Whether the result of nuclear disaster, war or erosion, or perhaps even the collapse of industry or empire, several cities and communities around the world—from the Far East to North America—have been left abandoned, some virtually overnight.
In several cases, failed construction ventures resulted in little or no population, Architectural Digest writes.
But to get to know these former cities is to understand global history.
Some of them still contain the shells of abandoned buildings, others wild, unkempt landscapes, all of which record the absence of people. All of them, however, are a photographer’s and videographer’s dream, but also a good reason to start appreciating the noise in the city you live in – no matter how big or small it is.
These are eight places around the world that have become ghost towns today.
Hashima Island, Japan
This 16-hectare Japanese island — a former undersea coal mining region about 14 kilometers off the coast of Nagasaki — was actually prosperous from 1887 to 1974.
And then, with the rise of oil use, its importance evaporated. The buildings remained but the population moved on. However, with the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site it received in 2015, perhaps the island could soon ‘turn a new page’.
Kayakoy, Turkey
Built on a hillside, the ruins of Kayakoi were built in the Greek style to accommodate the Greeks who once lived there.
When two million Greeks were forced to leave Turkey in 1922, during the Greco-Turkish War, the city was deserted. Now, all that remains are stone structures. You may recognize it as the town from the 2014 Russell Crowe film The Water Diviner.
Kennecott, Alaska
Copper mining in America’s border state used to be big business. This was also the case in the community of Kennecott, a mining camp founded in 1911.
Today, the massive red mill remains — protected by the National Park Service as a National Historic Landmark — but no one lives here. All mining stopped there until 1938, when the area was turned into a national park.
Pripyat, Ukraine
When the nuclear disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant occurred in 1986, it brought the “death” of this community in northern Ukraine, about 100 kilometers from Kiev and close to the border with Belarus.
Not everyone died (about 150 people died), but all 50,000 residents had to evacuate. Many suffered from acute illnesses that came as a result of exposure to high levels of radiation during the accident.
Kadikchan, Russia
Created by prisoners during World War II, this community had two coal mines. But with the creation of Russia – out of the former Soviet Union – one of those mines was closed in the early 1990s.
Then an explosion in 1996 shut down the entire city for good, destroying most of its buildings. As of 2010, the population has dropped to zero, a big change from 10,270 in 1996.
Balestrino, Italy
Despite its stunningly beautiful buildings that still stand, it would take a lot of money to restore this Italian city about 60 kilometers south of Genoa.
The real reason only about 600 people live here is because everyone else fled in the 1950s – due to the serious threat of landslides and coastal erosion.
Built in 2007, this was to be a luxury real estate development near Hangzhou, complete with a replica of the Eiffel Tower and home to 10,000 people.
The only problem is that so far only 2,000 people have moved here, mostly attracted by the labor market. Although it is far from being a ghost town, it is definitely not populated as expected.
