1. Pripyat.
Why is it abandoned?
One word. Rhymes with Kerbobal. Begins with a Ch….
It’s located in Northern Ukraine. Abandoned en masse in 1986 due to the Chernobyl nuclear plant meltdown, radiation levels are actually dropping rapidly these days and access to the city is possible for short periods of time. Due to long neglect, a major concern is floors and buildings simply collapsing.
2. Kowloon The Walled City
Located outside Hong Kong, China.
Originally built as a Chinese military fort, the Kowloon Walled City became a residential enclave after the New Territories were released to Britain in 1898. The population boom occurred after World War II, when the Japanese occupation drove prostitution, gambling, and drug use out of downtown Hong Kong and into Kowloon. In 1987, its population numbered 33,000 within its 6.5-acre borders.
The dynamics of the growth of a city unencumbered by zoning laws, police forces, or government funding and regulations is nothing short of amazing and hazardous. Eight city pipes provided water to the entire Walled City, and only a few of the streets were illuminated by lighting. Sunlight rarely reached the lower levels, and power was scarce and rudimentary. In addition to crime, the Walled City was known for its high number of unlicensed doctors and dentists, who could operate without standards or fear of prosecution.
Most structures were built on top of one another over time, not as free-standing towers. Picture crude manufactured homes stacked one on top of another, left to right, bottom to top – but due to proximity to the airport, no structure exceeded a height of 14 stories tall. Alleyways were only 3-5 feet wide, had poor lighting, and very poor drainage. The maze of staircases and alleys was so extensive one could walk around the city without ever touching the ground.
he British and Chinese governments agreed that the Walled City was becoming increasingly intolerable and in 1987 a mutual decision was reached to tear down the Walled City, and a plan developed to compensate the 33,000 residents and businesses with $350 million (US) for their troubles. The last residents – not satisfied with the terms of the compensation – were finally forced out by 1992.
3. San Zhi, Taiwan
A deserted resort town, it was supposed to be a futuristic holiday village.
It was built in the early 80s, but numerous problems plagued the construction process culminating in a series of fatal accidents. The workers and the locals all decided the place was haunted and the developer ran out of money. Locals still believe the area to be cursed and avoid it.
4. Hashima Island, Japan
The island began to be populated in 1887 as a coal mining facility where workers lived and worked. In 1916 construction of a concrete city began, concrete used to stand against typhoons. In 1974 coal production in Japan had plummeted, replaced by petroleum and the island was shut down.
You might note a similarity between this island the island in James Bond Skyfall. The Skyfall island was indeed modelling after Hashima, although it was not shot there. A section was recreated at a movie studio in the UK and the rest done using CGI.
5. Neft Daslari, Azerbaijan
A deserted floating city.
Neft Daslari started with a single path out over the water, built on the backs of ships sunken to serve as foundations. This system of paths grew and evolve to serve the oil-drilling industry and eventually were widened to create space for houses, schools, libraries and shops for the workers and their families.
6. Centralia, Pennsylvania
We end with a town in the state where i grew up, good old Pennsylvania.
Begun in 1841 with the building of a tavern, it became a coal mining town and at its peak had seven churches, five hotels, twenty-seven saloons, two theaters, a bank, a post office, and 14 general and grocery stores. But in 1962 a fire started in one of the mines and never went out.
To be clear, that fire which started in 1962 has NEVER GONE OUT. It still burns today. No shit.
Hot steam and carbon monoxide suddenly hisses out of holes in the ground and the town has a lack of breathable oxygen due to the excessive amounts of carbona monoxide and carbon dioxide emanating from the ground.
