Exploring the Mysteries of 16 of the World's Most Abandoned Places
- Peter Johnson
- 08 Apr, 2023
Humans have always been fascinated by ruins and abandoned places. They give us a glimpse into the past and allow us to imagine what life was like for those who lived there. But abandoned places can also be eerie and mysterious, as if frozen in time. Here are the 16 most abandoned places in the world, each with its own story to tell.
Pripyat, Ukraine
Pripyat was once a thriving city of nearly 50,000 people in northern Ukraine. It was home to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and its workers, but on April 26, 1986, a catastrophic explosion at the plant led to the evacuation of the entire city. Today, Pripyat is a ghost town, frozen in time since the day of the disaster.
Hashima Island, Japan
Hashima Island, also known as Gunkanjima or "Battleship Island," is an abandoned island off the coast of Nagasaki, Japan. It was once a thriving coal-mining town with a population of over 5,000, but when the coal ran out in the 1970s, the island was abandoned. Today, it is a popular tourist attraction and has been featured in several movies, including the James Bond film Skyfall.
Craco, Italy
Craco is a medieval hill town in southern Italy that was abandoned in the 1960s due to landslides and earthquakes. Today, it is a popular destination for tourists and filmmakers, who are drawn to its eerie beauty and rich history.
Oradour-sur-Glane, France
Oradour-sur-Glane was a small village in central France that was destroyed by the Nazis in 1944. Over 600 men, women, and children were massacred, and the village was left in ruins as a warning to others. Today, it stands as a haunting reminder of the atrocities of war.
Kolmanskop, Namibia
Kolmanskop is a ghost town in the Namib Desert that was once a thriving diamond-mining town. When the diamonds ran out, the town was abandoned and has been slowly overtaken by the desert. Today, it is a popular tourist destination and a photographer's dream, with its eerie abandoned buildings and sandy streets.
Bodie, California
Bodie is a ghost town in the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains of California. It was a thriving gold-mining town in the late 1800s, but when the gold ran out, the town was abandoned. Today, it is a state historic park and a popular tourist destination, with over 100 buildings still standing.
Humberstone and Santa Laura, Chile
Humberstone and Santa Laura were once bustling mining towns in northern Chile, producing saltpeter, an important ingredient in fertilizer. But when synthetic fertilizers were invented, the towns were abandoned and left to decay. Today, they are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a popular tourist attraction.
Centralia, Pennsylvania
Centralia was a coal-mining town in eastern Pennsylvania that has been burning underground since 1962. The fire, which was started by a trash fire in a mine, has been burning ever since, causing the town to be abandoned due to the toxic fumes. Today, Centralia is a ghost town with a population of just a handful of residents.
Gunkanjima, South Korea
Gunkanjima is an abandoned island off the coast of South Korea that was once a thriving coal-mining town. When the coal ran out, the island was abandoned and left to decay. Today, it is a popular tourist attraction and has been featured in several movies and TV shows.
Kayakoy, Turkey
Kayakoy is a ghost town in southwestern Turkey that was abandoned during the exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey in 1923. The town was home to over 6,000 people, most of whom were Greek Orthodox Christians. Today, the town is a haunting reminder of the forced migration and displacement of people that took place in the early 20th century.
Kowloon Walled City, Hong Kong
Kowloon Walled City was a densely populated, lawless enclave in Hong Kong that was demolished in the 1990s. At its peak, the city was home to over 33,000 people in just 6.5 acres, making it one of the most densely populated places on Earth. Today, the site has been redeveloped into a park, but the memory of the city lives on in books, movies, and video games.
