Via TheCoolist
Abandoned Places | We humans are explorers by nature. The
quest for discovery, both old and new, is part of what separates us from
rest of the animal kingdom. Since the world we live in has been
largely mapped and plotted, we urban adventurers turn our sights toward
the relics of old and the ruins of the recent past. If you find beauty
in urban decay, in the crumbling and abandoned places of yesteryear,
you’ll want to read on. Here are 10 of the most amazing, beautiful and
creepy abandoned places in the modern world.
Abandoned Submarine Base, Ukraine
In a bay on the northern shores of the Black Sea, the Soviet army
maintained an elaborate submarine base throughout much of the Cold War.
Now a museum, this abandoned submarine base in the town of Balaklava, Ukraine
is often explored by locals and tourists alike. During the war, Soviet
submarines were constructed elsewhere, transported to this base by
rail, then deployed into the Black Sea and beyond for covert underwater
operations. The tunnels of the submarine base reached far and deep into
the mountain above, providing enough room for many submarines and their
crew up through the end of the Cold War. [images via russos]
Abandoned Submarine Base Gallery
The Ruins of Detroit by Marchand and Meffre
In the United States, few cities have felt the burn of urban decay
more than Detroit. To capture its slow fade into history, photographers
Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre explored some of Detroit’s dying landmarks for their photo series The Ruins of Detroit.
As the industrial revolution came to a close and race riots crippled a
once bustling city, many buildings throughout Detroit fell into
disrepair and eventual abandonment. Today, visitors to Detroit can
experience two sides of the city– the revitalized, re-invested downtown
area, and the high-rises and industrial complexes which crumble around
it.
Ruins of Detroit Gallery
Beelitz Military Hospital, Berlin
It is rare that a ruin like this should decay so gracefully and without the marks of vandalism. The Beelitz Military Hospital
in Berlin is in great condition for a ruin, perhaps for the history it
represents. In 1916, a young Lance Corporal in the German army
recuperated here after taking a bullet in the Battle of the Somme during
the First World War. That injured soldier was none other than Adolph
Hitler. Walking these empty halls and cavernous rooms may not recall
memories of that fearsome dictator, but a calm and unobstructed view
into Germany’s often difficult history.
Beelitz Military Hospital Gallery
City Hall Subway Station, NYC
Under the busy streets of New York City rests a perfectly preserved
monument to that city’s transportation history. The City Hall Subway
Station was first constructed over 100 years ago, a part of New York’s
earliest underground transport network. It was shut down in 1945, where
it lay dormant and untouched until a one night public exhibition on the
station’s centennial. NYCSubway.org and photographer Fred Guenther
have documented this event with a great collection of photos, showing
this amazing abandoned place in all its pristine, untouched glory.
City Hall Subway Station Gallery
Ryugyung Hotel, Pyongyang, North Korea
The Ryugyung Hotel
in Pyongyang, North Korea is one of the 20th century’s greatest
architectural failures. Initially designed as a beacon of progress and
power for this misunderstood peninsula nation, the Ryugyung Hotel was
unable to sustain construction when the North Korean government simply
ran out of money. Ground was broken in 1987, construction was halted in
1992, and the pyramid-style spire sat dormant and empty for sixteen
years. Not a window or an interior fixture graced this skeleton of
concrete and metal, it stood only as a reminder what could-have-been for
Pyongyang, but instead resulted in failure. Fortunately, the Ryugyung
hotel may not be abandoned much longer, as construction resumed in 2008
and the building now has windows and a nearly-completed exterior. Due
to the secrecy of the North Korean government, however, it is hard to
say if the updates are merely cosmetic or reach further inside this
lonely building.
Ryugyung Hotel Gallery
Pripyat, Ukraine – Chernobyl Ground Zero
It’s difficult to find a greater metaphor for the rise and fall of the Soviet Union than Pripyat, Ukraine.
In a span of sixteen years, the population of Pripyat grew from zero to
50,000 and back down to zero, following the greatest nuclear power
disaster in human history. Pripyat was billed as an atomic city, built
into the forests south of Kiev in 1970 to house the families of workers
at the Chernobyl nuclear facility. After the the Chernobyl failure,
the city was abandoned, where it lays empty and closely guarded by
police. The only heartbeat remaining in the city of Pripyat is the
rustly click measured by visiting Geiger counters. (if you’d like to see
more beyond the gallery below, there are plenty of compelling images on
flickr, especially those by Pedro Moura Pinheiro)
Pripyat, Ukraine Gallery
Abandoned Beach Resort City, Varosha, Cyprus
Decades ago, Varosha (Famagusta)
on the island of Cyprus was the top resort destination in the eastern
Mediterranean. In 1974, the Turkish intervention in Cyprus brought the
area under Turkish control, where it remains off limits to modern
Cypriots. While the seaside resort buildings remain mostly in tact, the
streets and beaches of Varosha remain empty, save for a single
Turkish-only resort along the coast. We saw many amazing abandoned
structures in our research, but we never expected to see a completely
abandoned beach resort.
Abandoned Beach Resort City Gallery
Abandoned Water Park, Russia
A massive, indoor water park was planned for the children of Russia,
one towering many stories high with a myriad of rides within. Yet
before this park could be completed, the developer went belly up and
couldn’t afford its completion. The structure was to house many pools,
water slides and other water-based fun, and appeared to be just months
away from completion. The now abandoned water park houses only concrete, metal, graffiti and the curiosity of freelance “urban archaeologists”.
Abandoned Water Park Gallery
Abandoned Cathedral, Gary, Indiana
Much like the city of Detroit, Gary, Indiana has been hard hit by the
fall of the industrial revolution. While many of its massive
industrial factories still operate, hope in the area is very hard to
find. Perhaps representative of this lack of faith is this amazing abandoned cathedral.
While this church is now empty, its beauty remains. The arched,
cathedral ceiling, the grand architecture of the exterior and the
religious iconography carved within might suggest that man has turned
their back on religion here, but the opposite is not necessarily the
case. (these images come courtesy of the community at opacity.us, one of the best places for exploring abandoned structures across the entire internet)
Abandoned Cathedral Gallery
Abandoned British Sea Forts
During the Second World War, the British Royal Navy constructed a
series of sea forts for an advanced line of defense against inbound air
raids and potential sea invasions from the Axis powers. The Maunsell Sea Forts
still stand today, silent and abandoned a few meters above the North
Sea. One, however, remains inhabited, now a nation of its own referred
to as the Principality of Sealand.
These sea forts are a favorite of maritime explorers, a lonely
collection of stilted fortresses not far off the coast of eastern
England. [see more photos of the Maunsell Sea Forts by slimmer jimmer]
Abandoned British Sea Forts Gallery
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