Hauntingly Beautiful Abandoned Places Around The World

Do you ever wander what the world would look like if humans were gone? You don't have to imagine anymore. There are certain places, some of which have been fairly well-documented, which show exactly what would happen. People are often fascinated by castles, islands and even entire cities where locals just picked up and left. Exploring the long untouched places in a way that was not meant to be is thrilling. You can learn about the history and feel the story behind.

Often referred to as Namibia's Ghost Town, Kolmanskop was once the site of a diamond rush and a bustling city for German miners, according to Naminibian.org. Eventually, it peaked and saw its decline after World War I when inhabitants left in search of new diamond deposits. Many of the buildings still stand, but much of the city has been claimed by sand. It gives off eerie vibes that attract curious souls — including ghost hunters — from all over the world.  

The park was abandoned in 1996 after two young guests died accidentally. Many visitors say the girl who died on the swings still appears to them, according to Visit Southern West Virginia. The site was built over the bones of the Native American cultures that had once roamed its fields. An archaeological dig uncovered 13 bodies, most of them children. The gates are open for visitors every Friday and Saturday in October.  

Abandoned by people, but not by nature. You will find this old transport ship, which is now called the Floating Forest, on the west side of Sydney. Many tourists and local photographers go to see the giant mangrove trees. The ship, build in 1911 and deployed for wartime activities, was supposed to be dismantled in 1972 but the ship yard closed too soon.

This Christian-themed park was built in the late 1950s and initially thrived as a Connecticut attraction, according to Atlas Obscura. In the mid-80s the park's owner closed it down to work on expanding the site, but he died in 1986 and it was never reopened. Now long abandoned, Holy Land USA has been widely vandalized and was even the site of a murder in 2010. 

The small city of Pripyat was home to 49,000 residents until it was evacuated and abandoned following the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. Although the area remains uninhibited, the ghost town is overrun by nature and has been deemed safe to visit. Some outfitters there offer guided tours of the site. Trees grow in schools, piles of books can be found in libraries, and dolls can still be seen in kindergarten's floors.

The "Noisy Castle," which has been silent for a quarter of a century, was built in the 19th-century in a neo-Gothic style. It is in danger of being demolished after a severe storm in 2006 damaged the structure, according to The Weather Channel. Families used to go in the summer and German troops occupied it for a bit during World War Two. The castle was abandoned in 1991 after unsuccessful attempts to sell it and turn it into a hotel.

This old Italian mill was once a grain mill powered by spring waters. There were several flour mills, built from stone as far back as the 13th century. They grounded all the types of wheat needed by locals, according to Atlas Obscura. After the milling of flour was largely shifted to nearby pasta mills, the sunken area became obsolete and the buildings were closed and abandoned in the 1940s. 

The station was Detroit's Ellis Island, where many generations of Detroiters first stepped foot into the city for factory jobs, according to Historic Detroit. It has been abandoned for more than 25 years – the last train left in 1988 – and is not home to the homeless and drug addicts. The site has been used as a set in the Transformers movies and 8 Mile.

The Great Synagogue in the oldest populated city of Constanta was built between 1911 and 1914. A small Jewish community still used it in 1996 to hold services. The only living creatures there now are dogs and pigeons. The synagogue now has trees growing inside, the roof is collapsing at spots and it is stated that one of the walls has begun to collapse. Efforts to keep vandals away and to restore the building have been unsuccessful.

If you ever want to see what a typical Stalinist architecture looks like from up close, visit this rundown train station. It has been abandoned since the War in Abkhazia in 1993. The station is along Black Sea coast's 63-mile long Abkhazian Railway, which connects Russia's North Caucasus Railway with Georgia.

China's Atlantic of the East was flooded in 1959. It was forgotten until recently. Adventurers dive to explore a 600-year-old city that is both underwater and unseen for decades. The stone architecture dating to the Ming and Qing dynasties, which ruled from 1368 to 1912, stands perfectly preserved 130 feet under Qiandao Lake, according to the BBC.

What better place to build a hotel than on the edge of a cliff across a 515-foot waterfall with nothing but nature around? The luxurious lodgings opened in late 1920's to house rich tourists to the area. However, the Bogota River was contaminated and fewer and fewer people were going to marvel the falls. The hotel closed in the 1990's and has been abandoned ever since.

This Scottish-style castle, set 50 miles north of New York City, was built by Francis Bannerman in 1901. He made his money by supplying military goods and used the castle as storage for arms and ammunition. After his death in 1918, construction stopped, and the destruction of the castle began. An explosion, a fire and the elements have all taken a toll. Visitors can explore the island and abandoned castle through guided tours.

The Belgian theme park, the country's first private amusement park built in 1950, began as a refuge for church children. It was closed down for renovations in 2002 after a boy lost an arm two years earlier, according to Atlas Obscura. The park never reopened. Now the creepy structures there are said to be rusted and covered with graffiti.

The town of Craco in southern Italy has stood uninhabited for half a century, according to Ancient Origins. "Here, dark windows look out at potential travelers like empty eye sockets and the streets and buildings of this medieval town seems to have literally been vacated overnight, left to crumble in decay."

If you look at the monument, which was built as a socialist assembly hall, from afar, it looks like a space station. This is where the Battle of Shipka, one of the most significant in Bulgarian history, was fought. Every year, the country's Socialist Party organizes a fair for members. Recently, the monument was a movie location for the action thriller Mechanic: Resurrection, in which Jason Statham and Jessica Alba are starring.

Located in the middle of Bay Lake, Discovery Island, which is owned by Walt Disney World, has a long history going as far as the early-1900s, according to Abandoned Florida. The land was used for farming until the 1930s, later as the new landscape for Disney's new attraction, Treasure Island; then it was a zoological park. Disney closed the park in 1999.

If you ever want a glimpse of medieval splendor, visit the Bodiam Castle. It's surrounded lavish green foliage which is iconic for the region of East Sussex. The castle was built by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge, who had once been a knight of Edward III, in in 1385, mainly with the intention of defending this area against the potentially invading armies of France during The Hundred Years War.

City Hall was the ceremonial terminal of the first subway project in New York, according to Columbia University. Tt has a sharply curved platform, a Guastavino tile arched ceiling, skylights (blackened in World War II), and plaques praising the work and those involved. It was in service from 1904 until 1945. Not everyone can see the station – you have to pass a background check first.