Largest Abandoned Cities Around The World

Chernobyl

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Potentially the most well known man made disaster of the modern world, and most well known abandoned cites! The daunting Chernobyl power plants left thousands of people deformed, mutated and even worse dead when catastrophe struck. Chernobyl stands as one of only two nuclear power plants to reach maximum severity on the International Nuclear Event Scale matched only by the horrifying events of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan.

Pompeii

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The mighty city of Pompeii is arguably the location of the most well know natural disaster to date. The hellish volcano, Mount Vesuvius, devastated a population of approximately 11,000 citizens when it erupted in 79 AD causing mass destruction and taking countless lives with its vengeful eruption which lasted 18 hours. Now of course, the city of Pompeii stands as a historical landmark for tourists and the evil mount Vesuvius still stands awake...

Kashima Island

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Nicknamed Gunkanjima, which translates to Battleship Island) is ruin and standing monument to remember the great mining work that took place just off of the coast of the city of Nagasaki. This fortress was used for undersea coal mining and has facilities such as a movie theatre, clubhouse, roof top gardens, stores, swimming poole and a communal bath for the 5000 people who lived there. This great city was also used as a villains lair in the James Bond movie "Skyfall".

Belchite, Spain

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Belchite stood as a Spanish Civil War hot spot existing on the the front line between both Republican and fascist forces. Caught in the middle of the war the city began to crumble under the fierce attacks. The now destroyed city still partly stands in the south of Zaragoza existing as an emotional memorial to remember those who fell during the devastating war.

Wharram Percy, UK

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This is often referred to as Englands most famous deserted village dating back to the medieval time. The town resides in the delightful Yorkshire Wolds consisting of a church and manor houses. This town became abandoned soon after the 1500's due to the town becoming a popular place for sheep farming. Today this village still stands as a draw for archaeologists and tourists.

Kangbashi, Ordos, China

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This skyscraper filled wonder city based in Ordos in inner Mongolia, China. This city built to host thousands of citizens never really met its architectural purpose never meeting what it was designed for. This city was planned to be a new vibrant urban area of Mongolia was home to many great monuments and its opulent civic square. This is a political and cultural centre for the region.

Agdam, Azerbijan

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Could you believe that this stunning area with beautiful architecture was left deserted by all of its residents? The ruin city of Adam was once a thriving  civilisation with over 40,000 residents while being ruled by the Soviet Union! This once prosperous city has become nothing but an uninhabited ghost town due to the Nagorno-Karabakh War which caused the residents to flea east.

Kolmanskop

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This sand filled section of the Nambian desert which came to fame due to the discovery of diamonds, which lead to arrival of miners to Kolmanskop. The town really came to life building a post office, ice factory and butchers and soaring to a population of 1200 people. It was not the dream that the the citizens would hope it would be as German colonisers unleashed their fury on the town killing many of its people.

Bodie, California

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Another once proud mining town born in the early 1800's exploded to life by the peoples desires to get in on the success of the Gold Rush in California. This town fell from its greatness very quickly. After only 17 years the people of this town suffered from horrid winters, disease and mining accidents leading to the deaths of a majority of the residents. The town also held a reputation for its high crime levels being dubbed with a reputation for lawlessness.

Craco

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This one thousand year old city has seen a lot in its time from many, many different monarchs, to mass conflicts, armies and a variety of political ideologies. Tragically, in 1963 the remaining residents were forced out of their beloved city. However, this iconic city can still be visited by tourists and is one of Italy's most famous tourist destinations. It can also be seen in A-list movies such as "Quantum of Solace" and "The Passion of the Christ".

Oradour-sur-Glane

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This once small peaceful farming village in France was cruelly captured by German soldiers during the morbid Second World War. Sadly, this once wholesome town was destroyed by Nazi soldiers in 1944, where they killed 642 individuals only leaving a few lucky survivors. This city stands as a reminder of the great horrors that took place during the war and is now seen as a memorial and museum.

Grand-Bassam, Ivory Coast

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This deserted city still stands tall in Ivory Coast. The most brilliant and architecturally beautiful buildings have been been abandoned for many, many years. This great city was once the home of the French colonial capital. Now a centre for UNESCO the city consists of an old post office, Central African Bank and the Hotel de France. This city was built as a native lively port and fishing village.

Varosha, Cyprus

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At one time this run down city was one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world! Throughout the 1970's Varosha was a spot known to host many famous figures such as Richard Burton and Raquel Welch. However, trouble struck in 1974 when Cyprus was invaded by Turkey. The Greek and Turkish armies charges through the city forcing residents to flea for safety. Now only UN and military personnel are allowed to enter to abandoned city.

Centralia, Pennsylvania

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This poisoned city has been abandoned since 1962. Centralia suffered a traumatic disaster when an attempt to clean up their beloved city ignited a vicious fire underneath the surface of the city. Residents came fearful for their health and lives due to the appearance of sudden sinkholes and the daunting fear of carbon monoxide poisoning. The city was condemned by government in 1992.

Pyramiden

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This cold, urban city built for coal mining became an overwhelming success. Pyramiden is located high above the artic circle on the Svalbard archipelago. The Swedish sold this land to the Soviet Union as a home for their coal trade and with this deal meant buildings typical of then communist period were erected in the town. This town city is quite difficult to get to, being only accessible by snowmobile or boat.

Kayakoy

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This beautiful mountain side city once held up to two thousand Greek citizens. It stood a bustling community was horrifically effected by the Greco-Turkish war which caused the residents to leave their homes and flea to Greece. Around 350 homes as well as two Orthodox Greek churches are still abandoned to this day, laying on the mountain side broken and damaged by weather.

Tyneham, UK

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The residents of this beautiful village, which can be found in the quaint county of Dorset, were struck with tragedy during World War Two as the British war office ordered them to flea their beloved village. The army used the village to train troops in the run up to truly horrific events of D-Day. The town remained as part of the military operation for some time after the war.

Wittenoom

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Once the largest town in the Pilbara region of Australia the once great mining town of Wittenboom came to life in 1946 . A gorge which was bursting with the very valuable blue asbestos. This was a very essential raw material used in the vast majority of buildings in the 20th Century. However, due to increasing health concerns over the use of asbestos the mining town was officially closed down and removed from all official maps in 2007.

Bankhead, Canada

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This wild greenery took charge of the once proud town of Bankhead located in the magnificent Banff National Park in the glorious Rocky Mountain of Canada. The town was built as a coal mining town where 1000 people took up residents. However, because of labour strikes the town became abandoned in 1922. Nowadays, the town is used as a very popular hiking trail with gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains.

Arltunga, Australia

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Would you believe that one of Australias original outbacks with a truly staggering twenty thousand years of indigenous history. Like many abandoned cities on this list it was discovered in the search of gold and only held a population of 300 people. This historic city is now a very popular spot for tourists and local people alike stands a well preserved mineworker.

Plymouth, Montserrat

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Plymouth, Montserrat is a deserted and lifeless land and is one of the most recent examples of abandonment. This city suffered from an awful natural disaster when the Soufriere Hills volcano, without warning becoming active! The might volcano erupted leaving the residents in a state of panic and shock as they desperately evacuated their city getting to safety just before the city was covered in lava and ash.

Pripyat

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This desolate wasteland became abandoned due to one of the most famous nuclear disasters this world has ever seen. Pripyat was specifically built to house the workers and workers families of the infamous Chernobyl power plant. This horrific disaster left more than 13,000 apartments filled with families killed, deformed or seriously injured. Recently people have been allowed back into the country.

Ruby, Arizona

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Despite the truly gorgeous scenery, Ruby is one of Americas best preserved ghost towns. The little huts and buildings that can be seen emerged into the wilderness is the left overs from the dangerous Wild West! These buildings were said to be used by miners who were in search of gold, silver, lead, zinc, and copper. The town was brought to fame by a horrifying three double murders which lead to one of the biggest manhunts in southwest history!

Vorkuta, Russia

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The daunting abandoned city was once one of Stalin's devilish Gulag labour camps. Upon the skyrocket of coal production the town was rapidly populated by people from across the artic who were looking for high paying jobs. Unfortunately, due to the collapse of the Soviet Union the mines closed down causing over one million residents to leave the artic zone.

Villa Epecuen

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This old, dull, dilapidated building once stood tall in the city of Epecuen in Argentina in 1920 was a resort for the citizens of Argentinas mighty capital of Buenos Aires as a well deserved break from their labours. Due to glorious attraction of the resorts famous salt waters it was a highly popular destination before disaster struck in 1985. The resort was destroyed due to the breaking of a dam leaving the town flooded.

Houtouwan, China

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Houtouwan, once a brilliant city, has now been taken off by nature because of the cities long abandonment it did not take long for the wilderness to take control of the city. In the Shengshan Island the residents of the town lived peacefully in the vibrant city but a lack of access to food due to where the city is situated it was extremely difficult for residents to also gain access to education.

Ashgabat

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This former Soviet Country now nicknamed "the city of the dead" due to the lack of life in the city is one of the most expensive and glamorous abandoned cities on this list! Built with the idea of bringing a golden era to Turkmenistan this city of wonder posses the most buildings composed of marble in the world. This city contains 543 buildings made up of luxurious materials and the worlds largest Ferris Wheel!

Tianducheng

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Would you believe it if I told you that you could get the Paris experience in, of all places, China! This outstanding city was built to be a luxurious housing development area it has became a somewhat replica of the great city of lights, Paris. There is even a 300 foot tall carbon copy of the beautiful Eiffel Tower. However, despite the brilliant architecture the city that was built to hold around 10,000 residents is often left empty and abandoned by those who visit.

Consonno

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would you believe that a town that was known to be remote and peaceful to its residents has now become one of the worlds most famous abandoned cities? Until 1962 this medieval town located in the hills of Brianza was know for its clam, tranquil environment where people grew a lot of their own food. Until an Italian businessman tried to turn the town into an amusement park driving out all of the residents!

Atlantis

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The long lost city of Atlantis is a mysterious place with an unknown location. The genius mind of Plato once stated in his drawings that there was a lost city within the western world near Athens. In modern times many believe that the story of Atlantis is a myth and is often referred to in movies and TV shows such as Aquaman and Utopia. However, there are still plenty out their that believe in the lost city, are you one of them?