From desolate villages and ghost towns to the home of the most famous vampire, today
we look at Strange Abandoned Places in Europe.
Number 13.
Monsanto Panorama In the 1960s, a large, lavish restaurant at
the center of a park in Lisbon , Portugal offered locals an exclusive dining experience
in a unique, UFO-like building.
Over the years, though, this circular structure has been left to deteriorate after failed
attempts to use it as a nightclub, bingo hall, office, and warehouse.
Today it serves the public as a popular viewpoint despite its decrepit condition and graffiti-laced
walls.
Visitors to the charming, yet desolate, monument will be able to enjoy the former restaurant's
unique architecture, gorgeous tile work from artist Manuela Madureira , and the best 360
degree view in the city.
Number 12.
Spreepark Spanning across almost 73 acres of land in
the German capital of Berlin is the rundown skeleton of an amusement park.
This park first opened in 1969 under the moniker of Kulturpark Plänterwald and was the only
attraction of its kind in both East and West Berlin at the time of its opening.
In 1991, after the fall of the Berlin Wall and Germany's reunification, the amusement
grounds were rechristened as Spreepark after the nearby Spree River.
New owners took over the property and invested heavily in its success, adding new attractions
and raising attendance numbers to 1.5 million people annually!
However, in the years following this brief upswing in success, the parks owners would
become gradually encumbered in debt.
To compensate, prices rose, but that led to a fall in attendance and by 2002, the park
closed indefinitely.
After 9 years of weathering, the park opened briefly to guided tours of the vacant amusement
park, but this stopped in 2014 once the property was purchased by the City of Berlin.
A major fire later that year destroyed much of the remaining Spreepark attractions, and
today the half burnt, crumbling structures loom eerily outside the public eye.
Number 11.
Chateau Miranda First designed in 1866, the neo-gothic Chateau
Miranda didn't finish construction until 1907, where it acted as a home to the descendants
of the Liedekerke-De Beaufort family.
Located in the Belgian town of Celles , it played a role as a combat location during
the infamous Battle of the Bulge when it was occupied by German soldiers.
But following this occupation, the legendary castle came under the control of the National
Railway Company of Belgium and was converted to an orphanage and children's camp, earning
the name Chateau de Noisy.
However, the upkeep on this great castle proved to great to maintain and in 1991 it was left
completely abandoned.
Vandalism and decay had its way with the Chateau Miranda for 26 years, leaving the structure
decrepit and on the verge of collapse before it was finally torn down in October of 2017.
Number 10.
Prinkipo Greek Orphanage The largest wooden building in all of Europe
sits quietly on the Turkish island of Buyukada . It measures over 215 thousand square feet
and has gone unoccupied and undisturbed for over 55 years!
Once a luxurious hotel and casino, for which it was designed in 1898, the property was
purchased by the wife of a Greek banker when the proper permits couldn't be obtained to
run it for its intended purpose.
She then donated the building to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and it was
henceforth known as the Prinkipo Greek Orphanage.
It operated for more than 6 decades, assisting with the needs of nearly 5,800 orphans while
open.
Efforts have been made in recent years to preserve the historic structure, as it currently
ranks among the most endangered cultural heritage sites in the world.
Number 9.
Canfranc Station This massive train station set in the Pyrenees
mountains along the borders of Spain and France was once an intricate tool in commerce between
the two nations.
Equipped with large, 220-yard-long platforms, this location acted as a hub for transferring
cargo as the trains of France weren't compatible with the railways of Spain, and vice versa.
But a derailment in 1970 destroyed a crucial bridge on the French side of the mountain
range, permanently putting the station's out of commission as French trains could no longer
make the journey.
The nearby village of Canfranc dropped with the loss in railway traffic, and the grandiose
station, which measure 790 ft. long and features 156 doors and 365 windows, was abandoned indefinitely,
despite being the second largest train station in Europe.
Entry to Canfranc Station is limited in modern times, with tours being offered briefly during
summer months.
Number 8.
Varosha The small Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus
is home to many historical, architectural relics, with evidence of human activity on
the isle dating back to the 10th millennium BC.
But the most recent remnants of past civilization can be found in the southern quarter of the
city Famagusta . Called Varosha , this district was a modern tourism haven ranking among the
most popular in the world, until 1974 when the country underwent invasion from Turkey.
The 39 thousand people of Varosha fled in fear of the upcoming combat, and the sector
remains deserted today.
Heavily looted and slowly decaying, the concrete coastal developments of the area stand hauntingly
desolate as entrance is still barred to the public.
However, in the summer of 2019, plans have begun to reopen Varosha once more in the coming
years.
Number 7.
Balestrino A quiet Italian village among green-coated
hills with a gorgeous view of the ocean may seem like the ideal place to live, but in
1953, the people of Balestrino deserted their medieval town suddenly.
Though the town-like commune is believed to have been inhabited since at least the 11th
century, a string of earthquakes throughout the 19th and 20th centuries caused the locals
to relocate.
Balestrino was declared hydrogeologically unstable, and a second town of the same name
was erected shortly after its abandonment.
Today, the old ghost town above it withers away, completely fenced off to the outside
world.
However, there are plenty of hiking opportunities nearby with plenty of unique vantage points
of old Balestrino's castle and churches for those interested parties not willing to take
"no" for an answer.
Number 6.
Petite Ceinture Encircling the city of Paris is La Petite
Ceinture , an urban railway that has been inactive since 1934.
This was the first Parisian metro-like transportation open to the public, after switching from its
initial purpose as a freight line.
But after the Paris Metro appeared in 1900, the Petite Ceinture started to receive less
and less use until it finally ceased service.
As the decades passed, the railway would become overgrown, creating its own unique ecosystem
with more than 200 species of plants and animals calling it home.
Exploring these train tracks will reveal a vibrant collaboration of nature and urban
art as colorful flowers adorn graffiti murals just out of sight from the bustling streets
of Paris.
This makes the Petite Ceinture a popular stop for urban explorers, as much of the railway
remains open to the public.
Number 5.
Kirby Hall In 1570, the Lord Chancellor to Queen Elizabeth
I, Sir Christopher Hatton , commissioned the construction of the massive, regal Kirby Hall.
Following the trends of other wealthy noblemen of the time, the palace-like structure was
a prime example of the era's "prodigy houses".
This great hall was elaborate in its design, drawing on the styles of French architecture
for inspiration.
But since being erected, Kirby Hall has fallen into disrepair.
The large mansion is partially roofless, and much of the structure seems to be on the verge
of collapse.
However, a large portion of the hall is still very usable, thanks to restoration efforts
by the charity English Heritage.
Many of the rooms have been renovated to reflect both 17th and 18th century decor, while the
gardens and the various statues and urns that occupy them have been restored.
Number 4.
Bran Castle Known to many as the home of the mythical
Count Dracula, Bran Castle eerily emerges from the Transylvanian portion of the Calimani
Alps.
But this great Romanian fortress most likely never housed the nefarious vampire, as all
connections it has to the legendary Bram Stoker novel are flimsy at best.
This region of Romania was once home to the Wallachian prince Vlad Dracula, also known
as Vlad the Impaler.
He is often thought to have been the model for the infamous vampire due to his location
and name.
But evidence of such direct influence on the horror novel is scarce, and historians largely
agree he likely never even entered Bran Castle, let alone lived there.
Still, rumors have persisted over the years, and the castle is still a popular tourist
attraction today.
Number 3.
Tunnel of Love Railroads often evoke the imagery of steam,
metal, and the industrial age, but the Ukraine's Tunnel of Love is a much more romantic spin
on the classic train track aesthetic.
Connecting the town of Klevan with the village of Orzhiv , this portion of railroad measure
3.1 miles in length and is surrounded by lush foliage, smoothly carved into a tunnel from
the passage of industrial freight trains.
This has created one of the most serene locations in all of the Ukraine, drawing visitors year
round, especially couples and newlyweds eager to use it as their backdrop to a photoshoot.
But be careful visiting this magical, yet vacant location as trains do still use this
track, with accidents involving pedestrians do still happen from time to time.
Number 2.
Reschensee In northern Italy, a large man-made lake sits
at an altitude of 4,915 feet above sea level among the Alps.
Though located in the western part of South Tyrol , the Reschensee or Lake Reschen as
its also known, is a popular tourist spot among Austrian and Swiss visitors as well
given its close vicinity to both nations borders.
But the clear, calm, and chilling waters of this two-and-a-half square-mile lake aren't
the only thing of interest to the public.
Beneath the surface of Reschensee are the remains of the village of Graun [GRAU'wyn],
a township which was submerged during the completion of the lake.
A total of 163 homes and other related buildings were flooded as a means of connecting two
smaller, natural lakes.
The most prominent evidence of the underwater village is in the steeple of a 14th century
church which still rises above the lake surface.
Despite having its bells removed in 1950, local legends tell of bells being heard from
the steeple in the midst of winter, when visitors can actually walk across the frozen lake and
see this architectural relic up close.
Number 1.
Teufelsberg Following the second global conflict of the
20th Century, Germany sought to demolish a military-technical college left over from
the previous regime.
But due to its sturdiness, the German government opted to turn it into a rubble disposal site
instead, birthing the man-made hill known as Teufelsberg . Atop this hill is the Field
Station Berlin, a massive listening station that was once occupied by the United States
National Security Agency, but has since been abandoned.
In modern times, the strange, tall structure has become blanketed in murals and graffiti
by street artists, and can be accessed by the public for a small fee.