Abandoned places can show others what transpires without human upkeep and what could happen to the places we frequent and love. These spots are very haunting, and there’s mysterious beauty in the neglect.
Though the following locations have weathered with time, they’re still strikingly beautiful. Continue reading to see what they look like and learn more about their backstories. You’ll feel like a voyeur, peeking back in time!
Kennecott, Alaska
The Kennecott Mines and the town that surrounds it are often shrouded in fog, and when you go there in the fall, you’ll see the beautiful foliage. However, it’s about as creepy as the Packard Sawmill found in Twin Peaks. The town flourished until the resources were depleted in the 1950s.
Kennecott, Alaska
Canfranc Station, Spain
While it’s past its glory days, Huesca, Spain, still has the international Canfranc train station to show its majestic appeal. It had been the most-frequented train station within Europe and was the second-largest at the time it was built in 1928. There are current plans to revive it in 2026.
Canfranc Station, Spain
Grossinger’s Resort, New York
You wouldn’t know it if you looked at it now, but Grossinger’s was a luxurious weekend escape found in Liberty, New York. In its prime, it resembled the Dirty Dancing resort, and that might be the inspiration for the film. However, an economic downfall caused it to close its doors back in 1986.
Grossinger’s Resort, New York
Rummu Prison, Estonia
The semi-submerged prison features a dark past. Prisoners had to work in the quarry until its abandonment in the early 1990s. Without people to maintain it, the space flooded with water. Now, it’s a beach, so you can still enjoy its history.
Rummu Prison, Estonia
Hotel Goricina, Croatia
Hotel Goricina was a luxurious escape as a Yugoslavian military resort. However, it was destroyed during the Croatian War for Independence. Now, you see the blue waters from the Adriatic Sea popping against the disarray it shows.
Hotel Goricina, Croatia
Hachijo Royal Hotel, Japan
The Hachijo Royal Hotel is found on the beautiful Japanese island of Hachijojima. Though it was one of the largest resorts in the country, it’s no longer in service. Still, the French Baroque architecture sits against the overgrown trees and moss to create an eerie experience.
Hachijo Royal Hotel, Japan
Beelitz, Germany
Though it’s creepy, the cheerful blue paint (what’s left of it) and the swirly window remind people of the chocolate Factory from Willy Wonka. It dates back to the 1800s and functioned as the military hospital during wartime. However, the whole place was abandoned in the 1990s.
Beelitz, Germany
Geamana, Romania
In the 1970s, copper mining became popular in Geamana. However, it created toxic waste, so Nicolae Ceausescu, the dictator, required a total evacuation of 400 families to use it as a dump site. You can still see its tower through the artificial lake.
Geamana, Romania
Gougi Island, China
Gougi Island is a fishing village found in China on the Yangtze River. It’s not your average forgotten space, though. The lush buildings are covered in greenery and ivy, making it striking and tranquil.
Gougi Island, China
Saint Nicholas Church, Macedonia
The Saint Nicholas Church is flooded now and sits in the Macedonian Mavorvo Lake. Its destruction was intentional; the lake was built to support the power plant, but the village and church were caught up in it. What’s left is eerie and beautiful simultaneously.
Saint Nicholas Church, Macedonia
Miranda Castle, Belgium
The fairytale-like castle was built in 1966 to be a summer home for a Belgium designer. However, he died before it was finished in 1907. Then, the Nazis overtook it in WWII. From there, it was a summer camp and then abandoned because of high maintenance costs in 1991.
Miranda Castle, Belgium
Ross Island, India
Ross Island is found in South Andaman, India, and it was once the British administrative center for the IPS (Indian Penal Settlement). However, it became overgrown with wild Ficus plants and was abandoned. Now, it feels like part of the Jungle Book.
Ross Island, India
Six Flags, New Orleans, USA
Hurricane Katrina destroyed this theme park in 2005. The murky waters rose to 6 feet high, and saltwater damaged about 80 percent of those rides. Now, you have a beautiful and strange monument to show the tragedy that befell the city.
Six Flags, New Orleans, USA
Hirta, Scotland
Though this island used to be occupied by countless people, it was evacuated in the 1930s because of harsh weather and the threat of starvation. Now, you see abandoned stone structures throughout the fields.
Hirta, Scotland
Dome Homes, Florida, USA
Florida is a beautiful space, but right off the coast of Marco Island, which is in Cape Romano, you see a structure that seems to be an alien spacecraft. It was a vacation home that got destroyed by countless hurricanes and is unsalvageable because of the declining coastline.
Dome Homes, Florida, USA
Berlin, Nevada, USA
The Berlin Historic District was part of the mining boom and was founded in 1897. However, it wasn’t as successful as other towns nearby, so it was completely abandoned in 1911. Now, it’s part of the Nevada State Park.
Berlin, Nevada, USA
Kolmanskop, Namibia
Kolmanskop was a town founded in 1908 and was in the Namib desert. A man found some diamonds in the area, but the resources were fully exhausted in 1954. Therefore, the homes were abandoned and now filled up with sand.
Kolmanskop, Namibia
Kilchurn Castle, Scotland
The Scottish castle was built within the mid-1400s. It housed many powerful people during its time. However, it had to be abandoned in the 1700s. Now, it’s one of the most popular castles, and people take plenty of pictures of it because of its location.
Kilchurn Castle, Scotland
Kayakoy, Turkey
Kayakoy is a town found in the Taurus Mountains, but it was deserted back in the 1920s. Greece saw a political population exchange, which caused the problem. Now, there are still 350 homes in this forgotten city!
Kayakoy, Turkey
The Floating Forest, Australia
The military built SS Ayrfield in 1911 but retired it in 1972. This floating forest sits in Homebush Bay, which is a ship graveyard west of Sydney. It’s unique because of the majestic mangrove trees that sprouted.
The Floating Forest, Australia
Lake Como Villa, Italy
Though the history for this decrepit area isn’t certain, the locals near the Lake Como mountains believe that this old mansion got built in the 1800s. Rumors say that it was abandoned because of a suicide or murder.
Lake Como Villa, Italy
Allerheiligen Monastery, Germany
The Allerheiligen Monastery church is found in the Black Forest of Germany and was built in 1192. Since then, it’s been struck by lightning three times and burned. Eventually, people left it as ruins like you see today.
Allerheiligen Monastery, Germany
Ta Prohm Temple, Cambodia
The Ta Prohm Temple is famous and sits in Angkor Wat, Cambodia. It was abandoned after the 17th century saw the fall of the empire. After so many years of neglect, it’s becoming part of the jungle again. Now, someone takes care of it to maintain it.
Ta Prohm Temple, Cambodia
Maunsell Army Sea Forts, England
The forts were built to protect the shores of Kent, England, from German attacks during WWII. Afterward, the military decommissioned them in 1950, though they were radio stations for pirates. Now, they’re completely abandoned, but plans are in the works to restore them.
Maunsell Army Sea Forts, England
Bodiam Castle, England
The Bodiam Castle is moated and is located in East Sussex, England. It was built in the 14th century by a knight who wanted to protect the area from the French invasion during the Hundred Years War. However, it’s abandoned and is now a tourist attraction.
Bodiam Castle, England
Methodist Church, Indiana, USA
Gary, Indiana is the home of this beautiful church. It cost about $1 million to build it in 1926, and the congregation was about 2,000 people because of the booming town. However, employment declined, so the population dwindled. There are plans to protect the structure.
Methodist Church, Indiana, USA
Hotel del Salto, Colombia
The Colombian hotel opened in 1928 and catered to those who wished to see the nearby waterfall. However, it was closed in the 1990s and is now abandoned to this day. Some claim that it’s haunted!
Hotel Del Salto, Colombia
Michigan Central Station, USA
This gorgeous building was used in 8 Mile, the movie about Eminem. The Detroit train station was built in 1913 and closed up in 1988. However, it was purchased by Ford Motor Co. in 2018 with plans to fully restore it!
Michigan Central Station, USA
City Hall Subway Stop, New York, USA
It’s rare to see empty NYC subway stations. However, the abandoned City Hall stop shows you how beautiful they can be when they’re not hit with masses of people. The station’s curve caused it to be unsafe for longer and newer trains, so it closed in 1945.
City Hall Subway Stop, New York, USA
Holland Island, Maryland, USA
There used to be a small island colony on the Chesapeake Bay, but this is now the only house left. The island’s coast has been slowly eroding away, so inhabitants had to leave their homes and seek shelter elsewhere.
Holland Island, Maryland, USA
Bodie, California, USA
Bodie, California, is often said to be the top ghost town in the West, and the former mining town feels frozen in time. Found in the Sierra Nevadas, visitors can stroll along the streets, peek into windows from the saloon, and more!
Bodie, California, USA
Aniva Rock Lighthouse, Japan
The Aniva Rock Lighthouse is now abandoned, but it was built by the Japanese people in 1939 and was situated in Russia. After a significant conflict, the Russians chose to annex it during WWII.
Aniva Rock Lighthouse, Japan
Bannerman Castle, New York, USA
This castle was designed to be used for storage so that the American military could house its supplies after the war with the Spanish people. However, 200 pounds of ammunition went off in 1920, leaving it destroyed.
Bannerman Castle, New York, USA
The Great Wall, China
Because of its immense size, it was too expensive to maintain The Great Wall in China. Parts of it have now fallen down. Wild overgrowth fills the walkways, and you can see tons of weeds, grass, and thick shrubs.
The Great Wall, China
Burj Al Babas, Turkey
The Burj Al Babas resort was a beautiful European-inspired escape that held 732 chateaux-like villas. This construction project started in 2011, but the locals were against it. Likewise, financial and legal issues caused it to halt and never pick back up.
Burj Al Babas, Turkey
The Neptune Baths, Romania
The Neptune Baths were elaborate, and Franz Joseph, the Austro-Hungarian emperor, called it the most beautiful resort in Romania in 1852. However, it was abandoned during the Romania Revolution of 1989, though people can still visit it.
The Neptune Baths, Romania
Curon, Italy
Most people call it strange to see the 14th-century bell tower in the middle of a lake, but that was done purposefully. The Italian government flooded Curon in 1950 to create the manmade lake. Now, the tower is all that’s left of the town.
Curon, Italy
Tianducheng, China
The photo seems like a post-apocalyptic Paris setting, but it’s a replica of the Eiffel Tower that’s found in the Tianducheng district of China. This strange project started in 2007 and was called a huge failure because no one wanted to live there.
Tianducheng, China
Olympic Bobsleigh Track, Germany
The bobsleigh track was built in 1910 and then renovated in 1933 to host the Olympic Winter Games for Garmisch-Partenkirchen just three years later. Then, it was demolished in 1966, though explorers still find sleighs and other equipment nearby.
Olympic Bobsleigh Track, Germany