Empty Landmarks From Around the World That Stun

Our cities keep reaching higher and spreading wider. New towers rise and former fields are swallowed by streets and neighborhoods. Still, not everything keeps pace. Grand buildings, clever projects and entire communities sometimes fall out of use, left to rot or to be taken back by trees and vines. The decay can be strangely beautiful, full of quiet drama and a touch of sadness. We rounded up some of the most striking abandoned sites on the planet, ready for you to browse.

New Orleans' Six Flags Ghost Park

Opened in 2000 as Jazzland by Alfa Smartparks, the park celebrated Louisiana themes and did well enough that Six Flags bought it in 2003. Then Katrina hit in 2005 and the park was flooded and ruined. Today it sits empty, plastered with graffiti, tangled in bayou growth and home to wildlife. It looks spectacular in photos, but access is illegal and the site is regularly patrolled by police.

Liverpool's Massive Stanley Dock Warehouse

Liverpool hides a surprising giant, the Stanley Dock Tobacco Warehouse, once the largest brick warehouse on earth. It covers roughly 35 acres, rises 14 stories and was built from millions of bricks with tens of thousands of glass panes. As dock trade faded, the building fell into neglect by the 1980s. Plans for luxury flats exist, but for now the crumbling space hosts farmers markets and huge raves.

Dadizele's Faded Family Fun Park

Dadipark opened in 1949 north of Dadizele and grew from a simple playground into one of Europe’s oldest modern amusement parks. By the 1980s its rides and coasters drew well over a million visitors a year. In the early 2000s the equipment started failing and the park shut for repairs that never happened. Now the attractions rust and sag, a quiet ruin of past summers.

Alcatraz, The Island Prison That Haunts

Alcatraz needs little introduction, the fog‑shrouded island that once held some of America’s most notorious inmates. Built as a military fort in 1828, it became a federal prison in 1934 and closed in 1963. The island is open as a museum now, but many buildings are decayed and weatherbeaten, creating an almost haunted atmosphere when the bay mists roll in. Its lonely cells and rusting metal still pull visitors in.

The Love Hotel London, Kansai, Japan

This hotel was once a magnificent structure in the beautiful town of Kansai, Japan, and was famous as a “love hotel” – a place where couples would often steal away for a couple nights of romance and pampering. However, the place has not seen any guests for a while, and has been closed down for quite a few years. Now abandoned for decades, the building has fallen into disarray, with the website Abandoned Kansai calling it “one of the most pitiful places I have ever explored”. It’s still beautiful, in a strange, ethereal way – but yeah, we won’t be staying there anytime soon.

Kings Park Psychiatric Center, Long Island, New York

It's a trope that’s been around since the horror movie was first invented; an old psychiatric hospital, abandoned and overgrown, its gothic architecture still holding on to the malice and insanity of its former inhabitants. It might surprise you to learn, then, that at the center of some of America’s most sought-after real estate – Long Island, New York – there’s a huge abandoned psychiatric hospital. Kings Park Psychiatric Center was opened in 1885, and at the height of its operations housed over 9,000 patients. The Psych Center, as it is known by locals, housed not just patients but extensive staff – but by the mid-1990s, the sprawling complex was emptied and abandoned. Today, it stands as a monument to a bygone era – and offers some pretty otherworldly areas to explore.

Phnom Bokor, Cambodia

This beautiful collection of buildings originally housed French colonialists and holiday makers in and around the province of Kampot in southwestern Cambodia. Originally constructed as a luxury mountain resort, the complex has been abandoned and redeveloped several times, due to the changing surroundings and transportation within the country. Today these spectacular buildings remain empty, with almost all of them still standing despite no regular maintenance. There are rumors of another development being planned to take place, but this has not been confirmed. We think that the buildings hold a unique beauty even to this day, with or without modern upkeep.

Abandoned Submarine Tunnel, Montenegro

These stunning structures were originally used as housing units for military submarines, and have since been abandoned to the forces of nature. Three of these tunnels are still standing in the village of Rose in western Montenegro. No longer operational as military units, these beautiful edifices still have access to water, and have since become popular swimming spots. We can see why – the scenic surroundings plus the unique swimming and diving opportunities make this the ideal spot for aquatics-loving travelers.

Hashima Island, Japan

Hashima Island, also known as “Battleship Island” due to its oblong shape, lies just 9 miles off the coast of the southern city of Nagasaki. Once a busy coal mining community, at its height, Hashima was home to over 5,000 people. By the mid-1970s, however, coal was no longer the main energy source in Japan, and soon, the population dwindled, until it disappeared entirely. Today, Hashima stands empty, as its many buildings slowly crumble back into the sea.

Yaniv, Ukraine

Yaniv was a small but bustling village in Ukraine, located less than 10 kilometers from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. While the city of Pripyat is the most famous settlement to be abandoned due to the Chernobyl disaster, Yaniv, too, has been completely evacuated, and left mostly untouched in the years since. At the time of the disaster, the train that carried passengers and cargo to and from Yaniv was pulled into its station, and the abandoned train carriages, rusting and broken, serve as a silent testimony to the force of the blast.

Houtouwan, Shengshan Island, China

Once, over 2,000 people used to call the village of Houtouwan home. Located on Shengshan Island – a large island in the Shengshi island chain, 40 miles from Shanghai – Houtouwan was a bustling port inhabited primarily by fishermen. By the mid ‘90s, however, many of the families living on the island left due to problems with both education and food delivery, and today, the village stands mostly abandoned, inhabited by only a handful of people who cater to the many tourists who arrive on the island’s shores to marvel at the many houses reclaimed by nature and covered in thick, lush greenery.

Abandoned Gold Dredge, Dawson City, Yukon, Canada

One of the biggest factors that drove people to the northern and western wildernesses of North America during the latter half of the 19th century was gold. Tales of vast amounts of the precious metal hidden away in the hills of California, Nevada and even the frozen Canadian wastes drove thousands to seek their fortune in the punishing conditions of the final frontier. As the times progressed, ever more complex and industrialized methods of gold panning and sifting were developed, eventually giving rise to the industrial gold dredges of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Near the Alaskan border, by the small town of Dawson City in Yukon, Canada, one of these dredges still stands. It had continued to operate until the 1950s, until it was finally abandoned – buckets and all – where it still stands today, a testament to a bygone era.

Villa Epecuén, Argentina

Villa Epecuén was conceived as a tourist village, way back in the 1920s. Built on the shores of Lago Epecuén, a salt lake about 600 kilometers from the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires, the resort was a huge success and was a popular tourist destination for over 60 years. However, in the mid-1980s, heavy rainfall caused flooding in the lake’s area, and eventually the holiday village was completely flooded under over 33 feet of water. In 2009, the waters began to recede, uncovering the abandoned village in all of its decayed, flooded splendor.

St. John's Mental Hospital, Lincoln U.K.

Maybe one of the reasons abandoned psychiatric hospitals manage to capture our imaginations is the fact that they are, in fact, quite a common occurrence. St. John’s Mental Hospital, just outside of Lincoln, England, was built in 1852. Originally called the Lincolnshire County Lunatic Asylum, the building housed nearly 1900 patients at one time, and even served as an emergency hospital during World War II. An impressive architectural feat, the hospital boasts a Grand-Italian style and cost a small fortune to construct – but by the end of 1989, was mostly abandoned. Today, it stands empty and derelict – and a popular destination with intrepid explorers.

Alla Italia Spa Bath, Belgium

This beautiful building was originally built as a public spa and bath center for the wealthy residents of a small town in Belgium. Designed in a classical Italian style, its high ceilings and paneled walls brought holidaymakers from all over the town to soak up the atmosphere as they pampered themselves. Even though the facility has now lain abandoned for many years, its beauty is still as breathtaking as ever. People no longer flock to partake in its spa features, but the ancient building still receives a great many tourists every year, keen to simply admire its classic beauty.

Waldo Hotel, Clarksburg, West Virginia

The Waldo Hotel used to be the shining jewel in the crown of Clarksburg, West Virginia. A gathering place for socialites, politicians and artists, the hotel was the place to be for anybody who was anybody. But sometime in the 1990s, the hotel was closed down. Today, despite its impressive Beaux Arts architecture and grand halls, the hotel is nothing but an eyesore for local residents. Considered too far gone for renovation, but too expensive for demolition, the hotel remains standing. Not great for the municipality, but pretty wonderful for fans of urban decay.

The Diplomat Hotel, Baguio, Philippines

The Diplomat Hotel was constructed in 1913 on the top of Dominican Hill in Baguio, the Philippines. Boasting a panoramic view of the city below, the hotel truly was fit for diplomats, and served them faithfully for years. After damage to the building during the Second World War, the hotel was left in a semi-demolished state, which is how it still stands today. Despite not being a functioning hotel, the building still attracts visitors every year, keen to see a piece of classic architectural history.

Botanic Gardens Railway Station, Glasgow, Scotland

Opened on 10 August, 1896, the Botanic Gardens Railway Station served as the start of what would later become the Caledonian Railway. The station worked well into the 20th century, but was closed on 6 February, 1939. Since then, the station building itself was burned down and built over, but its underground platforms still remain, and can be seen, overgrown with vegetation, through the open air vents in the city’s Botanic Gardens.

Boblo Island, Windsor, On. Canada and Detroit, Michigan

In the middle of the Detroit River, between Detroit, Michigan and Ontario, Canada, there lies a small island called Bois Blanc Island – although the locals probably know it a Boblo. Boblo Island was home to the Boblo Island Amusement Park – also known as the Coney Island of Detroit – since the late 19th century. For nearly a hundred years, the park was a popular destination with locals, offering rides, confections and the second largest dance hall in the world, originally financed by Henry Ford. However, in 1993, the park closed its final ride, and has been sitting abandoned since.

The Floating Forest of Homebush Bay, Sydney, Australia

Homebush Bay near Sydney, Australia, used to be an important destination in the shipping industry. Used as a home base for ship breaking operations, the final journey of many ships was to Homebush, where they would finally be dismantled. As a result, the bay is littered with many ship hulls – but the most prominent of them all is that of the SS Ayrfield. Built and launched from the UK in 1911, the ship transported supplies during World War II before returning to Australia to serve as a steam collier until 1972. That year, it was sent to Homebush to be dismantled, but the ship breaking operations in the bay ceased shortly thereafter, leaving the ship’s emptied hull floating in the water, where it was taken over by local trees, transforming it into a floating forest.

Beelitz-Heilstätten Hospital, Beelitz, Germany

The Beelitz-Heilstätten Hospital is located in the small Berlin suburb of Beelitz. Originally built in the early 20th century to treat tuberculosis patients, it was later used as a military hospital – at first by the Germans, and later by Soviet and East German forces. It was the largest Russian military treatment center outside of Russia. It continued to be in use until 1994, when it was finally abandoned, leaving behind spooky corridors and rusting medical equipment.

The Paris Catacombs

Paris is an ancient city, with many dark, hidden secrets under its picturesque alleyways. One of Paris’ greatest, darkest secrets is the literal labyrinth of catacombs built under the city. First constructed in the early 18th century, the catacombs are partially open to the public – but many of their twisting corridors and chambers remain closed off and unexplored. The mysterious maze was used as the headquarters for the French Resistance during World War II, and many squatters, artists and runaways still use it as a refuge today.

The I.M. Cooling Tower, Monceau-sur-Sambre, Charleroi, Belgium

The I.M. Cooling Tower is a major landmark that still dominates the skyline of the Belgian town of Charleroi. Originally built in 1921, the tower was able to cool 480,000 gallons (1.8 million liters) of water per minute – but when the plant was found to be responsible for generating over %10 of Belgium’s CO2 emissions, it was closed down in 2007. The tower, while still standing, remains abandoned and out of commission

The Maunsell Sea Forts, River Thames, England

The Maunsell Sea Forts were named after their designer, Guy Maunsell, who built them as a means to defend British waterways during WWII. After the war, the forts were decommissioned and abandoned. But this is only the beginning of their story. Since their official abandonment, the forts have been used as transmitting stations for pirate radio, and one was even declared as a sovereign nation, breaking away from the UK and declaring itself the Principality of Sealand – although this status was never officially recognized.

The Sanzhi UFO Houses, New Taipei City, Taiwan

The San Zhi UFO or Pod Houses were originally designed in the mid-‘70s, with their futuristic design meant to house a high-concept vacation resort. But while construction started, their funding proved inadequate and they were never completed. Still, their striking design has turned them into a tourist attraction and a popular filming location. Despite their popularity, however, they did form a safety hazard, and by 2010 the structure was completely demolished and all pods removed.

St. George's Church, Luková, Czech Republic

St. George's Church in Luková, Czech Republic, was already an old, historic building when its roof rotted and collapsed in 1968. Seen as a bad omen, the church was boarded up and the congregation’s services held outside of it. Despite this, locals would like to see it restored, and in an attempt to gain funding, hired the artist Jakub Hadrava to create an art installation inside the building as a way to draw tourists. Installed in 2014, Hadrava’s plaster ghosts haunt the church’s steeples, and have turned it into a tourist attraction.

Kolmanskop, Namibia

The name “Kolmanskop” may not sound very Namibian, but that’s because it was founded by a group of German settlers who were hoping to mine and profit off of the diamond-rich surroundings. Following World War I, however, the diamond fields began to empty. This, coupled with the area’s harsh weather and taxing living conditions, led to the town being completely abandoned by the 1950s. Today, the ghost town’s houses stand empty, slowly filling up with the surrounding desert’s sands.

The Orpheum Theater, New Bedford, Massachusetts

When it first opened in 1912, the Orpheum Theater in New Bedford, Massachusetts was a marvel to behold. Housing a theater, a giant ballroom and, of all things, an armored shooting range, the Orpheum was the place to go for a good time in New Bedford. By the 1950s, however, it had mostly closed down, and was only opened on special occasions. Since then, the building has been used as a supermarket and a tobacco warehouse. In recent years, a nonprofit called Orph Inc. has been trying to raise funds to revitalize the building and restore it to its former glory.

City Hall Subway Stop in New York City, New York

New York City Hall is an historic building in one of the richest, most important cities in the world. It makes sense, then, for a subway station to be located near – or under – it. But despite its breathtaking design, the station has been abandoned since 1945. Why? First, nearby stations reduced the volume of travelers first expected when it was planned – but also, because of its curving design, newer trains simply cannot stop in its platforms! Since then it’s remained closed – but does open for the occasional exclusive tour.

Michigan Central Station, Detroit

Detroit was once the most important industrial city in the United States, and home to a thriving cultural scene, as well as to some of America’s most impressive architecture. The Michigan Central Station is no exception, but as the city suffered financial disaster, the station, along with the rest of Detroit, quickly deteriorated. Plagued by vandals and squatters, the station’s once-proud halls now seem squalid and foreboding, but in recent years the station, much like the city, is experiencing a revival.

Michigan Theatre, Detroit

Like Michigan Central Station, the adjacent Michigan Theatre is also nothing short of legendary. The performance hall once hosted musical legends like Frank Sinatra and performance giants like the Marx Brothers. But while many other buildings in Detroit were simply left vacant, the once-glorious theater suffered a worse fate; it was turned into a parking lot. There are plans in place to renovate the historic building, which still, today, boasts many of the original theater’s embellishments, but its fate is still uncertain.

Grossinger's Catskills Resort, Liberty, New York

The Catskills offer some of America’s most beautiful scenery, and understandably, were a popular summer vacation destination because of it. Out of all the resorts in the Catskills, the grandest and most luxurious was undoubtedly Grossinger’s. Founded in 1910, it remained a hotspot for New York’s elites well into the 1970s – and even inspired the resort in the film Dirty Dancing. The ‘80s, however, proved difficult for the resort, and by 1986 the hotel was closed down completely. Today it still stands, crumbling – although the current owners have voiced plans to restore it to its former glory.

Hudson River State Hospital, Poughkeepsie, New York

It seems New York State suffers no shortage of abandoned psychiatric hospitals – and one of the eeriest is the Hudson River State Hospital. Designed by the same architects who planned Central Park, the hospital remained in operation from 1871 to 2003, when it was finally shut down for good. Considered one of the most progressive hospitals in its time, it was an early adopter of new and experimental treatment methods. Considered an historic landmark, the hospital nevertheless remains abandoned today.

Ohio State Reformatory, Mansfield, Ohio

The Ohio State Reformatory is perhaps most famous as the filming location of The Shawshank Redemption. The prison was selected by the production precisely because of its imposing gothic architecture and abandoned status – but since then, it has become something of a pilgrimage location for fans of the film. The reformatory has largely been destroyed since the film was shot, although the main building and warden’s office remain standing, and efforts to restore them are underway.

Garnet, Montana

If you want to experience the Wild West today, Montana is probably the closest you can get — and the town of Garnet is even closer. Garnet was established as a gold mining town, and by 1898 boasted several saloons, stores — and 20 operational mines. Less than two decades later, however, after the gold rush died down, most of Garnet's residents moved away, leaving behind them a perfectly preserved mining town.

The Astrodome, Houston, Texas

When the Houston Astrodome first opened in 1965, it had the distinct honor of being the first domed, multi-purpose sports venue in America. While it was an architectural wonder, domed stadiums fell out of favor, and by 2002 the Astrodome had closed its doors, only opening them again to serve as a center for refugees during natural disasters. City officials have presented all sorts of plans to repurpose the building, but so far nothing has moved forward, and the Astrodome remains empty.

Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, Tillamook, Oregon

This lighthouse off the coast of Oregon was in operation from 1881 until 1957. Tillamook was built on high cliffs surrounded by the rocky seas of the Pacific Ocean, renowned as being some of the most treacherous waters in the world. The weather conditions surrounding the lighthouse led to locals giving it the nickname “Terrible Tilly”. The difficult surroundings and difficulties with its upkeep led to the lighthouse being deactivated in 1957, and the building still stands there abandoned today.

Pripyat, Ukraine

Pripiyat is perhaps the most famous of all abandoned places. Once home to thousands of families – and to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant – this all changed on April 26, 1986, when a huge radiation leak meant that people had to evacuate the town as quickly as possible. The town remains abandoned today, with tourists visiting the area for strictly short periods of time only. Perfectly preserved as it was the day of the explosion, this eerie ghost town provides an incredible snapshot of life in the 80s.

Urban Reef, Mexico

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, as temperatures rise, mass bleaching and infectious disease outbreaks are likely to become more frequent and destroy corals. To help the reefs survive in the face of these challenges, Jason deCaires Taylor created — with the help of marine biologists — a series of underwater shelters. While he built the sculptures to inhabit sea creatures, these "Urban Reefs" look like homes. They are meant to shelter various reef inhabitants in several rooms and hideaways from predators. The collection resides among some 450 sculptures in the rather vast MUSA (Museo Subaquatico de Arte) off the coast of Cancun, Mexico.

Abandoned Ferris Wheel, Chernobyl

As we know, nowadays the entire Soviet town of Chernobyl is utterly deserted, thanks to the nuclear disaster that took place there in 1986. And so this image of an abandoned Ferris wheel is simply even more haunting, as you know that no one will ever be able to ride it again. It’s just too dangerous to remain in Chernobyl and the surrounding area even for a moment, because of the radiation there. So it will probably remain a ghost town forever.

Molinere Underwater Sculpture Park, Grenada

We know that the world is full of amazing art and displays of creativity, but did you know that it’s not only on land that you can see these sorts of skills? Because British sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor created these amazing sculptures, that can be seen under the water in the Caribbean Sea. You can take a boat from Molinere Bay and then scuba dive down to see them for yourself.

The Devil's Bridge, Rakotzbrücke, Germany

Wow! of all the bridges we thought we’d see in our lifetime, never did we imagine a totally circular bridge, going all the way around both in the air above and in the water below. It’s truly a breathtaking view. But the truth is it’s simply an illusion—the reflection in the water is just so perfect that it creates the image of it being totally circular. This bridge is so amazing and hard to build, that many people believe that it was built by the devil.

Christ of the Abyss, Key Largo, Florida

Look at this amazing sight! This stunning statue is a 600-pound bronze sculpture of Jesus that was lowered underwater into the sea, in Key Largo just outside Miami. Divers and snorkelers travel from all over the world to see this amazing sight and enjoy the rest of Key Largo, which is known for its environmental activism and the only living coral reef in America today.

Empty House in Boyd, Oregon

America is so big and vast, that we often think of it as being an incredibly busy and happening place—but we forget that large swathes of it are just totally empty and deserted. Take for example this eerie-looking empty house in an abandoned wheat field. This used to be a bustling town called Boyd, Oregon, but since the Great Depression led to it being disincorporated, it has just laid here abandoned.

New urban-exploration hotspots are rising

Across parts of China, unfinished malls and half-built hotels have suddenly become places people want to see. A property sector slowdown left towers and shopping complexes empty, and photographers and explorers have started to document the eerie scale of those spaces. One young creator in Shanghai has built a following by showing how these structures look when they sit quiet and unused. The contrast between slick modern design and decay is hard to forget.

Hong Kong hides surprising abandoned sites

Even a skyline as polished as Hong Kong's hides old, empty buildings with complicated pasts. Places like Nam Koo Terrace and Tat Tak School carry layers of local history, from military uses to rumors and urban legend. Local urbex groups photograph and research them, trying to preserve memories before the next redevelopments. Those projects have turned many hidden corners into points of public curiosity.

An Antarctic base left to the elements

Out on the polar ice, a former research and rocket testing station sits half-buried and rusting. Logistical challenges and political shifts left the site empty, and now metal frames and broken labs are wrapped in snow and ice. The scene is haunting: scientific ambition frozen in place, exposed to wind and white light. Photographs of the station read like archaeology of a recent past.

Some ghost towns find new life on screen

A few deserted towns have become cinematic backdrops, their ruined streets turned into stages. An ancient Italian hill town that people left after landslides and earthquakes now shows up in films, its empty alleys offering atmosphere filmmakers want. Using these places this way gives them a different kind of attention, even as their roofs and walls keep falling apart. It is a strange second act for places built generations ago.

Preservation, erosion and unexpected uses collide

Abandoned places don't follow a single fate. Some get recognition from heritage bodies, sparking debates about access and preservation, while others are erased by wind and sea. Coastal structures show how quickly landscapes can change, and a few resorts once repurposed for other uses later returned to silence. The global picture is messy, and that makes these sites even more compelling to watch.