These locations feature abandoned cities, industrial sites and historic places. Empty buildings, decaying streets and left-behind objects tell stories of former residents and their lives. The sites were abandoned for various reasons: industrial decline, natural disasters, military conflicts or economic changes led to their desertion. Today the buildings stand quiet while nature reclaims the grounds.
Chernobyl Exclusion Zone
This city was built in 1970 for power plant workers and completely evacuated in 1986 after the reactor accident. The 50,000 residents had to leave within 36 hours.
Nagasaki Region
A former coal mining island inhabited from 1887 to 1974. The island reached a population density of 835 people per hectare.
Namib Desert
A former diamond mining settlement from 1908, abandoned in 1954. The Namib Desert sand has partially covered many buildings.
Haute-Vienne in New Aquitaine
A French village where German troops killed 642 inhabitants in 1944. The ruins remain as a memorial to the victims.
Región de Tarapacá, Chile
This industrial facility produced saltpeter from 1880 to 1960. The buildings remain standing but the machines and tools have been removed.
California, United States
This gold mining town from 1876 was abandoned in 1942. The houses still contain personal belongings of former residents.
Basilicata, Italy
The inhabitants left the village in 1963 after a landslide. The stone buildings on the hill date from the 8th century.
Svalbard, Norway
The Soviet coal mining settlement was abandoned in 1998. The buildings and facilities remain preserved in the Arctic climate.
Andaman et Nicobar
The British naval base was abandoned after the Japanese attack in 1941. Trees and plants now cover the remains of administrative buildings.
Province de Muğla
This abandoned settlement contains 350 stone houses left by the Greek population during the 1923 population exchange.
Famagouste
Residents left this coastal district in 1974 after the Turkish invasion. The shops, apartments and hotels remain under military control.
Crète
This former leper colony operated from 1903 to 1957. The island contains a Venetian fortress and residential buildings from the 20th century.
Brandenburg, Germany
Military hospital complex built in 1898. The facility spans 200 hectares and contains 60 buildings. It operated as a tuberculosis sanatorium.
Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan
The island contained an underwater coal mine and housing for 5000 miners. Industrial activity ended in 1974, it has remained empty since.
Wiltshire, England
Military training village built in 1988 in Tilshead. The streets and buildings replicate the layout of an Eastern European town.
Siem Reap, Cambodia
The monumental temple complex from the 12th century is surrounded by dense vegetation and trees that spread over the stone structures.
Hebei, China
This section of the wall extends 10.5 kilometers through mountainous terrain with 67 watchtowers from the Ming Dynasty.
Moynaq, Uzbekistan
Abandoned fishing boats lie in the sand of the former port city on the dried Aral Sea, 150 kilometers from water.