The 5 most visited “Ghost Towns” in the world – #1 will give you chills
From many reasons, over time, some cities have totally died. Some because of the wars, some because of natural disasters, third because of human mistakes. However, their residues remain to testify for their life and history, but we can agree, they act very creepy.
1. Location: Pripyat, Ukraine (100 km away from Kiev) – Abandoned since: 1986
Story: On April 26, 1986 big explosion occurred in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, located 14.5 km north of the city. Most employees from the plant lived in the city, which was built just for that purpose. Although it has taken all appropriate measures to isolate the reactor, but the city remains insecure for life. So far in the city has recovered only the wildlife. Wolves hunt wild pigs between desolate buildings and the abandoned amusement park. The strange fact is that the amusement park was opened the day after the explosion, during the evacuation.
2. Location: San Jie, Taiwan - Abandoned since: 1980
Story: The area called San Jie was originally planned to be a resort for the U.S. troops, which are located north of Taipei. The place is very famous for its architecture and often it’s said that has an UFO charm. However, the difficulties encountered at the very beginning. During the construction many workers died in the traffic and many other from an unusual accidents. Approximately the project has killed about 20 people, and each accident is believed to have a supernatural reason. Some speculate that the resort was built on the Dutch cemetery, others accidents are attributed to the dragon statue that was destroyed during construction. In any case, the place has never welcomed its first guests, and the project was abandoned.
3. Location: Craco, Italy - Abandoned since: 1963
Story: Built on a rocky peak, the purpose of Craco was to be hard won by the enemies. However, setting the city on a rock, began to pose a threat to its integrity. After earthquakes and landslides, Craco was abandoned, and people descended on a lower land.
Today the city is great for researching, and there can be found a number of interesting churches, such as “Santa Monica Stella“.
4. Location: Kolmanskop, Namibia - Abandoned since: 1954
Story: Once a successful diamond mining community, now Kolmanskop is a desert ghost town, where in the houses is welcomed only the sand. The Desert city was built when the Germans discovered great mineral wealth in the region. They built a city in a German style, theater, ballroom, and a tram system, the first in Africa. The desert has swallowed the city after the miners moved away. The Sand has flooded the houses, covered the streets and slowly erased the signs of civilization.
Location: Island Hashima (Ghost Island), Japan - Abandoned since: 1974
Story: During the industrial revolution in Japan, the company “Mitsubishi” build this remote island, around a large deposit of coal. The island became home to 5,000 residents, who were the first to live in Japan in buildings made of concrete. Nearly a century ago, miners and their families lived on the island. However, in the 60s and 70s of last century, Japan began to close all coal mines, so the same happened with this. Today the city govern a post-apocalyptic atmosphere, with empty streets and dilapidated buildings and an eerie silence. Since 2009, the island is open to tourists, and everyone can visit the abandoned theaters, cinemas, shops, buildings and other objects on it.