Site of the infamous Chernobyl incident, the entire city had to be abandoned in 1986 due to nuclear radiation.
Sanzhi District, Taiwan
The
“Sanzhi UFO houses” were a major development project for some pretty
unusual-looking vacation homes, which was abandoned in 1978 before it
could be completed. The site was demolished in 2008, and is now being
redeveloped.
Craco, Italy
Craco
was a medieval village built high up on a steep summit for defensive
reasons, but recurring earthquakes eventually made it impossible to
sustain. Today, less than 800 people live there in a commune, while the
majority remains eerily uninhabited.
Kolmanskop, Namibia
Formerly
a bustling diamond mining town, after the market declined, inhabitants
began leaving the town after WWI; by 1954, it was completely deserted.
As it was an enclave for German colonialists for many years, the
architecture is not only out of place, but its abandonment enhances it
even more.
Oradour-sur-Glane, France
Oradour-sur-Glane
was a village destroyed by a German military unit in 1944, killing 642
of its inhabitants. Although a new village was built nearby to replace
it, today the original village stands as a memorial.
Centralia, Pennsylvania
Centralia
was once a prosperous mining town, but in 1962 a mine fire broke out,
which continues to burn off the coal underground to this day. As a
result, its population is 10 as of 2010, making it one of the
least-populated municipalities in Pennsylvania.
