10. GREAT TRAIN GRAVEYARD
There’s a collection of dozens of rusting locomotives and train cars near the mesmerizing
salt flats of Uyuni in Bolivia. Known as the Great Train Graveyard or the Cemeterio de Trenes,
it’s located on the outskirts of an abandoned former transportation hub.
During the 19th century, there were plans to expand the Uyuni region’s train network.
But the project was never finished. As the local mining industry began to dry up,
developers ran into problem after problem with other countries along the planned route. In
the meantime, they encountered increasingly complicated technical issues. The project
eventually ground to a halt, leaving over 100 trains parked in the middle of the desert.
Most of the vehicles were imported from Britain during the early 20th century.
They’ve been vandalized and are heavily rusted from the region’s salty winds.
The eerie train graveyard is open to visitors, most of whom stop by during a trip to the salt
flats. It’s situated among a vast landscape completely devoid of houses, cars, and people for
as far as the eye can see, serving as a constant reminder of how far from civilization it is.
9. ST. GEORGE’S CHURCH
In the tiny Czech town of Lukova, roughly two-and-a-half hours outside Prague,
there’s an abandoned 14th-century church filled with eerie white figurines.
Nicknamed the “ghosts of St. George’s Church,” the ghastly sculptures are
positioned on the building’s pews, in the doorways, and at the altar.
Built around 1352, St. George’s church sits atop a hill overlooking the small
town. After the roof caved in during a funeral in 1968, the church was abandoned,
and the congregation began holding mass outdoors. People thought that the building
was cursed or haunted, so they simply avoided going inside and left it to decay.
The community eventually became interested in restoring the church,
but couldn’t afford to do so. In 2012, local artist Jakub Hadrava created the 32 life-sized
sculptures that currently occupy the building in hopes that they would attract visitors.
He sculpted the spooky figurines by making plaster casts of models draped in sheets.
The statues are said to resemble the German bohemians who once lived in the area,
and were expelled from the Czech Republic after World War II.
Thanks to Hadrava’s creations, St. George’s church has become a popular tourist destination.
Proceeds from the visits go toward maintaining and repairing the building. And while most visitors
are excited to see the inside, some have refused to enter, according to caretaker Petr Koukl,
who said that the spooked individuals couldn’t get past peeking through the doorway.
8. SCARY DAIRY
The Camarillo State Mental Hospital was established in Ventura County, California in 1932.
At the time, it was a state-of-the-art facility at the forefront of mental health treatment.
The experts there made groundbreaking progress with treating conditions that were previously
considered untreatable, helping more patients than ever become functional members of society.
As part of their therapy, patients grew fruits and vegetables, raised animals,
and ran a dairy farm on-site. The farming program was canceled during the 1960s,
and its buildings, including a big barn, were abandoned. In 1997, the hospital itself
closed its doors for good. California State University took over the property in 2002;
seven years later, it bought the land that the decrepit dairy farm sits on.
Nicknamed the “Scary Dairy,” the spooky, graffiti-covered barn is reduced mostly to
its framework. It’s fenced off to prevent visitors from inflicting further damage
and for their safety. Some people still dare to trespass over the fence,
but the area is rumored to be heavily patrolled by police for this exact reason.
For those who just want to get a good look at the Scary Dairy without actually going inside,
the property is open to the public daily.
7. VAROSHA
During the 1970s, the rich and famous flocked to Varosha, a resort town on the island nation
of Cyprus. Located in the city of Famagusta, it was once one of the world’s most popular
tourist destinations, attracting famous stars like Elizabeth Taylor and Brigitte Bardot.
That all changed in 1974, when Turkish forces invaded Cyprus and took control of Famagusta.
Varosha’s 39,000 inhabitants fled with plans to eventually return,
but that never happened, and it was no longer a luxury travel hotspot.
The site has remained abandoned and fenced-off ever since.
Nature has reclaimed much of Varosha, which is off-limits to the public -- only the
Turkish military and United Nations (UN) personnel are allowed there.
Photos snapped by urban explorers feature crumbling buildings and rusting cars.
Clothing still hangs on the racks inside stores, and tables remain set for the next meal, serving
as a chilling reminder of when people rushed out of there on practically a moment’s notice.
Turkish authorities reopened Varosha to residents last year, but it remains closed to tourists
for now. The controversial decision to tear down the fences surrounding the resort town
fueled the ongoing tensions between Greek and Turkish Cypriots, who have been at odds since
Turkey invaded the island almost 50 years ago. Because of this, whether or not to
rebuild Varosha is a complicated matter that will require a delicate, diplomatic approach.
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6. CLAUSLAND MOUNTAIN TUNNELS
Just north of New York City in the village of Nyack, a series of graffiti-covered cement tunnels
run through a mountain. Known as the Clausland Mountain Tunnels, they were built in 1910
as part of the Bluefields Rifle Range, a planned training ground for the New York National Guard.
The tunnels enabled soldiers to safely pass under and around the open firing range.
But the Bluefields Rifle Range was a controversial project from day one, with National Guard officers
calling it one of the costliest blunders in state history. Soldiers were tired of having to
climb through the mountains to get to it, and local residents complained that stray bullets
were putting holes in their barns. The site closed after operating for just three years.
Naturally, the tunnels became a haven for underage drinking and the inspiration for paranormal and
urban legends. Various tales revolve around suicide, Satanic rituals, murder, and the
Mafia dumping bodies in the tunnels. But these stories seem to be rooted in the imagination,
because there’s little to no evidence to suggest that any of these things actually happened.
In 1984, a group of panicked college kids showed up at the local police station. They claimed that
they drove up the mountain around midnight and were met by several robed figures, who blocked
their path and came at their vehicle with weapons. When police went to the scene, nobody was there.
On top of possibly being haunted, the tunnels are filled with large bugs,
including wolf spiders and cave crickets. For those who dare, they’re open to the public,
although one entrance has caved in, so it’s uncertain how safe they are.
5. CHICKEN CHURCH
Sometime during the 1990s, a man named Daniel Alamsjah dreamed about building a prayer house
and took it as a sign that God wanted him to build
a church. Although he was a devout Christian, Alamsjah envisioned a site that welcomed people
of all religions. More specifically, he wanted the building to be in the
shape of a dove and to sit atop a hillside near his home in Central Java, Indonesia.
The ambitious dreamer bought an acre (0.4 hectares) of land, got permission to build,
and got to work. Alamsjah’s creation ended up looking more like a hen than a dove. But he
went ahead and opened it to the public anyway, and it soon earned the nickname Gereja Ayam,
or the “chicken church.” Various religions held services on the upper floors,
while the lower levels housed a drug rehabilitation center and a care facility
for disabled children. At one point, the site also functioned as a mental asylum.
But the bills weren’t getting paid, and Alamsjah eventually went broke. To make matters worse,
not everyone shared his humanitarian vision, and they didn’t hesitate to let him know. Feeling
he had no other choice, Alamsjah left the bizarre building behind in 2000. Since then, time and the
elements have taken their toll on the Chicken Church, immersing it into a state of decay.
Ironically, the site has become more popular since it was deserted. Photos and stories of
the church have circulated widely across the internet, drawing curious visitors from near
and far. People have even gotten married and had their wedding photos taken there.
Visitors have helped to make the Chicken Church look a little less decrepit by
covering the walls with vibrant murals and opening a cafe inside.
Only Mr. Alamsjah himself knows exactly what was going on in his mind when he
decided to build this strange structure. But its late-blooming popularity means that
at least one of his desires was fulfilled: to see people enjoying the Chicken Church.
4. ALIANELLO GHOST TOWN
An earthquake in 1980 left the Italian hamlet of Alianello unfit to live in,
with unstable buildings that would only become shakier with time. The Municipality of Aliano
issued an eviction order, but only about half of Alianello’s residents cooperated at first. The
rest held out for as long as they could, with most finally leaving when the municipal government cut
them off from basic services. It wasn’t until 2000 that the last resident finally left Alianello.
Many people left behind personal belongings, which still sit inside the village’s deteriorating
buildings. Visitors will notice cradles, strollers, bottles of liqueurs and preserves,
telephone directories dating back to the ‘80s, furniture, and more.
The hamlet’s first telephone line was installed in 1978,
just a few years before everyone was ordered to leave, and some homes didn’t have running water,
according to former resident Domenica Rinaldi, who spoke with Atlas Obscura.
A man named Vincenzo, who also used to live in the village, described it as an extended
family of sorts. Everyone knew each other and there was a strong sense of community.
But while former residents remember Alianello with a certain fondness, the eerily silent
crumbling ghost town might seem spooky to an outsider. Nature is reclaiming the site, with
trees and other plants growing inside the deserted homes that are falling apart and covered in mold.
3. SPREEPARK
The East German government built Spreepark outside of Berlin in 1969. During the communist era,
the thriving amusement park saw around 1.7 million visitors every year. After
the Berlin Wall fell and Germany was reunified, it changed owners but remained in operation.
The park’s new owner, Norbert Witte, smuggled cocaine into the country by
having it stashed inside imported ride parts. His crimes eventually caught up with him,
leading to Spreepark’s closure in 2004. In addition to Witte’s illegal activity,
declining visitor numbers were also factored into the decision to close.
Over the following years, the property fell into disrepair and was swallowed by the surrounding
landscape. An arsonist set fire to the park in 2014, destroying some of the remaining
rides and other structures. Two years later, a Berlin-based company bought
what’s left of the park. There are reportedly plans in place to reopen the park next year.
Many of Spreepark’s attractions have been removed, but a ferris wheel, roller coaster, and teacup
ride still stand, along with the crumbling remains of a restaurant, zoo, and cinema.
For only five euros, curious urban explorers can
safely - and legally - tour the property during certain times of the year.
2. THE PYRAMID OF NORTH DAKOTA
In a remote corner of North Dakota near the tiny city of Nekoma, there’s a reinforced concrete
pyramid standing tall against the open sky, with several smaller buildings surrounding it.
Known as the Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex, it was developed in the 1960s,
at the height of the Cold War. Its purpose was to shoot down incoming intercontinental ballistic
missiles from the Soviet Union, should tensions reach that boiling point that everyone feared.
The six-billion-dollar project came with dozens of missile silos and launching silos, a cache of
nuclear missiles, and the giant pyramid, with a circular shape near the top on each side.
The complex was only operational for a short time before it was shut down due
to the enormous costs of running it, as well as concerns about potentially
firing missiles over friendly territory. It was decommissioned during the 1970s,
and only a few people have been allowed into the complex ever since.
The closest anyone can get to the complex is the road that runs along it. Visitors
are allowed to take photos, but don’t think about trying to go any further.
The Cavalier County Job Development Authority purchased part of the facility in 2017,
hoping to turn it into a data processing and security center
with the help of Google or another big-name company.
Other parts of the property have been sold and auctioned. But some
private owners have failed to sell their parcels for what they consider to be a fair price,
suggesting that the site isn’t very desirable. And it makes sense -- after all,
the aging pyramid is a bizarre eyesore reminiscent of Cold War fears of impending nuclear disaster.
1. THE GREEN LINE
The Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus is divided by a UN-controlled buffer zone
that keeps ethnic Greeks in the south and ethnic Turks in the north. This demilitarized zone,
sometimes called the “Green Line,” was implemented in 1974 after Turkey
invaded Cyprus. It stretches 112 miles (180 km) across the island, measuring
11 feet (3.3 meters) wide at its narrowest point and 4.6 miles (7.4 km) at its widest.
Most of the buffer zone is heavily restricted, allowing only military and UN personnel to
enter. For nearly 50 years, it’s sat mostly untouched by humans and frozen in time.
In the capital of Nicosia, a rusting passenger jet sits outside the abandoned airport.
Vintage cars remain parked in lots, as if they’re still waiting to be sold. Old stores and
cafes line the empty streets, and once-bustling commercial buildings are quietly falling apart.
The environment is dominated by a seemingly post-apocalyptic feel that’s impossible to ignore.
There are areas along the buffer zone that are inhabited, as well as several crossing
points between the north and south, which were opened in recent years as tensions
cooled somewhat. But there are still many complicated issues to sort out, and for now,
the divided country’s future remains uncertain.
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