Some cities die. The people leave, the streets go quiet, and the
isolation takes on the macabre shape of a forlorn ghost-town - crumbling
with haunting neglect and urban decay. Some abandoned ghost towns are now tourist attractions, while others
might be dangerous or illegal to visit. Meet some of the most
fascinating ghost towns from around the world.
Prypiat is an abandoned city in the "zone of alienation" in northern
Ukraine. It was home to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant workers,
abandoned in 1986 following the Chernobyl disaster. Its population had
been around 50,000 prior to the accident.
Varosha is a settlement in the unrecognised Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Prior to the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, it was the modern tourist
area of the city of Famagusta. For the last three decades, it has been
left as a ghost town.
In the 1970s, the city was the number one tourist destination in Cyprus.
To cater to the increasing number of tourists, many new high-rise
buildings and hotels were constructed.
1. PRYPIAT (Ukraine): Chernobyl workers' home
Prypiat is an abandoned city in the "zone of alienation" in northern
Ukraine. It was home to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant workers,
abandoned in 1986 following the Chernobyl disaster. Its population had
been around 50,000 prior to the accident.
Until recently, the site was practically a museum, documenting the late
Soviet era. Apartment buildings (four of which were recent constructions
not yet occupied), swimming pools, hospitals and other buildings were
all abandoned, and everything inside the buildings was left behind,
including records, papers, TVs, children's toys, furniture, valuables,
and clothing, etc. that any normal family would have with them.
Residents were only allowed to take away a suitcase full of documents,
books and clothes that were not contaminated.
However, many of the apartment buildings were almost completely looted
some time around the beginning of the 21st century.[citation needed]
Nothing of value was left behind; even toilet seats were taken away.
Some buildings have remained untouched. Many of the building interiors
have been vandalized and ransacked over the years. Because the buildings
are not maintained, the roofs leak, and in the spring the rooms are
flooded with water. It is not unusual to find trees growing on roofs and
even inside buildings. This hastens deterioration, and due to this, a
4-story school partially collapsed in July of 2005.
2. FAMAGUSTA (Cyprus): once a top tourist destination, now a ghost town
Varosha is a settlement in the unrecognised Republic of Northern Cyprus.
Prior to the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, it was the modern tourist
area of the city of Famagusta. For the last three decades, it has been
left as a ghost town.
In the 1970s, the city was the number one tourist destination in Cyprus.
To cater to the increasing number of tourists, many new high-rise
buildings and hotels were constructed.
When the Turkish Army gained control of the area during the war, they
fenced it off and have since refused admittance to anyone except Turkish
military and United Nations personnel. The Annan Plan had provided for
the return of Varosha to Greek Cypriot control, but this never happened,
as the plan was rejected by Greek Cypriot voters.
As no repairs have been carried out for 34 years, all of the buildings
are slowly falling apart. Nature is reclaiming the area, as metal
corrodes, windows break, and plants work their roots into the walls and
pavements. Sea turtles have been seen nesting on the deserted beaches.
By 2010, the Turkish Cypriot administration of the de-facto Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus plan to reopen Varosha to tourism and the
city will be populated as one of the most influential cities in the
north of the island.
3. KOWLOON WALLED CITY (China): A lawless city
The Kowloon Walled City was located just outside Hong Kong, China during British rule. A former watchpost to protect the area against pirates, it was occupied by Japan during World War II and subsequently taken over by squatters after Japan’s surrender. Neither Britain nor China wanted responsibility for it, so it became its own lawless city.
Its population flourished for decades, with residents building labyrinthine corridors above the street level, which was clogged with trash. The buildings grew so tall that sunlight couldn’t reach the bottom levels and the entire city had to be illuminated with fluorescent lights. It was a place where brothels, casinos, opium dens, cocaine parlors, food courts serving dog meat and secret factories ran unmolested by authorities. It was finally torn down in 1993 after a mutual decision was made by British and Chinese authorities, who had finally grown wary of the unsanitary, anarchic city and its out-of-control population.
4. ORADOUR-SUR-GLANE (France): the horror of WWII
The small village of Oradour-sur-Glane, France, is the setting of unspeakable horror. During World War II, 642 residents were massacred by German soldiers as punishment for the French Resistance. The Germans had initially intended to target nearby Oradour-sur-Vayres and mistakenly invaded Oradour-sur-Glane on June 10th 1944. According to a survivor’s account, the men were herded into barns where they were shot in the legs so they would die more slowly. The women and children, who had been held in a church, all perished when their attempt to escape was met by machine-gun fire. The village was razed by the Germans afterward. Its ruins still stand today as a memorial to the dead and a reminder of the events that took place.
5. SAN ZHI (Taiwan): a futuristic resort
in the North of Taiwan, this futuristic pod village was initially built as a luxury vacation retreat for the rich. However, after numerous fatal accidents during construction, production was halted. A combination of lack of money and lack of willingness meant that work was stopped permanently, and the alien like structures remain as if in remembrance of those lost. Indeed, rumors in the surrounding area suggest that the City is now haunted by the ghosts of those who died.
After this the whole thing received the cover-up treatment. And the Government, who commissioned the site in the first place was keen to distance itself from the bizarre happenings. Thanks to this, there are no named architects. The project may never be restarted thanks to the growing legend, and there would be no value in re-developing the area for other purpose. Maybe simply because destroying homes of lonely spirits is a bad thing to do. San Zhi can also be seen from an aeriel view here.
