10 hauntingly beautiful abandoned destinations

22 de April de 2015

As avid travellers, we all know there’s something uniquely beautiful about remote, empty and abandoned places. Which one feels most hauntingly intriguing to you?

1. Pripyat, Ukraine

Complete with a timeless Ferris wheel, 160 apartment blocks, 27 eateries and 20 schools, Pripyat was established in 1970 – and abandoned a mere 16 years later following the Chernobyl disaster. Travel tours here operate regularly.

2. Craco, Italy

In the southern province of Matera, you’ll find Craco – an amazing cliff top city that was evacuated in 1963 due to landslides. It was abandoned fully in 1980 after the Irpinia Earthquake – but makes for an incredible travel excursion today.

3. Kolmanskop, Namibia

It was a mining village a long time ago, but now Kolmanskop in the Namib Desert is a ghost town – and a popular tourist attraction. It was abandoned thanks to the diamond mining decline in 1954, and is now perhaps best known for its incredible ‘sandy’ occupation.

4. Six Flags New Orleans, USA

While live jazz and a vibrant street scene mostly characterise New Orleans, the Six Flags Amusement Park – built here in 2000 – has been abandoned and out of use since 2006, right before Hurricane Katrina hit. The Jester Rollercoaster is a common icon of this abandoned beauty.

5. Chateau Miranda, Belgium

In the town of Celles, this abandoned castle is known both for its potential ghost sightings. Built in 1866 as a family residence, it became an orphanage in World War II and finally shut down in 1980. The family that owns the castle has refused to do it up, resulting in its present haunting and dilapidated state.

6. Hashima Island, Japan

Often referred to as Gunkanjima or Battleship Island, this haunting rock has been abandoned since 1974 when coal mining began to die out in favour of petroleum. Tours to this gorgeously ruined hotspot are available and silently mindblowing. If you think the place looks familiar, you’re probably remembering it from the Bond movie, Skyfall.

7. Seattle Underground, USA

The original site of the city of Seattle now rests underground and has been officially ‘abandoned’ ever since it was destroyed by the Great Fire in 1889. The new city was then built over the top of it, a whole level up! In the early 1900s, however, many still used the underground shops for gambling houses, opium dens and speakeasies. Visitors today can still tour this abandoned gem.

8. Maunsell Sea Forts, UK

Constructed during World War II, these tiny fortified towers have been out of use since the 1950s – though were used for pirate radio stations in the 1960s. Although they’re now completely abandoned (and deemed unsafe), boat tours to see them out on the water are still findable.

9. Military Hospital in Beelitz, Germany

Constructed in 1898 to treat people with tuberculosis, this eerie hospital was turned into a military facility during World War I. Though it has been left to wear away since 1994, its fame continues – as it once housed Hitler after he was injured in the Battle of the Somme. Rusty beds and disintegrating operating equipment can still be seen today.

10. Hotel Del Salto & Museum, Colombia

Resting next to Tequendama Falls, this hotel is an abandoned attraction that draws thousands of tourists each year. It opened back in 1928, but saw its close in the 1990s and was left to dwindle away as an abandoned building. However, in 2012 it was restored and is now a small museum offering stunning views of the falls.