Whether deserted because of storms, volcanic eruptions or human conflicts, abandoned structures worldwide can offer a glimpse into what life might have been like in the past. Some of the abandoned areas have been forsaken completely, falling into disrepair from neglect, while others have been consciously preserved as historical monuments. Here we take a look at 12 of these uninhabited sites that have been preserved in time, beginning with Salton Riviera in California.
The Salton Riviera lies on the shore of an accidental lake in California named the Salton Sea, which was created when Colorado River swelled and breached its levees in 1905. In the 1950s and 60s, the shoreline of this new lake – the largest in the state - was a booming tourist attraction, that, according to VICE, would regularly attracted over half a million visitors a year.
However, by the late 1970s, the ecosystem this so-called “miracle in the desert” began to collapse, according to Slate, as the water became increasingly saltier, polluted with pesticides and depleted in oxygen. Fish began dying in droves and their smell drove the tourists and residents out of town – a smell that is still present today.
Forty years ago, a coup was staged by the Cyprus National guard. The conflict escalated into a civil war between the Greek and Turkish communities on the island of Cyprus. After the ceasefire, a restricted buffer zone was established in 1974, according to The Atlantic, stretching 112 miles across the island. The zone is controlled by the United Nations, and is almost deserted. Mostly, reports The Guardian, the zone contains abandoned homes, closed businesses and the deserted Nicosia international airport.
Resembling a giant UFO saucer on top of a mountain, the Buzludzha monument (also known as the House of the Bulgarian Communist Party) was opened on the 1300-year anniversary of the founding of Bulgaria, according to the Daily Beast.
The site was abandoned when the government fell from power in 1989. According to Atlas Obscura, there are still ways to access the inside of the building and today, much of the roof paneling has been stripped away by thieves and vandals, reports the Daily Beast.
Four days after the D-Day landing in Normandy, an armored SS division rounded up and killed 642 inhabitants of the village of Oradour-sur-Glane, which was located in the German-occupied zone of France during World War II. The village was torched and only six people survived the attack, according to AP.
Following the tragedy, a new village was built nearby but the ruins of the original town, according to The Daily Mail, and burnt-out cars were preserved as a memorial to those that died and a testimony to what happened. A museum was also opened nearby.
Founded in 1908, Kolmanskop (also spelled Kolmanskuppe) was once a diamond-mining town in the Namib desert, home to hundreds of German miners.
“In spite of, or probably because of, the isolation and bleakness of the surrounding desert, Kolmanskop developed into a lively little haven of German culture, offering entertainment and recreation to suit the requirements of the affluent colonialists,” the Namibian tourist board told The Daily Mail.
Before the First World War, over 2000 pounds of diamonds were dug up from the desert, reports Atlas Obscura, but after the war, the price of diamonds dropped and by 1956, the town was completely abandoned. Today, the desert is reclaiming the town, slowly filling up the houses to the ceilings.
Discovery Hut (also called “Scott’s Hut) was built in 1902 at Hut Point on Ross Island. Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s National Antarctic Expedition constructed it. According to Lonely Planet, the hut had been prefabricated in Australia, and then transported in pieces by ship with the expedition to Antarctica where it was assembled. At one time, it was painted a terracotta color but the harsh Antarctic winds have stripped the wood bare.
According to Atlas Obscura, the hut was unbearably cold and windy because the insulation (a thin layer of felt stuck between wood plants) was insufficient and the door to the hut was oriented towards the cold windward southern side.
In 1956, the hut was rediscovered by U.S. expeditioners, who dug it out of snow and ice only to find that it had remained largely intact, with even some of the provisions left by previous expeditions preserved. The hut is listed in the World Monuments Fund’s Most Endangered Sites List.
On January 23, 1973, the Eldfell volcano erupted on Heimaey Island, forcing the evacuation of the nearby town. The eruption lasted five months and buried 400 buildings in ash and lava.
Today, archeologists have exhumed some of these buildings, which were perfectly preserved by the volcanic ash. Some excavated homes revealed set breakfast tables and piles of folded clothes – a glimpse of that morning in 1973. Museumgoers can visit one of these recovered cottages up close at the Eldheimar museum, which opened in May 2014.
Located in Kauai, Hawaii, the Coco Palms Resort opened in 1953. It was made famous for being the set for the wedding scene in Elvis Presley’s 1961 movie “Blue Hawaii,” according to The Star Advertiser. It became a popular vacation spot until 1992, when the resort was badly damaged by Hurricane Iniki. It remained closed, abandoned and in a state of disrepair in the years after the storm until July 4, 2014, when a fire broke out at the shuttered resort, destroying the main lobby and some offices, according to Pacific Business News.
Located nine miles off the coast of Japan, Hashima Island (also known as Gunkanjima or “Battleship Island”) is an abandoned ghost town surrounded by tall concrete sea walls. Concrete was used to protect the island’s buildings against typhoon damage. The island is known for being the inspiration for the villain’s lair in the 2012 James Bond film “Skyfall.”
Once, this ghost town was the most densely populated place in the world per square meter, according to PRI. From the late 1800s until 1974, it was packed with thousands of Japanese coal workers until the coal supplies and demand ran out. Today, the island is empty of people, with many of its cement buildings deteriorated and in a state of collapse.
The Belgian Château de Noisy (also known as Château Miranda) is a ghost hunters paradise, according to Curbed. It has been a private home, a hotel and an accommodation for the children of Belgian road employees, but it has been abandoned since 1991. Today, it has been heavily vandalized and in a severe state of decay, adding to its spookiness.
Pripyat, once thehome to 50,000 people, is an abandoned Ukrainian city in the city in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. It was evacuated after the explosion at the nearby Chernobyl nuclear plant on April 26, 1986. This ghost town is full of abandoned, decaying buildings, including a school, arusting amusement park(that had never opened), anda hospital. According to the Mother Nature Network,radiation levels still remain too highfor permanent habitation, but, since the disaster, the town has been regularlyvisited by tourists and photographers,reports The Telegraph.
The historic gold mining town of Bodie, located northeast of Yosemite National Park, is maintained as a State Historic park. According to the Park service, it is one of the best preserved ghost towns in the United States.
The town mushroomed into life after two prospectors struck gold in 1859 in the Bodie Hills. By 1879, the town had grown to a population of approximately 8,500 people and more than 2000 buildings. According to the California State Parks Department, it had also developed a fearsome reputation as one of the most lawless, wildest and toughest mining camps in the West. However, by 1881, the mines began to get peter out and the population began shrinking. Today, after two fires – one in 1892 and one in 1932 – only about 10 percent of the original town remains standing.
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