Futuristic San Zhi Resort City (Taiwan)

In the north of Taiwan, not far from the capital of the state, the city of Taipei, there is a ghost town of San Zhi. According to the idea of ​​the developers, very wealthy people should have bought these houses, because the very architecture of the buildings, made in a futuristic style, was so unusual and revolutionary that it should have attracted a large number of wealthy customers.

But during the construction of the city, inexplicable accidents began to occur here and every week there were more and more of them, until the death of workers began to happen every day. Rumor quickly spread the news of a bad city, which had a very bad effect on the reputation of the city for the rich.

The construction was finally completed and even a grand opening was held, but none of the potential customers bought a home here. Massive advertising campaigns and huge discounts did not help, Sang Chih became the new ghost town. Now access is prohibited here, and local residents believe that the city is inhabited by the ghosts of people who died here.

4. The medieval city of Craco (Italy)

About forty kilometers from the Gulf of Taranto in Italy, is the abandoned ancient city of Krako. Situated on picturesque hills, it was the patrimony of farmers and plowmen, its inhabitants were engaged in agriculture, growing wheat and other crops.

The first mention of the city dates back to 1060, when the entire land was owned by the Catholic Archbishop Arnaldo.
In 1981, the population of Krako was just over 2,000 people, and since 1982, due to poor harvests, landslides and constant landslides, the population of the town began to decline rapidly. Between 1892 and 1922, more than 1,300 people left Kracko. Some left to seek happiness in America, others settled in neighboring towns and villages.

The city was finally abandoned after a strong earthquake in 1963, only a few residents remained to while away their lives in the new ghost town. By the way, it was here that Mel Gibson filmed the scene of the execution of Judas for his masterpiece film The Passion of the Christ.

5. The village of Oradour-sur-Glan (France) - a memorial reminiscent of the horrors of fascism

The small ruined village of Oradour-sur-Glan in France stands as a reminder of the monstrous atrocities of the Nazis. During World War II, 642 villagers were brutally murdered by the Nazis as punishment for the capture of SS-Sturmbannführer Helmut Kampf by French resistance fighters.

According to one version, the Nazis simply confused the villages with consonant names.
A high-ranking fascist was in captivity in the neighboring village of Oradur-sur-Vaires. The Germans did not spare anyone - neither the elderly, nor women, nor children ... They drove the men to the sheds, where they accurately beat their legs with machine guns, then doused them with a combustible mixture and set them on fire.

Women, children and old people were locked in the church, then a powerful incendiary device was blown up. People tried to get out of the burning building, but they were mercilessly shot by German machine gunners. Then the Nazis completely destroyed the village.

6. Forbidden Island Gankanjima (Japan)

Gankanjima Island is one of the 505 uninhabited islands in Nagasaki Prefecture, and is located only 15 km from Nagasaki itself. It is also called Battleship Island because of the walls that protect the city from the sea. The history of the settlement of the island began in 1890, when coal was discovered here. Mitsubishi bought the entire area and began to implement a project to extract coal from the bottom of the sea.

In 1916, the first large concrete building was built on the island, and then the buildings began to grow like mushrooms after the rain. And in 1959, the population of the island grew so much that 835 people lived here on one hectare! It was a world record for population density.

In the early 1960s, oil in Japan increasingly began to displace coal in production, its extraction became unprofitable. Coal mines began to close all over the country, and the mines of Gankanjima were no exception.

In 1974, Mitsubishi officially announced the closure of the mines and the cessation of all activities on the island. Gankanjima has become another abandoned ghost town. Currently, visiting the island is prohibited, and in 2003, the famous Japanese action movie Battle Royale was filmed here.

7. Kadykchan - a village in the Magadan region

Kadykchan is an urban-type settlement located in the Susumansky district of the Magadan region. One of the most famous abandoned northern villages on the Internet. In 1986, according to the census, 10,270 people lived here, and in 2002 - only 875. In Soviet times, coal of the highest quality was mined here, which was used to heat almost 2/3 of the Magadan region.

The population of Kadykchan began to decrease rapidly after the mine explosion in 1996. A few years later, the only boiler house heating the village also thawed, and it became simply impossible to live here.

Now it's just a ghost town, one of many in Russia. There are rusty cars in the garages, destroyed furniture, books and children's toys in the rooms. Finally, leaving the dying village, the inhabitants shot the bust of V.I. Lenin installed on the square.

8. The walled city of Kowloon (Hong Kong) - a city of lawlessness and anarchy

One of the most incredible ghost towns that no longer exist is the city of Kowloon, which was located near the former Kaitak Airport, a city where all the vices and base passions of mankind were embodied. In the 1980s, more than 50,000 people lived here.
Probably, there was no longer a place on the planet where prostitution, drug addiction, gambling and underground workshops were ubiquitous.

It was practically impossible to take a step here without running into a drug addict pumped up with dope, or a prostitute who offered her services for a pittance. The authorities of Hong Kong practically did not control the city, there was the highest crime rate in the country.

Eventually, in 1993, the entire population of Kowloon was evicted and briefly became a ghost town. The incredible and creepy settlement was then demolished, and a park of the same name was laid out in its place.

9. The abandoned ghost town of Varosha (Cyprus)

Varosha is a district of Famagusta, a city in Northern Cyprus founded in the 3rd century AD. Until 1974, Varosha was a real "Mecca" for beach lovers. Thousands of tourists from all over the world flocked here to soak up the gentle rays of the Cypriot sun. They say that the Germans and the British booked places in luxury hotels for 20 years ahead!

The resort prospered, building up with new hotels and villas, until everything changed in 1974. That year, the Turks invaded Varosha with NATO support to protect the Turkish minority of Cypriot residents from persecution of ethnic Greeks.

Since then, the Varosha quarter has become a ghost town, surrounded by barbed wire, where the Turkish military has not let anyone in for four decades. The houses are dilapidated, the windows are shattered, and the streets of the once bustling quarter are in total ruin. Apartments and shops are empty and completely looted first by the Turkish military and then by local looters.

10. The Lost City of Agdam (Azerbaijan)

Aghdam, a city that was once famous for its wine throughout the Soviet Union, is now dead and uninhabited... The war in Nagorno-Karabakh, which lasted from 1990 to 1994, did not give a chance to exist to the flat city, where excellent cheese was previously brewed and the best port wine in the Union.
The collapse of the USSR led to the outbreak of hostilities in many former republics.

Azerbaijan did not escape this either, the fighters of which were able to seize wagons with rockets located not far from Aghdam. It turned out to be very convenient for them to bomb the Armenian Stepanakert. Such actions eventually led to a sad ending.

In the summer of 1993, Agdam was surrounded by 6,000 soldiers of the Liberation Army of Nagorno-Karabakh. With the support of helicopters and tanks, the Armenians practically wiped out the hated city, and the approaches to it were carefully mined. Therefore, until now, visiting the ghost town of Agdam is not safe for life.