The 38 Most Haunted Abandoned Places on Earth
From the inception of time, man has created amazing structures, habitations and venues of amazing design and architecture for living, entertaining and fighting. Over time, thousands of these have become obsolete or abandoned for any number of reasons. Many have become tourist destinations, while others, lie abandoned and in decay. Here are 38 of the most haunted abandoned places on earth that will stir your innermost senses of intrigue, adventure and yes, fear.
1. Pripyat, Ukraine
The city of Pripyat used to be the home of nearly 50,000 people however now lies abandoned after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster which happened in 1986. Due to radiation, the city will be left untouched for thousands of years until it is safe to return.
2. Mirny Diamond Mine, Eastern Siberia, Russia
Mirny is the world’s second largest man-made hole and was constructed by Stalin to fulfill the Soviet Union’s demand for industrial diamonds. The mine has since been abandoned when continuing to dig deeper and deeper became too difficult. If Siberia is not in your immediate plans, enormous holes like this can be found throughout southeast Arizona with both abandoned and functioning copper mines.
3. Farmhouse, Seneca Lake, New York
An abandoned old farmhouse is New York state acts as a graveyard for many vintage cars as well as visions of a past life, and to the truly adventurous the lure of treasure such as old coins, bottles and artifact of a past era.
4. Ryugyong Hotel, Pyongyang, North Korea
This impressive looking hotel represents the secretive and mysterious North Korean culture. Standing at 105 stories tall the hotel has been abandoned for 16 years. Work started again in 2008 and from the outside it now looks finished, however it is reported that much of the interior is still incomplete and we many never know the truth.
5. Willard Asylum, Willard, New York
More than half of the 50,000 patients that came to the Willard Asylum died within its walls making this place one of the creepiest on our list. Who knows what strange and bizarre things took place here generations ago?
6. Sanzhi UFO Houses, San Zhi, Taiwan
These were created to be sold to U.S military officers in 1978, however now lie abandoned after a loss of investment.
7. Six Flags Jazzland, New Orleans, Louisiana
Six Flags Jazzland has been abandoned since it was badly damaged by Hurricane Katrina and her 175 MPH winds. There are plans to develop the park but for now it could be the setting of a creepy horror story.
8. Gulliver’s Travels Park, Kawaguchi, Japan
This theme park opened in 1997 but despite a financial boost from the Japanese government it still only lasted 10 years. These remnants would be worthy of Jonathan Swift’s series of frightful tales.
9. Bannerman Castle, Pollopel Island, New York
This castle was built by owner Francis Bannerman VI who intended to use the space as storage after buying American military munitions and surplus after the war with the Spanish. In 1969, 200lbs of ammunition went off, destroying much of the castle. Today, it remains the same ominous and chilling sight it was in the early 1900’s on a tiny island in the middle of the Hudson River.
10. Disney’s Discovery Island, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
A former wildlife attraction in Disney World, it is rumored it was left abandoned after bacteria capable of killing humans was found in the water.
11. Aniva Rock Lighthouse, Sakhalinskaya Oblast, Russia
This land was originally sought after and shared by both the Japanese and Russians for use as a military outpost and penal colony. It is now controlled by Russia and the remnants of seven stories of diesel engines and mercury pools leave the imagination to wonder what went on here 70 years ago.
12. Canfranc Rail Station, Spain
Once a busy international link between Spain and France, a train derailment in 1970 destroyed a key bridge along the route effectively ending the link through the Pyrenees between the two countries. The railway had 80 bridges, 24 tunnels, 4 viaducts and took 24 years to construct.
13. Chateau Miranda, Celles, Belgium
During and after World War II, Miranda Castle was used as an orphanage however was abandoned in 1980 and remains in a state of decay, popular for ghost hunters because of its past.
14. Abandoned Coal Plant, France
This abandoned coal processing plant would be a prime candidate for the culminating scene in a classic police “hunt down the bad guy” movie ala Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry.
15. Eilean Donan, Loch Duich, Scotland
Built in the 13th century, this classic Scottish castle served to defend against Norse expeditions and invasions. It served faithfully until 1719 when it was destroyed by ship bombardments. Rebuilt completely, this majestic castle takes us back in time to a period knights in armor and clans vying to rule Northern Europe.
16. Hashima Island, Japan
Undersea coal deposits beneath this fortified island were discovered in 1887 and the island became essential to industrial Japan. Prior to and during WWII the island was one of Japan’s notorious forced labor camps. With coal reserves depleted in 1974, the island was abandoned thus becoming one of our ominous and harrowing places on the list.
17. Abandoned Mill, Ontario, Canada
Abandon mills abound everywhere on earth and are some of the most eerie yet amazing places to visit. Generally built of old concrete or brick, the rustic nature of these buildings is fascinating to explore. Older mills were powered by waterfalls used for giant saws, millstones and other equipment operated in the mill.
18. City Hall Station, New York City, New York
Designed as the showpiece to New York’s massive subway system, this station opened in 1904 and closed in 1945 as just 600 people used it daily. Its tight curves could only accommodate 5 small subway cars thus its infrastructure shortfall betrayed the beauty of its Italian tile, colored skylights and tile and ornate brass chandeliers.
19. Orpheum Auditorium, New Bedford, Massachusetts
This amazing building was opened the day the Titanic sank in 1912 and originally housed a shooting range, ballroom and theatre. Closed in 1959, her cavernous hall and stunning murals still echo with the sounds of the many vaudeville acts she was famous for.
20. Holy Land USA, Waterbury, Connecticut
Holy Land USA was a theme park based on the Bible and once attracted 44,000 visitors annually to its re-creations of catacombs, chapels, giant bible and Garden of Eden. Sadly, vandalism, scavengers and gang activities contrary to biblical teaching have tormented this now abandoned replica of biblical times.
21. Abandoned Power Plant, Belgium
Power plants of all types have captivated human interest for the shear energy and power they produce. This abandoned power plant will energize and peak your energy to explore the magnitude of its size.
22. Wreck of the SS America, Fuerteventura, Canary Islands
This former United States ocean liner was wrecked on the Canary Islands in 1994 after serving for 54 years. This ghostly ship’s history includes travel by movie stars, society elites and even Nazi spies who used the ship to conduct spy operations aboard during WWII. Only the brave would dare attempt boarding her amidst the rocky shores and crashing waves that batter her.
23. Underwater City, Shicheng, China
The ruins of Shicheng have been submerged for 53 years after the Xin’an River Hydro Plant flooded the area. The city was originally founded 1,300 years ago.
24. Abandoned Domino Sugar Factory, Brooklyn, New York
Rebuilt with red brick after an 1882 devastating fire, this magnificent building was the largest sugar refiner in the world. As with many of the places on our list, this place was no stranger to mystery and intrigue. In 1917 during WWI, a huge explosion killed several workers, and 15,000 neighbors gathered to watch the building burn. German spies were thought to be behind the explosion.
25. Red Sands Sea Forts, Sealand, United Kingdom
These unique and massive structures were built during WWII to protect the Thames Estuary and the Port of Liverpool, critical to British supply needs during the war. They successfully defended the ports from Luftwaffe attacks. After abandonment, they were illegally used by illegal unlicensed “pirate” radio stations during the 1960’s to broadcast both propaganda and rock music. These “pirates” were forced to abandon their stations when Britain moved territorial sea limits from 3 miles to 12 miles thus reclaiming domain over the towers.
26. An overgrown section of the Great Wall of China
Because the Great Wall of China is 13,170 miles long, some parts fall into a state of disrepair due to the cost of managing such a huge structure yet remains one of the most popular and desired places to see of any place in the world.
27. Michigan Central Station, Detroit, Michigan
Built in 1912 to 1913, the Central station served as the passenger rail depot for Detroit and was once the tallest train stations in the world. At its peak, 200 trains left the station daily with nearly 4,000 passengers.
28. Dadipark, Dadizele, Belgium
Dadipark opened in the 1950 as a simple playground for children and families. By 1980, it had been transformed into an amusement park with rides that attracted over a million visitors a year. A series of serious accidents caused the park to close in 2000 and the now abandoned park stands ready as the perfect setting for creepy horror movie.
29. Military Hospital, Beelitz, Germany
Built between 1898 and 1930 Beelitz Hospital was a center for tuberculosis treatment and research. Among its more infamous patients was Adolf Hitler, then a young corporal in the military who was wounded during the First World War. Seized by the Russians in 1945, it remained a Russian Military Hospital until closing in 2000.
30. Empty Organ Room- Beelitz Military Hospital
Creepy and frightening images of Beelitz Military Hospital
31. Abandoned church with the chairs still standing
Throughout history ornate, massive churches and cathedrals have inspired and awed millions of churchgoers and tourists alike with their giant stained-glass windows, statutes, sculptures, murals and silent reverence. Solemn sadness permeates this church mysteriously left to decay with the seats still standing and a baby coffin still visible.
32. Wonderland Amusement Park, Beijing, China
Wonderland was once set to be the biggest amusement park in Asia however it was never completed due to financial issues. The land has since been put to good use by local farmers who have used it for cultivating.
33. Częstochowa Train Depot, Poland
Once a thriving train station connecting Warsaw, Vienna and the rest of Europe, this “graveyard” of trains may have no headstones but will likely still send chills up your spine at the site of these old bones of formerly glorious trains.
34. An Abandoned Rocket Factory in Russia.
The Cold War may be over, but the site of this former Russian rocket factory may get you heated up over what might have been when relations were quite frigid with the West.
35. El Hotel del Salto, Colombia
Hotel del Salto was built in 1928 for wealthy tourists that wanted to visit the nearby Tequendama Falls. The Bogota River and waterfall became highly contaminated with industrial waste that tourists lost interest, causing this amazing hotel to shutter in the early 1990’s. Rumors that the hotel was haunted and the many suicides by jumping have added to the mystery of this once world-famous locale.
36. Christ of the Abyss, San Fruttuoso, Italy
Built by Guido Galletti, this statue of Christ was submerged into water 55 feet deep in 1954. You may be surprised to know that its chosen location was to memorialize Dario Gonzatti, the first Italian to use SCUBA, who died on this very spot.
37. Railroad in the Fall, Lebanon, Missouri
Trains have always fascinated man for their shear power, as well as their beauty and graceful elegance. Trains have taken through mountain passes, forests and obscure places where no autos could travel.
38. Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Operated from 1829 until 1971 the Eastern State is now a national landmark and can still be visited by tourists. Its “solitary confinement” design was revolutionary and was adopted by many prisons until SC proved to be inefficient with rising incarceration rates. Two of ESP’s more infamous guests were Al Capone and Willie Sutton.