The beauty of some sites has stood the test of time, but many look like something straight out of a horror movie.
Pripyat, Ukraine
This abandoned town is located near the site of the Chernobyl disaster that took place in 1986. After being exposed to harmful nuclear radiation, Chernobyl and the nearby town of Pripyat were evacuated and left to decay.
Pripyat Amusement Park, Ukraine
Abandoned bumper cars rust in an amusement park in Chernobyl, Ukraine. The park never opened because the nuclear disaster happened before it opened.
Six Flags of New Orleans, Louisiana
This Six Flags amusement park was abandoned after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. The storm caused so much damage that they couldn’t reopen. Now covered in graffiti, the park is slowly falling apart.
Abandoned church, Russia, Tula region
There are a number of abandoned churches scattered throughout Russia. This one, in the Tula region, is gently devoured by the nature that surrounds it.
Nicosia International Airport, Cyprus
Before Turkish forces invaded the country to repel a Greek coup in 1974, it was Cyprus’ main airport . After the invasion, it closed and is now in the United Nations-controlled buffer zone between the north and south of the country.
Nara Dreamland, Japan
This bizarre amusement park was built in the 1960s, but was abandoned in 2006 due to low visitor numbers. It was modeled after Disneyland, California.
Everything has remained in the park since the time it was abandoned. There are even still chairs in cafes.
Oradour-sur-Glane, France
This French town was destroyed by the Germans during World War II. Rubble and pieces of local houses and buildings still remain today. The French government voluntarily abandoned this city to bear witness to the devastation to which it was subjected.
Krakow, Italy
The village of Craco was built in medieval times. It was abandoned following a series of landslides, which washed away part of the city in the 1960s.
Monastery of the Annunciation of Mount Rudnik, Serbia
This abandoned monastery is nestled on the slopes of Mount Rudnik, Serbia. The church was built in the 1400s.
Bodie, California
Bodie is a ghost town straight out of a Wild West movie. It was a bustling place until two fires destroyed the town’s mills. This put a stop to local commercial activity and people were forced to leave, leaving the town abandoned.
Land of Oz, North Carolina
The yellow brick road reminds you of something? This 6.5-hectare (16-acre) Wizard of Oz-themed amusement park was hugely popular when it opened in 1970. But the public quickly lost interest and the park was almost completely deserted. Then, a fire destroyed most of it in 1975 and the park never completely recovered.
Ha-shima Island, Japan
This once populated island in Japan was abandoned due to the collapse of its mines. It is now inhabited only occasionally by film producers and scientists.
Hellinikon International Airport, Greece
Hellinikon International Airport closed in 2001 to make way for Athens International Airport, built in preparation for the 2004 Olympics. Since then it has been used for the Olympics…and as a training camp. refugees. Developers hope to turn it into a resort .
Église de Falealupo, Samoa
Falealupo Church is located in the ruins of a village on the largest island of Samoa. The inhabitants abandoned it following a succession of cyclones which destroyed the land and made life difficult. They have moved into the hinterland, but the structure of the Catholic Church is still in place.
Pyramiden, Norway
This abandoned Soviet city is located north of the Arctic Circle. It was a mining town during World War II, but was abandoned following the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1990s.
Bokor Hill Station, Cambodia
This ghost town has been abandoned twice. A first time when the Bokor station, built by Cambodian slaves under the rule of French colonists, was abandoned. The station was then taken over as an operations post by the Khmer Rouge who soon after left it to decay.
Floyd Bennett Field, New York
This Brooklyn airport was the first airport in New York City. Today it is abandoned and is part of the Gateway National Recreation Area where visitors can camp, kayak or hike.
Monastery of Santa Maria de Seica, Portugal
The plants that infiltrate the structure of this abandoned church make it even more beautiful. The origin of the monastery dates back to the 1100s. In 2018 it was named a national monument, so its ruins will never be touched.
Tiandu Cheng, China
This Chinese ghost town, which was supposed to be an exact replica of bustling Paris and home to up to 10,000 residents, is now virtually empty.
Kowloon Citadel, Hong Kong
The Citadel of Kowloon has already hosted 33,000 immigrants and vagrants . Before the Chinese government demolished it, it was an outlaw territory where crime and drugs reigned. Some parts still survive today.
The caves of Kalacheevskaya Monastery, Russia
This spooky underground structure is a monastery dating back to the 18th or 19th century. The cave of about one kilometer has two levels. The small holes that dot the walls of the cave bring in natural sunlight.
Agdam, Azerbaijan
The city of Agdam found itself in the middle of a war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The two nations fought over control of its territory until Armenia completely destroyed the city and left it to its fate.
Fordlandia, Brazil
Henry Ford bought and built this town in South America hoping to make it a beautiful town where workers could make a living from rubber farming. But the rubber trees he intended to exploit were never planted and those that already existed fell ill. The workers who lived there repeatedly rose up to protest the lack of decent food and segregation and eventually left.
Lutheran Church, Ukraine
This 20th century Lutheran church, once filled with pews and parishioners, is now abandoned.
