The 38 Most Haunting Abandoned Places On Earth
1. Pripyat, Ukraine
Pripyat, a city of nearly 50,000, was totally abandoned after the nearby Chernobyl
nuclear disaster in 1986. Due to radiation,
it has been left untouched ever since the incident
and will be for many thousands of years into the future.
Nature now rules the city in what resembles an apocalyptic
movie.
2. Mirny Diamond Mine - Eastern Siberia, Russia
The world's second largest man-made hole, Mirny was
constructed by Stalin to satisfy the Soviet Union's
demand for industrial diamond. Further digging efforts
were eventually abandoned when it became too difficult
to continue digging this massive hole.
3. Farmhouse - Seneca Lake, New York
This abandoned farmhouse in New York state also
acts as a graveyard for many vintage cars which
are now empty shells of their former selves.
4. Ryugyong Hotel - Pyongyang, North Korea
The Ryugyong Hotel is a true display of North Korea's
madness. Work started on this 105 story hotel only a
few years before a massive famine plagued the country.
Abandoned for 16 years, work once again began in 2008,
when it was coated in $150 million worth of glass. Foreign
guests have reported that although the structure now
looks complete on the outside, a lot of the interior is still
abandoned and incomplete.
5. Willard Asylum - Willard, New York
Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane was built in 1869
and closed in 1995. Housing 4000 patients at its peak,
more than half of the 50,000 patients who called Willard
Asylum their home died within its walls. This makes the
asylums morgue (pictured above) one of the creepiest places
we can imagine. By its closure, most patients were eventually
integrated back into society, but in the early days "people
didn't leave unless it was in a box."
6. Sanzhi UFO Houses - San Zhi, Taiwan
These homes were intended to be sold to U.S. military
officers when construction began in 1978. In 1980, work
was halted due to loss of investment.
7. Six Flags Jazzland - New Orleans, Louisiana
Severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina, Six Flags
Jazzland has been abandoned since. Several of the rides
still stand, a testimony to the resilience of New Orleans.
Several companies have plans to develop the park, but
until then it will remain as the perfect setting for a horror
movie.
8. Gulliver’s Travels Park - Kawaguchi, Japan
Constructed in the shadow of Mt Fuji, this theme park
opened in 1997. Despite financial help from the Japanese
government, it lasted only 10 years before being
abandoned.
9. Bannerman Castle - Pollepel Island, New York
Bannerman Castle's owner, Francis Bannerman VI, built
the structure as storage space after buying the American
military surplus from the war with the Spanish. After
200lbs of ammunition exploded in 1920, much of the
castle was destroyed and the rest abandoned.
10. Disney’s Discovery Island - Lake Buena Vista, Florida
A former wildlife attraction in the heart of Disney World,
it is rumoured that the island was left to run wild after
bacteria capable of killing humans was discovered in the
surrounding water.
11. Aniva Rock Lighthouse - Sakhalinskaya Oblast, Russia
A formal penal island used by the Russians, Aniva was
once sought after by both the Russia and Japan. This
now Russian controlled territory sits uninhabited in the
seas between Japan and the eastern coast of Russia.
12. Canfranc Rail Station, Spain
Canfranc Rail Station was part of an international railway
route through Spain and France. An accident in 1970
destroyed a nearby bridge and ended international rail
links between the two countires, leaving Canfranc deserted.
13. Chateau Miranda - Celles, Belgium
The castle was originally built by French aristocrats fleeing
the revolution. During and after World War II, Miranda Castle
was used as an orphanage. It was abandoned in 1980, with
the family refusing to allow authorities to care for the structure.
Because of its past, this haunting castle remains a favourite
amongst ghost hunters.
14. Abandoned Coal Plant - France
15. Eilean Donan - Loch Duich, Scotland
Located in the Highlands of Scotland, the Eilean Donan island
sat abandoned until 1911, when it was restored by a prominent
retired military officer.
16. Hashima Island, Japan
In the past Hashima Island was rich in coal, with over 5000
miners once living on the island. When petrol replaced coal as
Japan's main source of fuel, the settlement was left abandoned.
Now the once thriving town is creepily abandoned, with only
shadows remaining.
17. Abandoned Mill - Ontario, Canada
18. City Hall Station - New York City, New York
City Hall Station was built in 1904 and closed in 1945 as only
around 600 people used it only a daily basis.
19. Orpheum Auditorium - New Bedford, Massachusetts
This Auditorium opened on the same day that the Titanic sunk,
April 15th, 1912. A supermarket now occupies some of the
building, but the rest remains beautifully deserted.
20. Holy Land USA - Waterbury, Connecticut
Holy Land USA was a theme park based on passages from the
Bible. At its peak in the 1960s and 70s, the park attracted
around 40,000 visitors annually. It was closed down in 1984,
though the grounds remain intact.
21. Abandoned Power Plant - Belgium
22. Wreck of the SS America - Fuerteventura, Canary Islands
http://zeqps2k4t563atbs730zvzq12aw.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/shipwreck.jpg
This former United States ocean liner was wrecked in 1994
after 54 years of service.
23. Underwater City - Shicheng, China
Shicheng has been under water for 53 years since the Xin'an
River Hydro Plant flooded the area. The city was founded 1,300
years ago.
24. Abandoned Domino Sugar Factory -- Brooklyn, New York
25. Red Sands Sea Forts - Sealand, United Kingdom
Originally built during World War II to protect the River Thames,
these forts are now lifeless. Except for those that have been
claimed by Sealand, a micronation off the shore of England.
26. Overgrown section of the Great Wall - China
The Great Wall is 13,170 miles long and vast sections receive little maintenance because of the enormous cost of caring for such
a monumental structure.
27. Michigan Central Station - Detroit, Michigan
Built through 1912 and 1913, Central Station served as the
passenger rail depot for Detroit and was the tallest train station
in the world. With the closure of the line in 1988, Central Station
fell into disuse and all restoration plans have failed.
28. Dadipark - Dadizel, Belgium
A simple playground, Dadipark opened in the 1950s and closed in 2002.
29. Military Hospital - Beelitz, Germany
30. Empty Organ Room
31. Abandoned church with chairs still standing
This church was left to decay with the chairs still standing
and a baby's coffin still visible.
32. Wonderland Amusement Park - Beijing, China
Designed to be the biggest amusement park in Asia,
Wonderland was never completed after financial issues.
The land has since been cultivated by local farmers.
33. Częstochowa Train Depot - Poland
34. An Abandoned Rocket Factory - Russia
35. El Hotel del Salto - Colombia
Hotel del Salto was built in 1928 for wealthy tourists
visiting the nearby Tequendama Falls. Eventually, the
waterfall was contaminated and visitors lost interest,
leading to the hotel’s abandonment.
36. Christ of the Abyss - San Fruttuoso, Italy
Guido Galletti built this statue of Christ in 1954 and
placed it into the water at a depth of 55 feet.
37. Railroad in the Fall - Lebanon, Missouri
38. Eastern State Penitentiary - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Operated from 1829 until 1971, Eastern State was one
of the first modern penitentiaries. Now a national landmark,
the prison was designed in a revolutionary wagon wheel
shape which became a globally adopted style. Eastern State
held the likes of Willie Sutton and Al Capone.
If only walls could talk…
1. Pripyat, Ukraine
Pripyat, a city of nearly 50,000, was totally abandoned after the nearby Chernobyl
nuclear disaster in 1986. Due to radiation,
it has been left untouched ever since the incident
and will be for many thousands of years into the future.
Nature now rules the city in what resembles an apocalyptic
movie.
2. Mirny Diamond Mine - Eastern Siberia, Russia
The world's second largest man-made hole, Mirny was
constructed by Stalin to satisfy the Soviet Union's
demand for industrial diamond. Further digging efforts
were eventually abandoned when it became too difficult
to continue digging this massive hole.
3. Farmhouse - Seneca Lake, New York
This abandoned farmhouse in New York state also
acts as a graveyard for many vintage cars which
are now empty shells of their former selves.
4. Ryugyong Hotel - Pyongyang, North Korea
The Ryugyong Hotel is a true display of North Korea's
madness. Work started on this 105 story hotel only a
few years before a massive famine plagued the country.
Abandoned for 16 years, work once again began in 2008,
when it was coated in $150 million worth of glass. Foreign
guests have reported that although the structure now
looks complete on the outside, a lot of the interior is still
abandoned and incomplete.
5. Willard Asylum - Willard, New York
Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane was built in 1869
and closed in 1995. Housing 4000 patients at its peak,
more than half of the 50,000 patients who called Willard
Asylum their home died within its walls. This makes the
asylums morgue (pictured above) one of the creepiest places
we can imagine. By its closure, most patients were eventually
integrated back into society, but in the early days "people
didn't leave unless it was in a box."
6. Sanzhi UFO Houses - San Zhi, Taiwan
These homes were intended to be sold to U.S. military
officers when construction began in 1978. In 1980, work
was halted due to loss of investment.
7. Six Flags Jazzland - New Orleans, Louisiana
Severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina, Six Flags
Jazzland has been abandoned since. Several of the rides
still stand, a testimony to the resilience of New Orleans.
Several companies have plans to develop the park, but
until then it will remain as the perfect setting for a horror
movie.
8. Gulliver’s Travels Park - Kawaguchi, Japan
Constructed in the shadow of Mt Fuji, this theme park
opened in 1997. Despite financial help from the Japanese
government, it lasted only 10 years before being
abandoned.
9. Bannerman Castle - Pollepel Island, New York
Bannerman Castle's owner, Francis Bannerman VI, built
the structure as storage space after buying the American
military surplus from the war with the Spanish. After
200lbs of ammunition exploded in 1920, much of the
castle was destroyed and the rest abandoned.
10. Disney’s Discovery Island - Lake Buena Vista, Florida
A former wildlife attraction in the heart of Disney World,
it is rumoured that the island was left to run wild after
bacteria capable of killing humans was discovered in the
surrounding water.
11. Aniva Rock Lighthouse - Sakhalinskaya Oblast, Russia
A formal penal island used by the Russians, Aniva was
once sought after by both the Russia and Japan. This
now Russian controlled territory sits uninhabited in the
seas between Japan and the eastern coast of Russia.
12. Canfranc Rail Station, Spain
Canfranc Rail Station was part of an international railway
route through Spain and France. An accident in 1970
destroyed a nearby bridge and ended international rail
links between the two countires, leaving Canfranc deserted.
13. Chateau Miranda - Celles, Belgium
The castle was originally built by French aristocrats fleeing
the revolution. During and after World War II, Miranda Castle
was used as an orphanage. It was abandoned in 1980, with
the family refusing to allow authorities to care for the structure.
Because of its past, this haunting castle remains a favourite
amongst ghost hunters.
14. Abandoned Coal Plant - France
15. Eilean Donan - Loch Duich, Scotland
Located in the Highlands of Scotland, the Eilean Donan island
sat abandoned until 1911, when it was restored by a prominent
retired military officer.
16. Hashima Island, Japan
In the past Hashima Island was rich in coal, with over 5000
miners once living on the island. When petrol replaced coal as
Japan's main source of fuel, the settlement was left abandoned.
Now the once thriving town is creepily abandoned, with only
shadows remaining.
17. Abandoned Mill - Ontario, Canada
18. City Hall Station - New York City, New York
City Hall Station was built in 1904 and closed in 1945 as only
around 600 people used it only a daily basis.
19. Orpheum Auditorium - New Bedford, Massachusetts
This Auditorium opened on the same day that the Titanic sunk,
April 15th, 1912. A supermarket now occupies some of the
building, but the rest remains beautifully deserted.
20. Holy Land USA - Waterbury, Connecticut
Holy Land USA was a theme park based on passages from the
Bible. At its peak in the 1960s and 70s, the park attracted
around 40,000 visitors annually. It was closed down in 1984,
though the grounds remain intact.
21. Abandoned Power Plant - Belgium
22. Wreck of the SS America - Fuerteventura, Canary Islands
http://zeqps2k4t563atbs730zvzq12aw.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/shipwreck.jpg
This former United States ocean liner was wrecked in 1994
after 54 years of service.
23. Underwater City - Shicheng, China
Shicheng has been under water for 53 years since the Xin'an
River Hydro Plant flooded the area. The city was founded 1,300
years ago.
24. Abandoned Domino Sugar Factory -- Brooklyn, New York
25. Red Sands Sea Forts - Sealand, United Kingdom
Originally built during World War II to protect the River Thames,
these forts are now lifeless. Except for those that have been
claimed by Sealand, a micronation off the shore of England.
26. Overgrown section of the Great Wall - China
The Great Wall is 13,170 miles long and vast sections receive little maintenance because of the enormous cost of caring for such
a monumental structure.
27. Michigan Central Station - Detroit, Michigan
Built through 1912 and 1913, Central Station served as the
passenger rail depot for Detroit and was the tallest train station
in the world. With the closure of the line in 1988, Central Station
fell into disuse and all restoration plans have failed.
28. Dadipark - Dadizel, Belgium
A simple playground, Dadipark opened in the 1950s and closed in 2002.
29. Military Hospital - Beelitz, Germany
30. Empty Organ Room
31. Abandoned church with chairs still standing
This church was left to decay with the chairs still standing
and a baby's coffin still visible.
32. Wonderland Amusement Park - Beijing, China
Designed to be the biggest amusement park in Asia,
Wonderland was never completed after financial issues.
The land has since been cultivated by local farmers.
33. Częstochowa Train Depot - Poland
34. An Abandoned Rocket Factory - Russia
35. El Hotel del Salto - Colombia
Hotel del Salto was built in 1928 for wealthy tourists
visiting the nearby Tequendama Falls. Eventually, the
waterfall was contaminated and visitors lost interest,
leading to the hotel’s abandonment.
36. Christ of the Abyss - San Fruttuoso, Italy
Guido Galletti built this statue of Christ in 1954 and
placed it into the water at a depth of 55 feet.
37. Railroad in the Fall - Lebanon, Missouri
38. Eastern State Penitentiary - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Operated from 1829 until 1971, Eastern State was one
of the first modern penitentiaries. Now a national landmark,
the prison was designed in a revolutionary wagon wheel
shape which became a globally adopted style. Eastern State
held the likes of Willie Sutton and Al Capone.
If only walls could talk…
