I’ve previous post about unbelievable places on Earth to visit before you die. Now I’d like to share some strange and sometimes haunting abandoned places on Earth. These abandoned places and real life ruins offer an eerie glimpse into what a world without humans might look like.

Abandoned Places

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. Nature now rules the city in what resembles an apocalyptic movie.

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 diamonds. Unfortunately, further digging efforts were eventually abandoned when it became too difficult to continue with this massive hole.

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. However, by its closure, most patients were eventually integrated back into society. 

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. Now it’s one of the oddest abandoned places.

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.

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.

Bannerman Castle – Pollepel Island, New York

Bannerman Castle’s owner, Francis Bannerman VI, turned the structure into a storage space after buying the American military surplus from the war with the Spanish. After 200 lbs of ammunition exploded in 1920, much of the castle was destroyed and the rest abandoned.

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.

Canfranc Rail Station, Spain

Canfranc Rail Station is one of the abandoned places that was once 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 countries, leaving Canfranc deserted.

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.

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.

Abandoned Mill – Ontario, Canada

City Hall Station – New York City

City Hall Station was built in 1904 and closed in 1945 as only around 600 people used it only a daily basis.

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.

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.

Abandoned Power Plant – Belgium

Wreck of the SS America – Fuerteventura, Canary Islands

This former United States ocean liner was wrecked in 1994 after 54 years of service.

Underwater City – Shicheng, China

Shicheng has unfortunately been under water for 53 years, since the Xin’an River Hydro Plant flooded the area. This once beautiful city was founded 1,300 years ago.

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.

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.

Dadipark – Dadizel, Belgium

A simple playground, Dadipark opened in the 1950s and closed in 2002.

Military Hospital – Beelitz, Germany

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.

Częstochowa Train Depot – Poland

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.

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.

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.

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Source: https://www.distractify.com/the-most-spectacular-abandoned-places-in-the-world-1197620875.html