10 most popular ghost towns – history, photo, description, map
Every day the popularity of excursions to unusual places is growing. And one of the most popular tours is travel to cities that once had thousands of inhabitants, and today you can't meet a single one on the streets. Such settlements are called “ghost towns”. Some of them were abandoned due to objective circumstances, and some became a forbidden territory due to serious environmental disasters. In any case, ghost towns attract a lot of fans of extreme sports and unusual visits, looking out through the empty eye sockets of numerous houses of potential visitors.
These cities will never return to their former life, children‘s laughter will never sound on their streets, and loving couples will walk in the parks. Abandoned cities will only forever remain in the hearts of those who once were among the ranks of their inhabitants. And every year there are less and less people who remember their former place of residence among us. Let's go for a walk together through the most popular ghost towns that can still be visited, walk through the deserted streets together and look into abandoned dwellings, which have been inhabited only by the wind for so many years.
Echoes of Chernobyl
Our generation will shudder for a long time from the mere memory of the monstrous catastrophe that occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, striking the imagination with its grave consequences, became the only factor that made the town of Pripyat, once fading in greenery, a white dot on the map of Ukraine. Today Pripyat is one of the most desirable places for extreme sports lovers.
Many tourists from Russia and foreign countries are willing to spend a lot of money to see with their own eyes what is left of the city, to walk through the deserted quarters and take pictures against the backdrop of sentimental landscapes. But access to the ghost town is limited today. Despite the fact that almost a third of a century has passed since the disaster, being in a zone affected by radiation, even today, is dangerous to health. Therefore, there is practically no hope that the city can ever return to its former life.
Kadykchan, Khalmer-Yu and Pyramid
Even many residents of Russia have never heard of such settlements as Kadykchan, Khalmer-Yu and Piramida. Each of these small settlements has come a long way in history. Nevertheless, the settlements annually host dozens, if not hundreds, of lovers of antiquities and everything unusual. Kadykchan is located in the Magadan region. It was a typical workers' settlement. Those who were employed in the coal mine lived here. The settlement was built by prisoners during the war years. The population lived its own life until that very moment, until in 1966 a tragedy occurred at one of the mines, which claimed the lives of seven miners. By decision of the authorities, the resettlement of all the inhabitants of the village began, and so that no one would return, all private houses were burned to the ground. It is interesting that in 2010 there were still two indigenous people in Kadykchan who flatly refused to leave their homes.
The second settlement – Khalmer-Yu – is also located on the territory of the Russian Federation, but already in the Komi Republic. The name itself, which in translation from the local dialect sounds like “dead river”, in many ways became a harbinger of the sad fate of the settlement. Like his “brother in misfortune” Kadykchan, Khalmer-Yu was also located in the mine area and was intended for miners and his families. But there were no catastrophes or accidents here. The settlement existed until 1993, when the government of already independent Russia considered that the existence of the settlement was no longer justified. And after the closure of the mine, this village also became empty. Residents, for whom the mine was the only place of income, hastily left their homes. Although, there were some incidents, for the solution of which it was even necessary to resort to the services of the OMON.
Today, the former working settlement, according to official information, has been reformatted into a real military training ground.
And the third village, which has a similar history, is the Pyramid, which is located on the island of Western Svalbard. This is also a mining settlement, which boasts a more loyal fate. For example, the village was officially considered inhabited until 1998, while the miners continued to extract precious fuel. By the way, the mine located in the village of Pyramid was considered the northernmost on the planet until it was closed. The main reasons for closing the mine were: high cost and running out of coal reserves. Despite the closure of the mine, the village is inhabited even today. True, all the inhabitants can be counted on the fingers of both hands. But tourists are always welcome here. Yes, and the research base has been preserved in a decent form, which allows you to engage in the necessary scientific delights.
Centralia – Silent Hill
The very mention of the fictional town of Silent Hill is terrifying. Of course, in fact, this city does not exist, but its prototype called Centralia is located in the US state of Pennsylvania. The main conjecture that contributed to the devastation of the houses of the town and its environs is an underground fire that arose half a century ago. It is surprising that the usual setting fire to no one's unnecessary garbage led to a real disaster. Underground deposits of garbage turned out to be so large that it is not possible to put out the fire to this day. Or maybe the city streets are “warmed up” by some unseen force? Be that as it may, and the population, whose number does not exceed 10 people, gives the right to call Centralia a real ghost town.
Berlin in the USA
Another ghost town is located in the USA. And the name of this creepy settlement evokes not American thoughts at all. The town of Berlin is one of the settlements in the state of Nevada. Mixed feelings of delight and surprise begin to visit the heads of tourists who are here, still on the way. For example, the emblem of the city depicts an ichthyosaur of impressive size. It would seem, what does this ancient inhabitant of the seas and oceans have to do with a small human settlement? But a little “digging” in the history of Pennsylvania, it turns out that on the site of Berlin long before the appearance of the first people, there was an ancient ocean, and its depths were guarded by real monsters, the progenitors of modern reptiles.
Even today, you can find the skeletons of marine life, the bones of which are generously strewn with Pennsylvania lands within the boundaries of this small town. But the wealth of American Berlin is not limited to these finds. According to official sources, in 1863 large reserves of silver were discovered here. That is why the stone houses of the first settlers of Berlin grew up on the once desert lands.
The city has never been famous for its huge number of inhabitants. At the end of the 19th century, no more than 300 people lived in local houses, and the last desperate silver seeker left their homes in 1911, immediately after the start of the crisis in the United States. Unlike many other abandoned settlements, the town of Berlin in Pennsylvania did not go unnoticed by the authorities. Soon, given the abundance of bones of prehistoric monsters, and also due to the huge popularity of the city among antiquities seekers, in 1970 most of the city was set aside for the National Park. Therefore, even today, many thrill-seekers do not neglect the opportunity to walk around the glorious town and take memorable photographs.
Humberstone and Sewell in Chile
The Latin American country of Chile also has something to offer lovers of unusual sights. It is here that two towns are located at once, which have recently become deserted, but at the same time have taken their rightful place among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We are talking about the towns of Humberston and Sewell. The first settlement appeared in the middle of the Atacama Desert, in the north of the country. And again, the main catalyst for the appearance of the first dwellings was the discovered deposits of saltpeter, which it was decided to extract. The saltpeter mining enterprise was the only source of income for the Chileans living here. Therefore, when the enterprise stopped working (at the end of the 50s of the last century), the former employees had no choice but to go in search of a better life. A few years later the city was completely empty, adding to the list of the most popular ghost towns for unusual excursions. In order to somehow protect the settlement from antiquities hunters, it was decided to take the city under worldwide protection.
If the first Chilean ghost town was located in the middle of the desert, then its “brother” Sewell was built high in the Andes. At the same time, it was no exception, and was created to ensure the functioning of the copper mining enterprise. But the amazing facts about this unusual settlement will be enough for more than one story. For example, all of Sewell's buildings are made entirely of wood and even today have retained remnants of bright paint. And the town owes its name to the first head of the company that owned the rights to mine copper. The largest copper mine in the world contributed to the fact that the population of the city already in 1918 exceeded the mark of 14 thousand people. But already in the 70s of the last century, copper reserves were exhausted, and the need to maintain the town and its inhabitants disappeared. Soon no one could be found on the streets of Sewell.
Kolmanskop in Namibia
This desert town is located in another desert – the Namib. This small settlement, as well as those mentioned above, became another victim of the so-called “race for minerals.” Still would! Indeed, among the millions of tons of sand in 1908, the seekers discovered considerable reserves of diamonds! Well, then the life of the city began to develop according to the well-known scenario for many cities that “stand” on precious deposits. Beautiful houses, schools, an excellent hospital and much more that is necessary for a fulfilling life appeared here in a matter of months.
But as soon as the diamond deposits dried up, the inhabitants had to look for new places to live and earn money. Therefore, the town covered with sand today is of interest only to a few lovers of unusual excursions. Local authorities are doing their best to maintain houses and streets in even tolerable condition, earning good money on numerous tourist visits. Here is such an unfulfilled hope of people to get rich quick. Kolmanskop is another clear confirmation of how important a permanent source of income is for the life of a settlement.
Oradour-sur-Glan in France
Another prominent representative of ghost settlements that are gaining popularity among exotic lovers is the small village of Oradour-sur-Glan, which is located in one of the French provinces. The village boasts a considerable number of sad pages of its history. For example, during the Second World War, it was almost completely destroyed by the Nazi troops.
The Nazis gathered all the inhabitants of the village and carried out a brutal reprisal against them: women and children were burned alive in the church, and men with their legs shot in advance were doused with fuel and burned right on the square. As it turned out, out of 451 residents, only six managed to survive. Even today, visiting such a tragic place brings only sad memories. The French authorities decided not to restore the village, leaving it in the form in which all the inhabitants remembered it on that fateful morning.
San Chi
San Chi is the name of a Thai resort that was built in the 70s of the last century. The main attraction of the town are houses made in a futuristic style. But with the onset of the crisis, the development of the array was never completed. The dismantling of buildings began, which was accompanied by the mass death of workers. The superstitious Chinese decided to leave the unusual settlement in the form in which it appears before us today.