Real-Life Abandoned Places That Look Straight Out Of An Apocalypse Movie
When humans settle an area and start building, they generally stay for at least a few generations. But any number of factors can lead to these places being abandoned in an abrupt manner.
The reasons for the abandonment of these spaces varies — from disease to poor planning to nuclear meltdown. While it’s still possible to visit most of these sites, it probably isn’t a very good idea to do so.
Pripyat, Ukraine
Pripyat was founded in 1970 as a planned, closed city to service the nearby Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Of course, anyone with a knowledge of 20th century history knows what happened at Chernobyl.
Following the meltdown, the city had to be abandoned due to dangerous levels of radioactivity. A city that once had nearly 50,000 citizens was left to rot.
Hashima Island, Japan
Also known as Gunkanjima, or Battleship Island, Hashima Island is a small island about eight miles away from Nagasaki.
The island was a coal-mining hotspot in the early 20th century, and then had a dark chapter as a forced labor camp for Korean civilians and Chinese prisoners of war beginning in the 1930s. After the end of World War II, the island was abandoned — but its structures remain.
Bodie, California
Bodie is one of the better-preserved ghost towns that are peppered throughout the western United States. The region first boomed in 1876 after gold was discovered nearby, and within three years it was home to about 8,000 people.
Of course, like other boom towns before it, the gold soon ran out. By 1915 — less than four decades after it was founded — Bodie was officially a ghost town.
Letchworth Village, New York
There’s nothing more eerie than an abandoned asylum, and one prime example is Letchworth Village — an institution near the Hudson River in New York.
Letchworth Village first opened in 1911 as a “state institution for the segregation of the epileptic and feeble-minded.” Conditions inside its walls made it a frequent target for criticism, and it closed its doors in 1996.
Villa Epecuén, Argentina
A former tourist village accessible by train from Buenos Aires, Villa Epecuén was a popular vacation destination for Argentinians, with a permanent population of around 1,500 in the mid-20th century.
In 1985, a dam protecting the village broke and the entire area became flooded. This spelled doom for the village, as there was no feasible way to drain the water.
The Catacombs of Paris, France
Limited space to bury the dead led to the creation of the Paris Catacombs in the late 18th century. This massive underground ossuary was, for many years, simply a cave network for disposing of the bones of the dead.
In the 20th century, the Catacombs became a tourist attraction and remain so to this day. Since no one is really sure of the full extent of the Catacombs, they can be a dangerous place to get lost in.
North Brother Island, New York
North and South Brother Islands can be spotted from many parts of New York City, as they’re located on the East River between the Bronx and Rikers Island.
North Brother Island houses a hospital for quarantining infectious patients. While the facility was abandoned years ago, its ruins are a popular hotspot for urban explorers.
Centralia, Pennsylvania
The coal mining town of Centralia, Pennsylvania sits atop a rich vein of coal that was accidentally set ablaze in 1962, and has enough fuel to continue burning for over 250 years.
Things came to a head in the early 1980s as the fires caused sinkholes to open, causing a major hazard. The town was largely abandoned and is now a wasteland. In 2020, it was reported to have five residents.
Ryugyong Hotel, North Korea
The Ryugyong Hotel is a grandiose, pyramid-shaped skyscraper in Pyongyang that was built to be a symbol of North Korean national pride.
However, an economic crisis struck soon after the hotel was topped out, which halted construction. This left the shell of the building intact, but with virtually no interior. It’s incomplete to this day, and structural concerns persist.
Château Miranda, Belgium
This 19th century neo-Gothic castle near Wallonia, Belgium was once a stately country estate for the aristocratic Liedekerke-De Beaufort family. Construction began in 1866 and wasn’t completed until 1907.
The family lived in the castle until World War II, when it was seized by German forces. It later served as a children’s camp before it was abandoned for good. Demolition took place in the 2010s.
Packard Automotive Plant, Detroit
A symbol of Detroit’s decline and urban blight, the massive Packard Automotive Plant was one of the largest buildings ever constructed when it was built in 1903.
After the decline of Packard, the plant closed in 1958, though the premises were intermittently used by other businesses. By the 1990s, the site was almost entirely abandoned, making it a popular area for raves. It’s still empty, with parts of it demolished.
Kyiv Metro-2, Ukraine
The Kyiv Metro is a bustling rapid transit system with three lines and 52 stations to serve the people of Kyiv, Ukraine. But owing to Cold War uncertainty, stop-and-start construction, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there are numerous abandoned areas.
Several parts of the tunnel were dug but never used, and the Kyiv Metro even has several abandoned stations.
Craco, Italy
The human history of Craco, Italy, goes back to the 8th century BC, and the area was inhabited consistently beginning around 540 BC.
However, a series of landslides devastated the town in the 1960s and a 1972 earthquake made the situation more dire. After a second earthquake in 1980, the town was abandoned entirely.
Hellingly Hospital, England
Overcrowding at nearby hospitals in the late 19th century led to the construction of Hellingly Hospital in East Sussex, England in 1898.
The large complex served as a psychiatric hospital and was served by its own dedicated electric railway. Patient numbers declined by the 1980s, and the hospital was closed in 1994.
Cerro Gordo, California
Cerro Gordo, California was established to capitalize on the silver deposits found in the area during the 19th century. The town quickly became the largest producer of silver and lead in the United States.
However, a massive fire in 1877 and declining silver prices in the years to follow led to Cerro Gordo’s abandonment. In recent years, a YouTuber has gone viral for purchasing and fixing up the area.
Bombay Beach, California
The Salton Sea, a heavily saline lake created by an accidental inflow of water in the early 20th century, was a tourist destination for many decades, with the town of Bombay Beach serving as its centerpiece.
However, increased draining of the Salton Sea led to increased salinity and killed the lake’s ecosystem. This led to most residents leaving, creating a kind of lawless wasteland in its wake.
Capernaum, Israel
Capernaum is a significant historic site, as it’s cited in all four gospels of the Bible’s New Testament. It was inhabited by over a thousand people around the time of the 1st century AD, and continued to be inhabited for around a thousand years.
Sometime before the First Crusade, the site was abandoned. It was only re-discovered in 1838 after explorer Edward Robinson found ruins in the area.
Sanzhi UFO houses, Taiwan
A series of distinctive buildings that resemble UFOs was built, but never completed, in Sanzhi District, Taiwan. Developers intended them to be part of a vacation resort.
Some bad luck during construction, including investment losses, led to the project’s abandonment. Some of the crumbling houses remained on site for years, though they were eventually demolished.
The Hospital of the Innocents, Italy
This historic building in Florence, Italy, was built as a children’s orphanage during the Italian Renaissance and remains a stunning example of Renaissance architecture.
The facility was plagued by setbacks, and finally closed for good in 1875.
Kolmanskop, Namibia
This small mining village in Namibia’s coastal desert boomed thanks to diamond mines in the area during the early 20th century, but was in decline scarcely a decade after it was founded.
After bigger diamond deposits were found elsewhere, Kolmanskop saw its population slide until it was abandoned entirely in 1956. Now, the abandoned buildings are slowly being reclaimed by desert sand.
Oradour-sur-Glane, France
This quiet commune in rural France was almost completely destroyed during the fighting of World War II. Four days after D-Day, 643 inhabitants of Oradour-sur-Glane were massacred by German forces.
After this atrocity, the remaining inhabitants left town. The ruins of Oradour-sur-Glane were left standing on the orders of President de Gaulle to serve as a memorial.
Beelitz-Heilstätten, Germany
A large hospital complex in Berlin, Beelitz-Heilstätten was built around the time of World War I and first served as a military hospital.
After its occupation by Red Army forces in 1945, it remained a military hospital for the Soviets, and remained this way until 1994 — well after German reunification. It was subsequently abandoned.
Maunsell Sea Forts, UK
These bizarre-looking miniature forts on stilts were set up in the estuaries of England’s Thames and Mersey Rivers to help defend against the threat of invasion.
Later in their history, the forts became a base for pirate radio broadcasts, and one even became the unrecognized sovereign nation of Sealand. Today, the rusting forts are a haven for urban explorers.
Nara Dreamland, Japan
This theme park had much of the look of a Disney resort, but was not officially licensed. First opened in 1961 amid the theme park boom, Nara Dreamland was in business until it permanently closed in 2006.
The eerie theme park rotted away for the next decade, until most of the site was demolished in 2016 and 2017.
Waverly Hills Sanatorium, Kentucky
After Jefferson County, Kentucky had a severe tuberculosis outbreak in the early 1900s, the Waverly Hills Sanatorium was built in Louisville to treat patients.
Because tuberculosis was mostly controlled in the decades to follow, the sanatorium closed in 1961. Various restoration efforts have followed, but the sanatorium has been mostly abandoned for more than 60 years.
Michigan Central Station, Detroit
Detroit’s former intercity passenger rail station, Michigan Central Station, was first dedicated in 1914. It served the Motor City for more than six decades, and was closed in 1988 when Amtrak services relocated.
The elegant station still stands thirteen stories tall over downtown Detroit. While it’s thoroughly fenced off, it’s still a popular spot for urban exploration.
Poveglia Island, Italy
This small island in the Venetian Lagoon between Venice and Lido first entered the historical record in the year 421, but was abandoned in 1379 due to a nearby conflict.
The island was re-inhabited in 1776 for use as a quarantine station and later as a mental hospital. Since the closure of said hospital in 1968, the island — and its ruins — have been abandoned.
Varosha, Cyprus
Once an idyllic seaside resort, Varosha was a prime tourist attraction for those looking to soak up the Mediterranean sunshine.
Beginning in 1974, skirmishes between the Turkish and Greek Cypriot armies turned the area into a warzone. While fighting has ceased, the combat tore the resort apart, and most of it is still abandoned.
Aghdam, Azerbaijan
This city was first founded in the 18th century and boomed under Soviet rule. The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, a territorial conflict in the late ’80s and early ’90s, decimated the city of Aghdam.
A power vacuum meant that the ruined city lacked leadership, and most of its citizens fled. The crumbling remnants of their homes still remain.
Grytviken Whaling Station, Antarctica
One of several small settlements along the Antarctic coast, Grytviken (“Pot Bay”) was first settled in the early 20th century for use as a whaling station.
Further Antarctic exploration established the nearby British Antarctic Survey research station as the prime hub of the area, and Grytviken fell into disuse, closing for good in 1966.
Humberstone and Santa Laura, Chile
These two ghost towns in Chile’s sprawling Atacama Desert were built to support workers of the saltpeter mines in the area.
The mines flourished from the 19th century until about 1960, and the towns became ghost towns by about 1970. The Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works were made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.
Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, West Virginia
An eerie psychiatric hospital in Weston, West Virginia, the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum operated for more than a century, between 1864 and 1994.
The complex has become a tourist attraction in its own right, featured in various ghost-hunting shows, the video game Fallout 76, and various books and movies. It was re-opened as a tourist destination in 2008.
Tomioka Silk Mill, Japan
Japan brought modern machine silk reeling technology from France in the 1870s, and the Tomioka Silk Mill was built to take advantage of this new technology.
The popularity of synthetic fibres eventually spelled doom for this factory, and it stopped production in 1987. The well-preserved facility is still a much-loved icon throughout Japan.
Kayaköy, Turkey
This mostly abandoned city in Turkey had a long history and was known in ancient Greece. Sadly, Greek and other Christian minorities were massacred or removed during World War I.
Further fighting in the Greco-Turkish War damaged the city even more, and the area — which once had more than 6,000 inhabitants — became almost completely depopulated.
Teufelsberg, Germany
This manmade hill translates to “The Devil’s Hill” — and for good reason. It’s built on top of debris and rubble from the German army of World War II.
The United States built a listening station atop the rubble during the Cold War, which was later abandoned and fenced off. The graffiti-covered base of the tower is a popular destination for urban exploration.
Canfranc International Railway Station, Spain
This grandiose railway station in Canfranc, Spain was opened in 1928 to serve as a hub for trains entering France via the Pyrenees.
The station was a white elephant, and was never extensively used. The already minimal rail traffic stopped entirely after a 1970 derailment damaged a bridge on the route. Plans to rehabilitate the station are in place, but it remains to be seen if these will come to fruition.
Train Graveyard, Bolivia
This surreal site, known as the “Cementerio de Trenes” near Uyuni, Bolivia, is exactly what it sounds like: A desolate sites where old trains are taken to rot.
Because the area consists of massive salt flats, the corrosive effect on the trains is immediately apparent. Trains on the site date back to the 19th century, and one is even said to have been robbed by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Cincinnati Subway
People from Cincinnati know that the city’s rapid transit does not include a subway system — but at one time, a subway was not just being planned, but was actively under construction.
The system never got going due to the Great Depression, and the completed tunnels are only about two miles in length. Officially cancelled in 1928, the project has never been revived.
Balaklava Submarine Base, Crimea
This Cold War-era submarine base seems like something out of a James Bond film, with tunnels cut into Mount Tavros to support a once-secret submarine base.
The complex fell into disrepair following the collapse of the Soviet Union and was unguarded for more than a decade. In recent years, Russia’s activities in Crimea have led to speculation that the base may be restored.
Riverview Hospital, Canada
This mental health facility in Coquitlam (near Vancouver) was built in the early 20th century to house overflow patients from other nearby asylums.
It was in operation until its closure in 2012. While much of the complex remains abandoned and crumbling, there have been efforts to replace obsolete buildings with newer facilities.
