The Creepiest Abandoned Places on Earth

Bet, this time, you’re positive the exteriors for the 2nd season of the AHS: Asylum were filmed in this creepy place. Nope. Wrong again! Danvers State Hospital in Massachusetts has gone by many names; it’s been variously known as the Danvers Insane Asylum, State Lunatic Hospital, even Hell House on the Hill and other such lovely monikers. During its heyday in the 20s and 30s there were controversies over its given out the use of drugs, shock therapy and lobotomies – as a matter of fact, it may have been the birthplace of lobotomy. Eventually, Danvers transformed into unsanitary and equally dangerous place for both the patients and staff. And since its closure it has fallen into a state of despair and severe creepiness. Beware, as it’s one of the most violently haunted asylums in the world.

2. Hotel del Salto — San Antonio del Tequendama, Colombia

 No, it’s not the set of American Horror Story: Hotel, even though La Casa del Salto del Tequendama does have a past twisted enough to shoot a movie. It was built up in 1923 and named the Hotel del Santo in the 50s. Picturesque location alongside the Tequendama waterfalls in central Colombia attracted many travelers. A few decades later the level of river pollution caused the hotel’s abandonment. Recently it has been changed into a museum, though. And still, the creepiest part remains the same; many believe that this place is haunted since it was known during its prime time as a site for numerous suicide cases.

3. Pripyat, Ukraine

 

An abandoned city, located in northern Ukraine, once bustled with almost 500,000 residents is now a radioactive ghost town over-run by nature. In 1986, Pripyat became a ground zero for the deadliest nuclear disaster in history when an ‘accident’ destroyed a reactor and caused deadly radiation to spread throughout the city. The levels of radiation remain too high for people to live there again though it’s safe for tourist to visit. The city will stay abandoned forever, as that much radiation won’t vanish for hundreds of years
4. House of the Bulgarian Communist Party — Mount Buzludzha, Bulgaria
The Buzludzha monument or the ‘House-Monument of the Bulgarian Communist Party’ used to be a wonder back in the day. Opened in 1981, it served as a symbolic meeting point for the communist regime. But with the fall of the Soviet Union in less than a decade later it went into disrepair; now abandoned, this huge concrete building looks like an alien ship. The extreme location of this otherworldly monument, on Mount Buzludzha, puts it in the path of severe storms, ravaging winds and harsh winters. The outer windows were the first to go, escorted by the most of the metal-tiled roof, which is why the plans are being made to restore it.

5. Kolmanskop, Namibia

 
 Kolmanskop is one of the most famous haunting ghost towns in the world. It is located in the Namib Desert and was founded in the 1900s when first diamond was found in the sand. Within a few years, hundreds of German families set up homes here desperately seeking their fortune. Year by year it has been turning into bustling oasis which had to be abandoned to the wind and sand within just 50 years. Run-down buildings are falling apart, and their insides are filled with sand from the surrounding desert. The remains of Kolmanskop work as a magnet for ghost hunters, which is why De Beers Company set a museum to keep the town in somewhat decent shape and preserve the history of Kolmanskop.

6. Sanzhi UFO Houses, Taiwan

 
 Other-worldly appearance and wacky architecture of these saucer-like houses made them widely known as Sanzhi UFO houses the mysterious “ruins of the future”. Sanzhi Pod City became abandoned two years after it was built. This resort complex was built in 1978 in Taiwan. In 2 years due to some investment issues and other financial losses, the project was abandoned and left to the mercy of time. Sanzhi Pod City managed to find its way onto various A-lists of eerie ghost towns though and even has been used by MTV as a filming location.

7. Red Sands Sea Forts, the United Kingdom

 
 These huge metal Maunsell gun towers were originally constructed in 1943 during the Second World War to protect Britain from the German Navy. The bizarre-looking concrete monsters are named after Guy Maunsell, the engineer that designed them. Some of the towers survived to this day after they were decommissioned and left abandoned in the 50s. A few of them are still standing out as sea, remarkable as ever. Even though their lives weren’t rather long, these forts are outstanding relics of 2WW architectural history.

8. Mirny Diamond Mine – Eastern Siberia, Russia

 The second largest excavated hole in the world- Mirny was made by Stalin, who desperately wanted a more independent economy for the USSR. It was the 1st and the largest diamond mine in the Soviet Union. The Mir mine also known as Mirny mine is now inactive after 44 years of surface operation. The mine is 1,722 ft deep and has a diameter of 3,900 ft. It started to develop in 1957. Climate conditions were extremely harsh to mine: 7 winter month of frozen ground vs. brief summer month of the slush-turned ground. And yet Mir mine was producing 10,000,000 carats of diamond/year in the 60s.

9. The Haunting New Bedford Orpheum -U.S.A.

 Not only is April 15, 1912, a significant day because of the Auditorium opening, but also it happened to be the day the Titanic sunk. It functioned as the Orpheum for 47 years. This once-mighty theatre space was used to entertain the immense audiences. Since the New Bedford Orpheum closed its doors in 1959, part of the building became a supermarket ant then a warehouse. Sadly today, it remains completely abandoned, and still it never fails to impress, though.

10. Underwater Lost City Shicheng, China

Fifty-seven years ago, the Xin’an River Hydropower Station trapped the 1,300-year-old Chinese city of Shicheng (Lions City) under water. It was named Lion City after 5 Lion Mountain risen largely behind it. It is truly an astonishing sight. The city stands preserved from destructive forces of erosion, like sun, wind and rain, beneath the Qiandao Lake, so it were almost untouched and managed to stay in pretty good condition. Archeologists call it a “virtual time capsule”, but if you wanna open it, you’ll have to get some scuba gear.