Although long forgotten, some places never truly lose their significance to history. Whether it’s a dust-covered ghost town in the middle of the Namib Desert or a hollow industrial complex floating off the coast of Southern Japan, some of the world’s most haunting abandoned places once shaped the lives of thousands and even an entire country.
For a bit of history and adventure, try visiting some of the world’s most incredible abandoned places. Here are the ones you can tour in 2019:
Kirby Hall, Northamptonshire
A stately English manor built during the golden age of the Elizabethan era in 1507, Kirby Hall was once the model example of a Renaissance-style country house. The manor, based on French architectural designs, was the estate of Sir Christopher Hatton, Lord Chancellor to Queen Elizabeth I. Up until the 18th century, Kirby Hall underwent several renovations to include varying styles of classical decorations and embellishments. But after it was abandoned in the 1800s, the estate fell into disrepair, many sections then became roofless, and the stone works and wainscoting along the walls were stripped bare.
Fortunately, modern conservation efforts managed to salvage the mansion’s Great Hall and staterooms. The courtyard has also been manicured with a ‘cutwork’ design, complete with fully restored statues and urns. Although Kirby Hall’s glory days are long gone, it remains a popular location for film shoots and is frequently used as a television set for the Antiques Roadshow.
Kolmanskop, Southern Namibia
The very definition of a desert ghost town, Kolmanskop was once a thriving mining community that beckoned fortune seekers with the promise of diamonds. Once a small, desolate railway station in the middle of the Namib Desert, Kolmanskop became the site of a diamond rush when a railway worker stumbled upon a hidden deposit near the tracks in 1908. Within two years, prospectors from across the country flocked to the area and built a fully self-sufficient town, complete with a power station, a hospital, a casino, and even constructed Africa’s very first tram. Soon, Kolmanskop was known as one of the wealthiest towns in German South West Africa.
But by the 1920s, the diamond fields began to dry up and the town’s settlers left for other deposits to the south. Kolmanskop was then completely abandoned by 1956 and left to ruin and decay in the desert. Today, You can visit the town on guided tours, enter the once-opulent European-style houses partially submerged in sand, and walk through decrepit hallways with sunken rooftops. Some of the buildings, including the ballroom, school, and sports hall, have been restored and offer a glimpse of Kolmanskop in its heydays.
Pripyat, Northern Ukraine
The name Pripyat might not ring any bells at first, but a radioactive fallout made this Ukrainian industrial city infamous. Home to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Pripyat is a grim reminder of the meltdown that displaced the entire population of 50,000 people overnight in 1986. More than 30 years later, the radioactivity in this abandoned city has fallen sharply, but there are still pockets of higher than normal radiation found in different areas.
Local tour operators offer guided tours around Pripyat and Chernobyl’s fallout zone. Most of them pay visits to the derelict sports centre with an empty pool, the barren amusement park with a rusted and creaking Ferris wheel, and the reactors at the power plant.
Hashima Island, Nagasaki Prefecture
Also known as Battleship Island due to its shape, Hashima is home to a 16-acre industrial city just off the southern coast of Nagasaki Prefecture. This floating city was first built as an undersea coal mining facility in 1887, but later evolved into a community for the miners and their families. After the Mitsubishi Group bought the island in 1890, mining operations prospered until 1974. At its peak, the island had more than 5,000 residents in one densely populated block. The concrete sprawl had apartment buildings, a hospital, a school, shops, cinemas, and a pachinko parlour.
In 2015, Hashima was recognized as a UNESCO Heritage Site for its many surviving Taisho Period and Showa Period buildings that played a significant role during the Meiji Industrial Revolution. Today, you can tour a portion of Hashima with ferries departing from Nagasaki City. You might also recognize parts of the city featured in the James Bond film, Skyfall.
Craco, Southern Italy
Perched on a rocky hill in the Basilicata Region of Matera, Italy, Craco is an ancient medieval village first settled by the Greeks in 540 AD. Over the centuries, the village oversaw a population boom that was followed by a rapid decline due to plagues and bloody conflicts. Eventually, Craco became a fortress for notorious brigands throughout the 1800s. When law and order finally returned to the village, it faced other environmental and geological challenges, such as poor agricultural conditions, frequent landslides and earthquakes. In 1963, the combination of deteriorating soil conditions and natural disasters forced residents to leave their beloved hilltop homes.
To visit this historic, picturesque ghost town, you’ll have to sign up for a guided tour. The ruins of Craco are filled with heritage buildings, centuries-old stone walls, and weather-worn frescoes that remind visitors of the town’s storied past.
Plymouth, Montserrat
Known as the “Pompeii of the Caribbean”, Montserrat was once an island resort paradise teeming with tropical wildlife. The island was also famous for its star-studded recording studio AIR Montserrat, where Elton John, Sting, and The Rolling Stones recorded some of their greatest hits. But when the Soufrière Hills volcano erupted in 1995 after centuries of staying dormant, the ensuing pyroclastic flows buried the island’s capital Plymouth under more than 50-ft of molten ash and lava. By 1997, the town was permanently abandoned by its more than 5,000 residents, some chose to never return to the island.
Despite being a ghost town caked in layers of solid volcanic matter, Plymouth remains Montserrat’s official capital. You can visit this historic British colonial town on guided tours and stop by Plymouth’s once prominent churches and mansions, some with only rooftops still above ground. You can also get an aerial view of the ashen town by taking an Exclusion Zone Helicopter tour that sweeps above Plymouth.