Abandoned Cities and Towns of the World!

:skeleton:



Ghost Towns of the American West are what come to mind for many when they think of abandoned settlements. However, there are fascinating abandonments all over the world. Some of these have a clear historical reason for being deserted, while the abandonment of others remains a mystery. Here are six more amazing examples of urban deserts from around the globe.




San Zhi, Taiwan is an abandoned settlement on the outskirts of Taipei, Taiwan. A mysterious series of accidents led this would-be tourist town to go unused upon its completion. Further, regional beliefs also kept the abandoned settlement from demolished - for fear of angering spirits dwelling in the complex



Near Genoa, Italy is a small abandoned village. What would cause people to leave such a beautiful place? To be fair, though, the ruins left behind are aesthetically compelling in their own right. The structures are remarkably intact and provocative.




Promyshlennyi, Russia was abandoned with the fall of the Soviet Union, cut off from communication with and support from the government. When utilities and electricity stopped working, people simply left to find a home an work elsewhere, leaving buildings behind and many belongings in the wreckage.




New York, USA has a surprising number of abandoned airfields - directly in and around the city. Given the relative density of the city and its surroundings it seems unusual that these have been left unused for so long. Each of these anomolous airfields has its own story.



Tere-Hole, Siberia is a lake with a recently dicovered treasure in the middle: a ruin dating back 1500 years. Located in a vast wilderness of lakes, this long-abandoned stronghold is 600 by 450 feet. Excavations this year may reveal ancient artifacts.





Pripyat, Ukraine was once a thriving city of 50,000, but was abandoned following the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl. For a long time the amazingly preserved city - rapidly abandoned by the populace - was a virtual museum, a snapshot of the times. Pripyat has since been looted and only images and architecture remain. The site will be unfit for human habitation for hundreds of years due to nuclear fallout

Gunkanjima, Japan: Once known for having one of the highest populatioin densities in the world (1.4 people per square meter) “Battleship Island” is now completely deserted. Known today as “Ghost Island,” this strange place stands out from other hundreds of abandoned Japanese islands for its massive concrete sea walls and omnipresent and ominous concrete architecture. Some people have snuck onto the island to take photographs and explore.

Varosha, Cyprus: Photographing this city, fenced off by the Turkish military in 1974, is forbidden. These images show a rare glimpse inside of this eerie ghost town. The area was once home to thousands of Greek Cypriots who have been denied for decades the right to return to their homes. The photographer who took these images nearly lost his camera to a military patrol, and the slanted angles are a result of shooting from his side when he could.

Verona, New Jersey: The Essex Mountain Sanatorium is an amazing example of a prevalent type of abandonment. Mental hospitals were largely abandoned in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s, being widely considered no better than prisons for the mentally ill. In the wake of this movement, many such building complexes were simply left to decay over time. Of course, breaking into these and taking photographs often yields interesting stories.

Bangkok, Thailand: This former Russian Embassy, including the century-old Luang Sathorn Mansion, is remarkably preserved despite being long abandoned. Sound-proofed and metal-lined walls tell the story of what was once a Russian intelligence stronghold during the Cold War. Pieces of intelligence and communications equipment are strewn about, but much of the architecture and decor remain intact.

Pyongyang, North Korea: Once slated to be the largest hotel structure in the world, the Ryugyung Hotel building remains incomplete, a towering but hollow concrete shell. At over 1,000 feet high, this building represents a political response to the South Korean company’s equivalent. It is unclear whether the structure will ever be finished. For now, it remains an empty giant on the skyline.

Detroit, Michigan: The population of detroit has decreased by half over the past fifty years. Vast areas of land have been cleared in an effort to rid the city of its abandonments, but many structures still remain. Even landmark buildings of historical and architectural value have been demolished. People tend to think that all urban areas grow over time, but Detroit provides a striking counterexample.

Centralia, Pennsylvania: Fourty years later, this abandoned town is still burning from below, due to a coal mine fire that never went out, bringing underworld metaphors to life. Carbon monoxide rose to dangerous levels (and sink holes opened up beneath unsuspecting residents) before many left the area for good. Today, a few people still live in or around Centralia, though smoke continues to curl up out of the ground and through gaping cracks in highways. Some try to comprehend it through fascinating videos of the town. Others just pass through, documenting their experience of this surreal place.

Berlin, Germany has been at the center of European history in many regards, most recently as the divided core of Germany before East and West reunification. This abandoned complex located in Beelitz (just outside of Berlin) dates back to the 19th century and was used by the Germans as a military hospital through the second World War. From the 1940s on it was continuously occupied and used as a military hospital by the Russians complete with a surgery, psychiatric ward and rifle range before being abandoned in the 1990s. During its years of operation, famous (or infamous) patients included Adolf Hitler and former East German leader Erich Honecker.

Mesen, Belgium is the smallest town in Belgium with fewer than 1,000 residents. However, it is the home of one of the most beautiful abandoned castles one could imagine, built, rebuilt, modified and expanded from the 1500s onward. This gorgeous structure evolved from a defensive fortress to a boarding school over time before being abandoned in the middle of the 20th century. It has has decayed by natural means with very little outside interference or vandalism and conjures picturesque images of beautiful deserted buildings. Nonetheless, it is under threat of destruction. It seems that only in Europe, where such buildings are more abundant, could such a lovely structure be considered common enough to not necessarily warrant rehabilitation.

Copenhagen, Denmark has developed a rich tradition of industrial production in part due to its geography. Flanked on virtually all sides by water, it is no wonder this country has spawned many facilities like the refrigeration factory. These pictures show the internal story of desertion, fire and other internal tales as well as the future plans for redevelopment on the site. Adjacent condos (shown in the last image) represent the likely direction of this abandoned property as waterfront real estate continues to replace old industrial uses.

Ryhope, England is home to an abandoned water pumping station that almost seems like a retrofuturistic structure straight out of a cyberpunk novel. This deserted structure is a monument to the Victorian era of industrialization, dating back to the middle of the 19th Century. It was an important step in the modernization of clean water distribution in an era where urban densification and disease went hand in hand. Though the station is no longer in active use all of the machinery still works, a true testament to the capabilities of Victorian English engineers.

Tempere, Finland is one of many places that saw considerable growth and prosperity during the industrial revolution. With a thriving Finnish timber industry came the matchstick factory featured above. Built between world wars, the factory was in continuous use until the mid-1970s at which point it switched industries with the times, become (among other things) an automobile plant for a period of time. Since being entirely abandoned the main building and surrounding structures have become hangouts for local teens.

Warsaw, Poland has had a long and trying history of war and strife. It is perhaps no wonder that even in the heart of a relatively prosperous Polish city one can still find a vast abandoned factory complex. This series of deserted structures began as an electric lamp production facility in the 1920s before being converted to construct radios for submarines by the Germans during World War II. It reverted to its old function after the war but was poorly managed and eventually abandoned altogether, with remnant containers of chemicals and other assorted scientific equipment left behind as a testament to its earlier uses.

Paris, France is notorious of late-running Metro trains due to frequent worker strikes - but perhaps less well known for its numerous abandoned Metro stations. Urban explorers manage to find their ways into some of these abandoned subway tunnels while others have been converted to new uses including (appropriately enough) official homeless shelters. Some of the tunnels can even be visited privately late at night in groups led by sanctioned rail-expert tour guides.

:wasalamex

Detroit, Michigan: The population of detroit has decreased by half over the past fifty years. Vast areas of land have been cleared in an effort to rid the city of its abandonments, but many structures still remain. Even landmark buildings of historical and architectural value have been demolished. People tend to think that all urban areas grow over time, but Detroit provides a striking counterexample.

^^ actually its more alive than u think. u should go ther and hear all the gunshots, soooooo tiight but ghosty!!

^ lol

are u done? coz u forgot another abandoned city...


Somewhere, Ohio: This is an abandoned "city" somewhere in ohio. Nobody left in here but one muslim family. and sum animals.

Abandoned City??? It realy Loooks Like A graveyard To me :skeleton:

SubhanAllah! Some of them look very fake but mysterious at the same time...they're beautiful. JazakAllah khayr :thumbs_up

lol thats coz they never really left. they just under ground in hibernation along with the other animals...i call it MIGRATION or u can call it hibernation...all thats important is that i got the whole city to my selff


heres som more.
Hashima Island

Hashima, or Gunkanjima Island, is an abandoned coal mining community 15km outside of Nagsaki, Japan. In 1959, the island had the highest population in the world with a density of 1.391 people per km^2. The island was abruptly abandoned in 1974 when the coal resources ran out an the workers living there were no longer needed. Travel to the island is prohibited.
The literal translation of the island means “Battleship Island” because of it’s silhouette.

Everything literally falls apart, in a relatively short period of time.

The abandoned school:





scary...


Kowloon Walled City

The Kowloon walled city had a long history with political and territorial disputes. After Japan’s WWII surrender in 1948 the area became a part of British Hong Kong. Squatters began to build, and when the city became part of the People Republic of China, even more were added. The city was a lawless haven, British government didn’t want to deal with it, and Hong Kong Police were not allowed to enter. The Kowloon walled city was an “in-between zone” ruled by nobody but the fearsome triads that ran the city.
View of the city shortly before demolition.

Inside the city’s alleys. In some areas, daylight was completely blocked out.

Shabby makeshift power lines littered the city and it’s rooftop.



Pripyat

The infamous Chernobyl nuclear power plant failure left this entire city abandoned. Because the residents were only allowed to take a single suitcase of items with them during the evacuation, almost everything was left behind. This gives the city the appearance that it’s inhabitants simply vanished - children’s toys, documents, photos, can all still be found withing thousands of abandoned apartments.
View of the city’s ferris wheel. Those of you who play Call of Duty 4 will recognize this.

Although radiation still exists, its possible to visit for a short amount of time without getting sick.

The swimming pool




Subhanallah, how places that were once so full can become empty so quickly...sad sometimes......................xcept for the movie makers, they use these places to shoot ther movies! kwl

WOW Thanks For sharing They Look Awesome But At The Same time Scary as Hell , I cant imagine To walk There all By Myself :skeleton::skeleton:

some of these are scary.

jazakumallah khair for sharing

these are the type of places they say jinn are. "Abandoned, empty, dirty" places.

so i really would consider this "ghosty" lol

lol Yeah It can be Possible That They Are Full Of Djinns out there uhh :scared:

^^ awesome oh:

truemuslim said:

these are the type of places they say jinn are. "Abandoned, empty, dirty" places.

so i really would consider this "ghosty" lol

Click to expand...

ur ryt sis.. i guess this towns n cities belong to jinns.

Welcome to jinnat's towns n cities!!!!

Assalamoalaikum Everyone,
yeah, those pictures are scary:skeleton:....

Very nice, though. Thanks for posting!

some of these are scary. oh:

abandoned houses are normal....but cities and towns...that's scary....

Pulau Bidong, Malaysia

On August 8th, 1978, Bidong was officially open to house refugees. From 1978 until 1991, the island was mostly home to Vietnamese refugee Boat People, who escaped Vietnam to flee Communists. In the late 70s, Pulau Bidong was also home to Cambodians, who tried to flee the Khmer Rouge regime, Chinese-Vietnamese, who tried to escape Vietnamese Government.

Between 1978 - 1991, more than 250,000 Boat People lived on Pulau Bidong. Over 240,000 Vietnamese refugees resettled in third countries. On October 30th, 1991, Pulau Bidong was closed.





Abandoned Vietnamese Church in Pulau Bidong.



Abandoned Vietnamese houses at Pulau Bidong.



Old Signboard at Pulau Bidong.



These stone tablets on Pulau Bidong honouring those who died at sea before reaching Malaysian shores are a poignant reminder of the plight of Vietnamese boat people.

http://www.pulaubidong.org/