Thursday, April 27, 2017

The abandoned Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers castle in France


Encircled by a moat in the midst of a large wood, Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers can be found at the at the town of Les Trois-Moutiers in the Poitou-Charentes region of France

Originally called Motte Bauçay (or Baussay), the stronghold was built in the thirteenth century by the Bauçay family, lords of Loudun. In the Middle Ages, the castle was taken twice by the English and it was devastated during the French Revolution

In 1809, Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers was bought by wealthy businessman François Hennecart who restored the castle to its former glory, an in 1857 it was passed to Baron Joseph Lejeunea. After a major fire destroyed most of the buildings in 1932, the castle has been abandoned. 







Monday, April 24, 2017

The Italian ghost town of Balestrino


Situated in Liguria, 70 kilometres (43 mi) southwest of Genoa, Balestrino is one of Italy's most mysterious ghost towns, with little information known about the town's history and origins as well as its demise. 

Balestrino dates back to at least the 11th century. During the middle ages, the Bava family, nobles from Piedmont, were the feudal lords of the town and the one's who built Balestrino's oldest castle. Later, in the 16th century, the Del Carretto family came into power and built their castle. The castle was burned down and the lord was killed in 1561, leading the family to establish a court and torture chambers to maintain control and stop rioting. 

Although the town managed to flourish, battles between his armies and locals during the occupation of Napoleon severely affected the area and its population. Balestrino came under the rule of the Kingdom of Sardinia and Piedmont and in 1860 it became part of the Kingdom of Italy

It is believed that earthquakes and hydrogeological instability was the main reason for the town's demise. A number of earthquakes in the 19th century caused a part of the population to flee, with the last inhabitants evacuating Balestrino in 1953. 

The abandoned area is 1.5 hectares wide and is made up of fascinating buildings such as the churches of St. George and St. Andrew, built in twelfth century. The town's best-preserved building is the Byzantine castle of Del Carretto, while the bridge of Deautra, covered in wild plants, is another beautiful corner of the abandoned town. 

Today, the ghost town of Balestrino, situated close to the newer Balestrino town is visited by thousands of visitors and explorers every year. It has also caught Hollywood's attention, chosen as a location for the movie Inkheart.





For more deserted places, LIKE US on Facebook and FOLLOW US on twitter










Monday, April 17, 2017

The abandoned Kalakala streamliner ship

It was once the second most photographed structure in the world after the Eiffel Tower. MV Kalakala a ferry that operated on Puget Sound in the US state of Washington from 1935 until her retirement in 1967, became famous for its art deco design and its luxurious amenities.

She was constructed in 1926 as Peralta and went into service in the San Francisco bay until 1933 when she almost completely burned down during an arson fire at the terminal where she was moored. Its hull was sold to Puget Sound Navigation Company. Inspired by modern aircraft, Louis Proctor, an engineer for the Boeing Company suggested a modernistic and distinctive design which however lacked functionality. The final structure resembled a streamlined train, while its "flying" bridge was made out of copper out of fear that metal would interfere with the ship's compass. 

Kalakala, named after the Chinook Jargon word for 'bird', instantly became an icon as it entered service on July 4, 1935. In addition to ferry service, she was used for "moonlight cruises" with a live dance orchestra. During World War II she transported shipyard workers and Navy personnel between Seattle and Bremerton on an extended schedule. 

Lacking functionality and garage capacity, and having a heavy shaking vibration that ran throughout the vessel, the ship had become obsolete by the mid-1950's although it remained in service and was very popular among visitors to Seattle during the 1962 Seattle World's Fair. Kalakala was finally retired in 1967.

After her retirement, she was sold to a seafood processing company and towed to Alaska to work as a factory ship. In the 1970's, Kalakala was beached in Kodiak and was used to process shrimp. During that time the ship's internal structure was reworked to create a building with cement floors, drywall, and ceiling tiles. After left abandoned for years, Kalakala was refloated and towed back to Seattle in 1998 but its new owner didn't have enough money to maintain the ship. In 2004, a new owner moved her to Neah Bay and then to Tacoma, Washington but plans to restore the ship failed once more. In 2011, the Coast Guard declared the ship a hazard to navigation and in 2012 a yet another new owner bought it for just $4,000. MV Kalakala was finally scrapped in early 2015. 









Thursday, April 13, 2017

The abandoned backlot of Beijing Film Academy

This abandoned backlot of Beijing Film Academy can be found in the heart of Beijing. In the 12-acre site, BFA would film some of China's biggest blockbusters for more than 50 years. Among them, Chinese versions of American westerns and communist propaganda films.

The site combines western and eastern styles, probably as was seen in Shanghai in the 19th and 20th century. Hidden in the backlot, there are are props of warriors and Buddhas left over from older productions. Alleyways lead from more modern hutong scenes into ancient China. 

The studio lot was abandoned about 10 years ago. Some areas have been burned down or have fallen into serious disrepair, while huge lot doors are overgrown with tumbleweeds. 






Monday, April 10, 2017

The abandoned Disney's River Country theme park in Florida


Disney's River Country opened on June 20, 1976  and it was the first water park at Walt Disney World in Florida. Positioned on the shore of Bay Lake, it featured a rustic wilderness theme, complete with rocks and man-made boulders. Using a unique water filtering system and a a half-acre (2,000 m²) sandy bottom,the park featured a natural-looking man-made lagoon. 

During the 80's, Disney's River Country was struck by 3 tragedies. In 1980, an 11-year-old boy was killed by a deadly infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba which is found in warm bodies of fresh water. Then, in 1982 and in 1989 there were two drownings. However, and despite the competition by Disney's two newer and larger parks, Disney's Typhoon Lagoon and Disney's Blizzard Beach, visitor numbers didn't suffer. 

As it did every year, the park closed at the end of the warm-weather season in November 2001, with the expectation that it would reopen in spring of 2002. However, after the September 11 attacks, there was a decline in business across Disney World, with many parks cutting back their hours and many events being cancelled. In April 2002 Walt Disney World announced that River Country might reopen if there is enough demand. Soon, the park fell into disrepair and in 2005 Disney announced that the park will never reopen. It is only the second Disney park to shut down (the other is Discovery Island, which similarly was left to deteriorate rather than be demolished.




SEE ALSO: More abandoned amusement parks and abandoned theme parks around the world // More abandoned places in California // More abandoned places in the United States // LIST OF ALL DESERTED PLACES
For more deserted places, LIKE US on Facebook and FOLLOW US on twitter




(Click here for the full post)








Monday, April 3, 2017

The ruins of Darul Aman Palace of Afghanistan


King Amanullah Khan of Afghanistan (1919 - 1926) was known as a reformer and modernizer of the middle eastern country. During the last years of his reign he envisioned a new capital city, Durul Aman, that would be built about 10 miles (16 kilometers) outside Kabul, and connected with it by railway. 

Darul Aman Palace, that would be used as a future parliament, an imposing neoclassical building, was one of the first to be built on a hilltop, overlooking a flat, dusty valley in the west of Kabul. The palace, however, was left unused for many years after religious conservatives forced Amanullah from power and halted his reforms. 

The palace was gutted by fire in 1969 but was restored and became Afghanistan's Defense Ministry, until it was set on fire again during the Communist coup of 1978. The worst though came during the early 1990's when Mujahideen factions fought for control of Kabul after the end of the Soviet invasion. Heavy shelling by the Mujahideen left the building a gutted ruin. 

After the US led invasion of Afghanistan in 2003, there were plans for restoration of Darul Aman Palace in order to house the country's parliament however no work ever took place. In 2015, a new parliament building was built by the Indian government opposite to Darul Aman Palace.






(Click here for the full post)