The Creepiest Abandoned Villages From Around The World

1. Rhyolite, Nevada

 Image source/ boredpandaRhyolite in Nevada quickly became inhabited again, as a gold mining town as it was created nearby Bullfrog Hills where lots of gold had been discovered. As the mines closed completely in 1911, the population of the town rapidly decreased and within as little as a decade the town was virtually non-existent.

2. Oradour-Sur-Glane, France

Image source/ boredpandaThis is now all that remains of Oradour-Sur-Glane, in France. It was left completely abandoned after a German Nazi soldier company massacred the town with just a few escaping. Ever since, it has remained uninhabited - shrouded by the tragedy of its past.

3. Bodie, California

Image source/ boredpandaThis is Bodie in California which as we can see was a real wild west town. It was populated when their was gold discovered nearby. But as supplies ran out, the population dwindled and now it is a completely deserted town with just buildings remaining.

4. Bannack, Montana

Image source/ boredpandaThe town of Bannack in Montana was founded back in 1862 when a lot of gold was found in the area. One of the city founders was Dr. Erasmus Darwin Leavitt who was a well established physician. At the town's peak there was around 10,000 inhabitants. Today there is 0.

5. Lifta, Israel

Image source/ boredpandaLifta was a village from Israel dating right back back to ancient times. Archaeological remains have been found as far back as the Second Iron Age. After the town became uninhabited it was then used as a school town, and after that a drug rehabilitation centre. But then it was no longer used at all.

6. Picher, Oklahoma

Image source/ boredpandaPicher, Oklahoma had to be evacuated due to health hazards caused by mining. Picher had huge sources of lead and zinc.  In 2006, contamination was so bad the government relocated the city. But, Gary Linderman, the city's pharmacist, vowed to stay as long as there was anyone left who needed him and to be the last one out of the city.

7. Pripyat, Ukraine

Image source/ boredpandaPripyat in Ukraine in one of the most well known abandoned cities in the world. Pripyat in Ukraine was built back in 1970 but due to being nearby the notorious Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the place was evacuated a day after the Chernobyl disaster.

8. Varosha, Famagusta, Cyprus

Image source/ boredpandaVarosha is an abandoned area in the Cypriot city of Famagusta. It was once a booming modern tourist area with huge popularity in the 1970s. This all changed with the Turkish invasion and the once popular town became completely abandoned, as it remains today.

9. Kennecott, Alaska

Image source/ boredpandaKennecott was a mountain town in Alaska full of copper and used as a mining town. In a similar story to many other mining towns the population diminished as the copper did until it was left totally deserted. By 1938 the town was left merely a ghost town.

10. Garnet, Montana

Image source/ boredpandaGarnet in Montana is another abandoned mining town in the US. When the gold supply ran out, the inhabitants of the town moved on leaving it totally empty. It remains one of the best preserved abandoned mining towns to this day in the US despite having a huge fire.

11. Hashima Island, Japan

Image source/ boredpandaHashima Island, also known as Gunkanjima, is an island in southern Japan which was used as a coal town. Again, when the coal supply dried up everybody moved out. It gained interest much later due to the historic ruins and now it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

12. Great Blasket Island, Ireland

Image source/ boredpandaGreat Blasket is an Irish island which was inhabited until 1953 . Then, the Irish government decided they couldn't guarantee that they would be able to keep the residents safe because the island was so hard to reach during extreme weathers. So, the residents were evacuated from the island and moved elsewhere.

13. Glenrio, Texas/New Mexico

Image source/ boredpandaGlenrio is a railroad town on the Texas-New Mexico state line. It was well known as a popular place to stop along route 66 for motorists passing by and needing a break. But, now it remains simply as a symbol of route 66, no longer inhabited as a town.

14. Wittenoom, Western Australia

Image source/ boredpandaWittenoom is a town located in Western Australia. It was established in 1946 during the mining boom, the land was found to be was rich in blue asbestos. Asbestos now of course is known to be extremely dangerous. When this became knowledge, the town was abandoned.

15. Cahawba, Alabama

Image source/ boredpandaCahawba was actually once the first permanent state capital of Alabama. But, due to the frequent flooding of the town it was decided that another capital should be chosen instead. People began to move away leaving it as a completely abandoned ghost town.

16. Dhanushkodi, India

Image source/ boredpandaDhanushkodi was once a city in India which was populated as a bustling town, full of people and life. The reason it no longer stands as such is because the city was hot by a fierce cyclone which wiped out the city leaving only remains and ruins behind.

17. Thurmond, West Virginia

Image source/ boredpandaThurmund was a town that was highly populated during the prime time of coal mining. It was also used as a railway town. And, technically it is no longer an abandoned city because 5 people have re-inhabited the town.Yet it still retains a ghostly feel.

18. Val-Jalbert, Canada

Image source/ boredpandaVal-Jalbert in Canada was a town with a very short life-span. It was founded in 1901 and grew in population due to a mill that was built nearby so workers moved to the town. But in just 1927 the town was deserted when the mill was shut. It remains very well preserved.

20. Kłomino, Poland

Image source/ boredpandaKlomino has had a dramatic past. It was created during World War II as a Prisoner of War camp where Polish soldiers, civilians, as well as French army officers were held. Grodek was then renamed to a Polish name, Kłomino, and the government put it up for sale. But, no one was interested in buying it and so the government left the city abandoned.

21. Calico, California

Image source/ boredpandaCalico was a mining town in San Bernardino County in California. It was founded in 1881 as a silver mining town. As is often the case with these towns, it was deserted when silver prices dropped. It has since been restored after being left abandoned however.

22. Plymouth, Montserrat

Image source/ boredpandaIn Montserrat was a town named Plymouth. It actually used to be a capital city. It was built  near a volcano - . It was built on historical lava deposits near which was thought to be inactive. But in 1995, the volcano resumed erupting and the town was left abandoned.

23. Döllersheim, Austria

Image source/ boredpandaDöllersheim, Austria dates right back to the 12th century. Adolf Hitler's father had an illegitimate son here. Hitler later ordered it to be evacuated and to be used as a military base. Their houses were bombed as part of military practice and forced to move.

24. Kayaköy, Turkey

Image source/ boredpandaThe town of Kayaköy is located in southern Fethiye in Turkey. The town has a very interesting past. It was first inhabited by the Greeks and then later invaded by the Turks. But today it serves as a historical site of interest where tourists visit yearly.

25. Goldfield, Arizona

Image source/ boredpandaGoldfield in Arizona is a town that was aptly named. It is located between the Superstition Mountains and the Goldfield Mountains. Goldfield was nearby sources of rich gold and so it was once a flourishing mine camp...again until it ran out and was left abandoned.

26. Akarmara, Abkhazia/Georgia

Image source/ boredpandaAkarmara of Abkhazia/ Georgia is a town that has never again been inhabited since its bustling times as a mining town. It was not only gold mines running out but also lots of conflicts which led the town to becoming completely abandoned apart from tourists.

27. Pyramiden, Norway

Image source/ boredpandaSweden founded the town of Pyramiden back in 1910. It was then sold on to the Soviet Union in 1927. After the coal ran out it was abandoned. At the height of the town being inhabited it had around 1,000 people living in the town. Now, it is left totally empty.

28. Craco, Italy

Image source/ boredpandaThis old town still retains some of its beauty. It dates right back to 540 BC when the Greeks populated the area. But, now it is a ghost town - completely deserted. This first started when a plague wiped out the majority of the town and then some time later a landslide led to the rest of the population being evacuated.

29. Bulowville, Florida

Image source/ boredpandaBulowville is a town in Florida that was once a developing plantation. The owners of the plantation were the Bulow family, who used slave labor to cultivate things such as sugar cane and cotton. It was later destroyed and remains as an abandoned town today which can still be seen.

30. Gibellina Nuova

Image source/ boredpandaGibellina was once a small city and comune in the Trapani - Siciliy. But, it was destroyed in 1968 by the Belice earthquake. A new city was built nearby called Gibellina. Gibellina nuova is now the largest contemporary outdoor work of art in the world.

31. St Kilda, Scotland

Image Source / Bored PandaSt Kilda isn't just a creepy town, it's a whole archipelago with more than one village. The small population of one of the islands, Hirta, was completely evacuated in 1930 due to environmental factors like illness and contamination. Another tragic fact of this place was that dogs were drowned because they couldn't be taken with the villagers.

32. Kolmanskop, Namibia

Image Source / Bored PandaThis location in Namibia was taken over by Germans when one worker found a diamond and showed it to his German supervisor, leading to German miners settling in the area in order to find more diamonds. This location drew more and more attention due to its diamond mining, and became a whole village and community. It was eventually abandoned in 1956 when the diamond supply depleted after the Second World War.

33. Agdam, Azerbaijan

Image Source / ThrillistThis village was once the home to a population of 40,000 people. It was a violent place to live, and this meant that eventually the people living there had to flee. Once the fighting stopped, looters came in to make the abandoned place their own. It's now illegal to visit Agdam.

34. Romagnano al Monte, Italy

Image Source / ThrillistRomagnano was sadly destroyed to a state of disrepair following the Irpinia earthquake in 1980. Rather than try and save their home, the population decided to build a new town 2 miles away from Romagnano. It's now a popular tourist destination, as a lot of the abandoned structures of the town remain.

35. Old Ghost Road Trail, New Zealand

Image Source / WanderlustThis creepy abandoned place is more than a village: it's an entire trail. The 85km backcountry trail is a remote location in the South Island of New Zealand. It begins at Lyell, an abandoned mining town, and the trail will take you through what's left of schools, hotels and even graveyards. It's certainly one to try out on Halloween!

36. Villa Epecuén, Argentina

Image Source / WikipediaIt's amazing to think this abandoned place was once a popular spa town that simply vanished in the 1980s. It was completely lost due to a flood that consumed all of it, and it remained underwater until 2009 when the receding waters revealed remnants of this old place.

37. Poggioreale, Sicily

Image Source / WikipediaLocated in the Belice Valley of north-west Sicily, the village of Poggioreale was destroyed due to an earthquake in 1968. Just like with Romagnano al Monte, the people decided to build a newer town close by instead of rebuilding. The ruins of the original place are sometimes used as movie sets taking place during the Second World War.

38. Centralia, Pennsylvania, USA

Image Source / WanderlustCentralia was first established in 1856 as a coal mining town. It was then abandoned after a fire started when the coal seam caught fire in the 1960s. That same fire actually still burns underground today, as you can see the cracks caused in the highway leading to the town.

39. Grytviken, South Georgia

Image Source / WanderlustBack in 1904, a Norwegian sea captain established the settlement of Grytviken to use as a whaling station for his fishing company. It has since been abandoned and was closed in 1966, but the church that was based in the settlement is actually still used. There was also a cinema, but it collapsed in recent years.

40. Isla De Las Munecas, Mexico

Image Source / Reader's DigestThis isn't only abandoned and creepy but it's quite a disturbing tale. This place in Mexico is known as 'The Island of the Dolls', and the reason is the hundreds of dolls hanging from the trees, which were hung by a man name Don Julian Santana. He supposedly covered the place in dolls in honour of a girl that drowned in the lake - before drowning himself in the lake in 2001, too.

41. Okpo Land, South Korea

Image Source / Creepypasta Wiki - FandomOkpo Land, a now-abandoned amusement park, turned into a ghost town in the matter of a day. The amusement park's legend says that it caused the death of a girl in 1999 when a ride derailed, killing her. It wasn't the first death, either - another person died on the same ride years before. Once the second death occurred, the owner disappeared and the theme park was abandoned.

42. Tawergha, Libya

Image Source / International Committee of the Red CrossThe ghost town of Tewargha was abandoned when the residents were driven out by resistance forces during the Gaddafi regime. When Gaddafi was killed in 2011, the former residents were still not permitted back into the town, and the zone is still defended by the militia, homes abandoned.

43. Tianducheng, China

Image Source / Reader's DigestThis abandoned Chinese town is creepy for more than one reason. Not only is it now a ghost town, but Tianducheng is also an entire replica of the French capital of Paris, complete with Eiffel Tower. It's known as 'Little Paris', but its bizarre nature means it's just an odd place that nobody resides in.

44. Fordlandia, Brazil

Image Source / Reader's DigestHenry Ford, founder of the Ford car company, built this town - and named it 'Fordlandia' - with the intention of turning it into a working business location in South America. He wanted to harvest rubber from the trees of the Amazon, but it didn't quite work out. The workers of the town also rioted because of lack of food and segregation.

45. Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, U.K.

Image Source / Reader's DigestSalisbury Plain contains a few towns which were used during the Second World War for military defense training. The people who lived there therefore had to evacuate so that the military could use the area. Nobody has been allowed to move back since, but you can visit the place as a tourist.

46. Six Flags New Orleans, Louisiana

Image Source / Reader's DigestAnother creepy and abandoned theme park, Six Flags New Orleans was left to ruin after New Orleans was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The park was submerged by widespread flooding, and now its left to decay as the park can't be restored.

47. Bokor Hill Station, Cambodia

Image Source / Reader's DigestBokor Hill Station was originally built by French colonists and their Cambodian slaves. It was then abandoned, but taken over by the military as an operations post by the Khmer Rouge. But even this wasn't meant to last, as the place was abandoned a second time, and left to decay.

48. St. Mary’s College, Maryland

Image Source / Atlas ObscuraWhen a fire broke out at St. Mary's College in Maryland, the place had to be abandoned - and no one knows how the fire started. It then gained the moniker 'Hell House'. The college's operations were moved to a different location, but the ruins of the original college still stand, inspiring lots of urban legends and a ghost story or two.

49. Kowloon Walled City, Hong Kong

Image Source / Reader's DigestThis city in Hong Kong was once used as a safe haven for immigrants and nomads, with the capacity to house around 33,000 people. When it was occupied, it was also a prime spot for drugs and criminal activity. The Chinese government eventually got involved and it was demolished, leaving only abandoned ruins.

50. Poveglia, Italy

Image Source / The Little House of HorrorsThe island of Poveglia is also known as Plague Island or the Island of Ghosts, and it was used to herd and quarantine diseased and mentally ill people. People were shipped here in the hope that disease wouldn't spread along the mainland, and it was also said that a mental institution stationed there used to torture patients. The island, now abandoned, is supposedly haunted (understandably) and people aren't allowed to visit.