18 Most Beautiful Abandoned Places

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 10. El Hotel del Salto  Just southwest of Bogota Columbia is a spooky tourist attraction that dangles on the top of a large cliff in the rainforest with a view of an enormous waterfall. According to legends, during the Spanish conquest of South America, people would jump off the cliff you see in this photo in order to avoid slavery. It was once a luxurious hotel teeming with wealthy travelers. Some believe the hotel closed its doors due to contaminated river water.  9. Sunken Yacht  This eerie photo remains was taken of a sunken Brazilian yacht off the Maxwell Bay in Antarctica. The yacht belonged to a famous journalist and entrepreneur. The yacht most likely ran into strong winds while the crew came there to film a documentary. The crew was eventually rescued by the Chilean Navy but the memories of being trapped for 2 days must be frightening. Hopefully he still got some good film for his documentary.   8. Abandoned Six Flags  While some theme parks are deserted because of low attendance, others are deserted because of natural disasters. When hurricane katrina struck New Orleans much of the city was left in ruins. Six Flags New Orleans has been left abandoned ever since and left with excess shrubbery and graffiti. Here in this photo you see the decay and complete desolation of the once popular theme park.  7. Lawndale Theatre, Chicago  The Lawndale Theatre was once a thriving theatre in Chicago along the once bustling Roosevelt Road and played many classic movies. In this photo you see the once beautiful building, barely hanging on to life It opened its doors in 1927, and often promoted many British silent films and would even have “Chorus Girl Contests”. During world war II the neighborhood took a drastic turn and left the area into poverty. Legend even has it that a gang leader was shot dead here. It reopened as a church but then closed its doors in the early 2000’s..   6. North Brother Island  How is it possible an Island in New York’s East River goes completely forgotten? Only a 10 minute boat ride from the Bronx, the island you see in the photo served as a quarantine for those with small pox, scarlet fever, leprosy and even jungle fever.  Many described it as an awful place and was surrounded by dirty water. The facilities shut down in 1963 and the island is now deserted.  5. Abandoned mill  In this photo you see an abandoned mill in Sorrento, Italy near the city of Naples. This area was also known as the Valley of Mills and here they produced much flour, probably for making pizza and other bread products. In 1866, the mill conditions and area began to get too humid. Mother nature eventually reclaimed her territory and the mill closed. Tourists still come often for photos and tours.  4. Chatillon Car Graveyard  This grim scene in the photo features hundreds of abandoned cars is not a scene from the “Walking Dead”. This is actually a car graveyard nears a small village in Ardennes, Belgium. The deteriorating cars have been sitting here for the past 70 years and the neighboring wilderness will eradicate them completely someday. The reason why so many cars were abandoned still remains a mystery. An interesting legend says that the cars were left behind by American soldiers who were stationed here and when it was time to come home they just left them here.   3. Prabalgad   Prabalgad is a plateau in India where a famous fort and temple to Ganesha are currently located. The fort was finally taken over by the forces of the Mughal Empire. No one currently lives in this fortress most likely because it seems like one heck of a hike to get up there. Must be some great views from the top. In this photo you can see the steepness and you can imagine how it must have been difficult to build anything at the top.   2. Craco, Italy  Craco was once a bustling medieval city in the South of Italy until a natural disaster took place.Landslides and earthquakes make it very difficult for people to make this place home. As you can see in this photo, the village sits on top of a hill which makes it an easy target to be affected by natural elements. The abandonment make the location popular for tourists and filmmakers. Occasionally festivals are held at this location but no one will call this place home.  1.Alcatraz  This infamous prison located on an island in the San Francisco Bay is an iconic image of the city and possibly the most well known deserted places in the world. Alcatraz island was originally built was a fortress but later transformed into a military prison in 1868 and then a federal prison in 1963. In 1986 it became a National Historic Landmark  and can be reached by a quick ferry ride. The lighthouse is the oldest one built on the west coast and legendary escapes from the prison had been turned into movies!