City Hall Station – New York City, New York
This beautiful station is located in the heart of New York City and was designed by Rafael Guastavino, whose distinctive arched tiled designs also featured in Grand Central Station and the US Supreme Court. Unfortunately, because the station was only receiving an average of 600 passengers a day, it was decided that in 1945 it should close.
Today it is used as a location for film sets but hopes it might one day be restored to a working train station a fading.
Chateau Miranda – Celles, Belgium
Although the castle is located in Belgium, it was actually built by French aristocrats who had left France during the revolution. In the years after and as the Second World War approached, it was turned into an orphanage and functioned as one until 1980 when the building was abandoned.
Strangely the family refused any help to restore the building from the government, and as a result, it is now in a state of disrepair. It is also said to be haunted, so lots of people visit in search of ghosts and thrills.
Hashima Island, Japan
This island in Japan was once upon a time inhabited by over 5000 miners and their families. They were there to mine for coal and sent it back to the mainland. The island went into decline as petroleum started to replace coal as Japan’s first choice for energy.
We can see from the picture that the building looks run down and dilapidated. It may have been built in a hurry when coal was first discovered here. Due to its fascinating past, Hashima Island has been the subject of a number of documentary films.
Holy Land USA – Waterbury, Connecticut
The Holy Land park, which was designed by taking inspiration from various biblical passages, used to be a favorite theme park. In its prime, between the 1960s and 1970s, it used to welcome up to 40,000 visitors a year.
The park was eventually closed in 1984, but the grounds are still maintained, so it doesn’t feel as spooky as some of the other abandoned places on our list.
Pripyat, Ukraine
In April 1986 a meltdown at the nuclear plant in Chornobyl caused a widespread disaster. Whole towns and cities were evacuated including the town of Pripyat in Ukraine. This was to try and stop the residents from being exposed to dangerously high levels of radiation.
It will be many years before people will be able to return to these parts. In the meantime, it just makes us think of what a post-apocalyptic world might be like.