ADVENTURE
Spectacular and spooky: here are some of the most incredible ghost towns in the world
By ghost town we mean abandoned and totally uninhabited cities. The causes that can lead to the total emptying of a city can be varied: failure of the local economy, natural disasters, wars or famines.
Today, many of these cities have become a tourist attraction for the charm they exert, being places where time seems to have stopped at the moment when they were abandoned.
Many times, to the charm of these places is added an aura of mystery. Other times, however, for their beauty and tranquility, these cities are transformed into film sets: here are some of the most fascinating ghost towns in the world.
Some of the world's most spectacular ghost towns
By ghost town we mean abandoned and totally uninhabited cities. The causes that can lead to the total emptying of a city can be varied: failure of the local economy, natural disasters, wars. Today, many of these cities have become a tourist attraction for the charm they exert, being places where time seems to have stopped. Many times, to the charm of these places is added an aura of mystery. Other times, however, for their beauty and tranquility, these cities are transformed into film sets: here are some of the most fascinating ghost towns in the world.
Kolmanskop, Namib Desert , Namibia
This African city was built to house miners following the discovery of the presence of a large amount of diamonds in this area. After the First World War, with the decrease in diamond mining, Kolmanskop was gradually abandoned and today the sand dunes have invaded the houses, creating a unique spectacle.
Houtouwan, Shengshan Island, China
This ancient fishing village was located on the island of Shengshan, near Shanghai, and was inhabited until the early 90s. The remote location of the island, however, caused its abandonment and today the houses are entirely covered by wild nature, which is slowly regaining possession of this place.
Hashima Island, Japan
This island was the base of one of Japan's most productive mining sites, but was abandoned in 1974 when reserves ran out. Included in the UNESCO heritage list, today the island is accessible to visitors. In addition, the Swedish director Thomas Nordanstad was allowed to shoot here - in the company of an old inhabitant - an unprecedented documentary on the history of Hashima.
Belchite, Zaragoza, Spain
This city was almost totally destroyed in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War and today has been totally reshaped by nature. What remains of the village is today a testament to the horrors of war.
Burj Al Babas, Mudurnu, Turkey
Located at the foot of the hills of Mudurnu, this abandoned village is the result of a failed investment, one of the most sensational in the world. The project involved the construction of a city composed only of castles (732, all identical) in Disneystyle, but with the failure of the consortium of companies that had to take care of its construction, the place was abandoned and the works were never completed.
Julienbzh35, Wikimedia Commons
Varosia, Famagusta, Cyprus
More than a real city, Varosia is a large abandoned neighborhood. The peculiarity is that this place in the seventies and eighties was the most sought-after tourist resort in Cyprus, able to attract tourists from all over the world: therefore luxury hotels were built here, almost all on the sea. In August 1974 Cyprus was invaded by the Turkish army and the inhabitants of Varosia fled: the army closed the town in a barbed fence to prohibit access and this neighborhood is still abandoned.
Justin Stahlman, Wikimedia Commons
Pripyat, Vyšhorod, Ukraine
Perhaps this is the most famous ghost town in the world, abandoned after the 1986 nuclear disaster at the Černobylpower plant, which is located two kilometers away from Pripyat. This city of 50,000 inhabitants was obviously evacuated and can no longer be repopulated due to the very high level of radiation present in the area.
Plymouth, Montserrat Island, United Kingdom
Plymouth is located on the island of Montserrat, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom in the Lesser Antilles. This city was evacuated and abandoned in 1997, when it was destroyed and covered in ash due to a series of devastating volcanic eruptions. The destruction of the city caused serious economic problems, since Plymouth was the largest urban center (about 4000 inhabitants, as well as home to the major economic activities of the island. However, in 2013 work began on the construction of Little Bay, a new city that once completed will become the new capital of the island.
TwoWings, Wikimedia Commons
Oradour-Sur-Glane, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
Oradour-Sur-Glane was a small village that was razed to the ground on June 10, 1944 by Nazi soldiers as a form of retaliation against local resistance to the Germans: in total the dead were 643, while the village was set on fire. After the war, Charles de Gaulle decided that the village would never be rebuilt and that it would remain as a memorial to the suffering French under German occupation.
Kayakoy, Mugla, Turkey
Until 1923, Kayakoy was populated by about 2000-3000 Greek-speaking Orthodox Christians. After the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922), the city was abandoned by the population of Greek origin, forced to move to Greece. Today the area of Kayakoy is preserved as an open-air museum, where you can visit churches and hundreds of abandoned houses.
Gwalia, Leonora, Australia
This place was populated for its proximity to one of the richest gold mines in the world, the Sons of Gwaliamine. Gwalia is now an open-air museum and it is possible to visit the various miners' homes, the house of the mine manager and even a hotel.
Craco, Basilicata, Italy
The old historic center of Craco began to depopulate in 1963 due to a landslide: subsequently, the city was completely abandoned in the eighties. The village, for its beauty, has become a tourist destination and a film set for various films: for example, some scenes of the Mel Gibson "The Passion of the Christ"film were shot here.
Bodie, California, United States
Bodie was born as a mining center after the discovery of gold in this territory. The city housed two banks, the railroad, miners' and workers' unions, a prison and 65 saloon. When at the beginning of the twentieth century the turnover linked to gold began to decline, the city was progressively depopulated until the closure of the last mine in 1942. Today, Bodie is a ghost town of the Far West, declared in 1962 a State Historical Park and can be visited by tourists especially in the summer months.
Villages
12/05/2024
Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State, is a landlocked city-state on the Italian peninsula, the world's smallest sovereign state by population (869 according to a 2019 census).
The Vatican is what remains of the ancient Papal State, a portion of Italian territory over which, for centuries, the authority of the Pope reigned supreme. The real problems began with the birth of the Kingdom of Italy and the Pontiff's loss of temporal power. Today, only a tiny part of the State that once was remains.
Always a place of intrigue and mysteries but also a place of preservation of a great deal of Christian art, Vatican City still remains one of the most visited places in the world, and not only by Catholics or Christians, but tourists from all over the globe.
Beach vacation
11/05/2024
The MSC Seascape was delivered, the largest cruise ship ever built in Italy, which required a total investment of one billion euros.
The numbers of this ship are really impressive, as are its size. It is 339 meters long, 41 meters wide and 76 meters high. Its gross weight is over 170,000 tons and it can accommodate 5,600 people in 2,270 cabins. 1,658 crew members work on board.
MSC Seascape will become the flagship of the MSC Crocierefleet. Inside, of 13,000 square meters, there are lounge bar, outdoor restaurants, swimming pools and areas to relax and enjoy.
Attractions
09/05/2024
The Moscow Kremlin is a fortified citadel located in the geographical and historical centre of the city of Moscow, on the left bank of the Moskva River, on Borovicky Hill. It is the oldest part of the city and is the seat of the parliament and government of Russia and the home of the head of state, as well as one of the nation's most important artistic and historical complexes.
Since 1990, the Moscow Kremlin has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its historical and cultural importance, including the Alexander Gardens, one of Moscow's first urban parks.
Despite these years of conflict, one cannot ignore the cultural power of Russia, Moscow and its architecture. Indeed, there are many curiosities and secrets in the Kremlin, and some are truly worth discovering.