Monday, December 28, 2015

15 Deserted Places we discovered in 2015

As 2015 draws to a close (how fast was that?), it's time to remember the 15 best posts of the year. Again, some of those were the most visited by you, while other, my personal favorites.   

While for most of this year posts on our blog were scarce, we want 2016 to be the year we'll discover more deserted places than ever before. I'll try to have at least 1 or 2 new posts for every week of the year. 

Something else 2016 will bring, starting with our first post of the year next week, will be Google maps links for as many deserted places as possible. Moreover, another old promise of mine will become reality: a catalog of every deserted place we've published, arranged by location.

I would like to thank all of you for visiting this blog, for commenting on our posts and sharing them with your friends online. 

If you don't want to miss any post, you can always follow us on twitter or like us on facebook.

Finally, I'd like to wish a happy and healthy 2016 for each and every one of you!

See you around,

'The most beautiful subway station in the world' is one of New York's ghost stations. City Hall station, featuring Guastavino tile, skylights, colored glass tilework and brass chandeliers has been closed since 1945. They don't make them like that anymore. (More photos)




From Manhattan we move to Brooklyn where the Domino Sugar Refinery was the biggest sugar refinery in the world when it opened in 1882. It finally shut down in 2004 after 148 years of operation and it's a must-see if you're into abandoned industrial buildings. (More photos)

The ghost town of Kayakoy used to be a prosperous village during the second half of the 19th century. Greeks and Turks lived peacefully next to each other but it all changed after 1922. The Greek population was expelled and Kayakoy was abandoned. (More photos)

As many dictators often do, Benito Mussolini built several underground bankers underneath Rome to protect himself as well as other party leaders. This one was built under his Villa Torlonia residence and this year opened to the public for the first time. (More photos)

Keranis used to be the biggest Greek tobacco company. Its Athens factory would produce more than 2.5 million cigarettes per shift. The business went into serious decline in the 1990's and the factory was shut down around the turn of the century. (More photos)



6. The Woodward Avenue Presbyterian Church in Detroit
Detroit couldn't be left out from this list! Woodward Avenue Presbyterian Church was built in 1911 and by 1921 it reached over 2,200 members. Since then, it started losing members and finally closed down in 2005 with the death of its last pastor. (More photos)


7. The abandoned Kilchurn Castle in Scotland
Perhaps the most picturesque location of them all. Kilchurn Castle saw different uses since it was built during the Middle Ages. Tower house for lords, army barracks and prison, the Castle was abandoned in 1760 when it was badly damaged by lightning. (More photos)



8. The deserted Giersdorf Church in Poland
Once called 'the Pearl of Żeliszó', Giersdorf Church was designed by the architect of Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. The church was deserted and fell in disrepair after Żeliszów became a part of Poland. (More photos)



9. The Mexican Island of the Dolls
Certainly the creepiest post of the year. This artificial island close to Mexico City is known because its late owner would hang old dolls from its trees as a way to show respect to the spirit of a girl he couldn't save from drοwning years earlier. According to him, the dolls are possessed by the spirits of dead girls and they come to life every night walking around the island. (More photos 



10. The romantic 'Tunnel of Love' in Ukraine
Nothing creepy here! Ukraine's 'Tunnel of Love' is formed by arch-shaped branches of trees. You'll often see couples in love walking across the 3 km (1.8 miles) tunnel. (More photos)

11. Cleveland's old aquarium
Cleveland's old aquarium opened in 1953 and its exhibits included sharks, swordfish, seahorses, eels, squid, octopus, coral, and red-bellied piranhas. In the 70's though it started experiencing financial difficulties and finally ceased operations in 1986. (More photos)



12. Follow the yellow brick road of the abandoned Land of Oz theme park
In the 1970s, everyone wanted to visit the Land of Oz theme park in Beech Mountain, North Carolina and it looks that not much have changed since. These days, the abandoned theme park opens for only one weekend per year. The pricey tickets are sold out months in advance. (More photos)



13. Inside the abandoned Silverdome
Silverdome's story is one of glory, corporate greed, political incompetence and waste. The former home of Detroit Lions used to be the largest stadium in the NFL, perhaps too big for its own good. In 2009 it was sold for a mere $583,000 however it remains abandoned to this day. (More photos)



14. An abandoned Chinese fishing village, overtaken by nature
This abandoned fishing village on Gooqi island has been overtaken by nature after left abandoned for more than 50 years. (More photos)


And finally we dive underwater off the coast of Italy where we discover the statue of Christ of the Abyss, a 2.5 meter (8.2 feet) tall sculpture submerged more than 60 years ago. (More photos)



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1 comment:

  1. Fascinating post and I love all the photos. Thank you so much for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

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