Deserted Places

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Rio's Maracana Stadium, left deserted after the Olympics

Rio de Janeiro's iconic Maracanã Stadium has a very long history dating back to 1950. That was when it was inaugurated to host the 1950 World Cup where Brazil was beaten 2-0 from Uruguay. The total attendance of that game was 199,854, making it the world's largest stadium.

In the following decades, Maracana hosted football matches between the major football clubs in Rio, domestic football cup finals, concerts, and sporting events, including the final round of 1989 Copa América, the 2007 Pan American Games, the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Although it was inaugurated in 1950, Maracana's construction didn't officially finish before 1965. In 1992, after the collapse of an upper stand during a football match which resulted in the death of 3 spectators, Maracana's capacity was greatly reduced and it was converted into an all-seater stadium. Another renovation in 2000 increased its capacity to 103,000, while a renovation that kept the stadium closed between 2005-2006 reduced it to 87,000.

Another major and costly reconstruction, which included the construction of a new roof, was launched in 2010 to prepare the stadium for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics.

After the Olympics, Maracana has remained empty and unused, as clubs and authorities argue over who should manage it. Although it is owned by the Rio de Janeiro's state government, officials have stopped paying for maintenance and security as the government has been hit hard by Brazil's deep economic crisis. According to media reports and photos, Maracana stadium has been looted and even cables have been stolen.

Maracana Stadium is the latest victim of the Olympics curse, with sport venues and facilities left abandoned after a city hosts the Olympic Games.

Guito Moreto/Agencia o Globo/thesun.co.uk

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Monday, August 8, 2016

Inside the abandoned Nazi Olympic village of Berlin

The 1936 Berlin Olympics hosted in Nazi Germany was home to the first permanent Olympic village in history, which today is the oldest one to be partially still standing.

Built in Wustermark, in the west edge of Berlin, the Olympic village hosted about 4,000 athletes from all over the world, guarded by men in Nazi uniforms. The athletes were impressed by the village, as each house had its own steward and there had never been a swimming pool before at an Olympic village.

Inside the "Restaurant of the Nations", the main eating hall, the athletes consumed 100 cows, 91 pigs, over 650 lambs, 8,000lb of coffee, 150,000lb of vegetables and 160,000 pints of milk during the 3 weeks of the Games. However, no alcohol was not served as Hitler himself was a teetotaler.

After the Olympics, the Olympic village became a hospital during World War II and with the fall of Nazi Germany it was captured by Soviet troops. The Soviets used it as a base for SMERSH torturers and KGB interrogators. Inside the main amphitheater a drawing of Russian revolutionary leader Vladimir Lenin overlooks the room where functions and cultural shows were held.

When the Soviets forces abandoned it in 1992, only 25 of the 145 original buildings of the Olympic village were still standing - including the crumbling swimming pool, gym, theater and dining hall. For the next 20 years the village fell in disrepair with most Germans ignoring it due to its connection with Nazism.

Its new owner however, DKB Bank, decided to restore it as an exhibition space. One part that was restored first was the original room of black American athlete Jesse Owens -No 5, in block 39- who became the star of the Games when he won 4 gold medals in front of Hitler, a man that considered him inferior because of his color.

John MacDougall/ AFP/francetvinfo.fr

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Roger Allen/dailymail.co.uk

Monday, August 1, 2016

Beijing's abandoned Olympic venues

To host the 2008 Summer Olympics, China constructed 12 new venues as well as eight temporary ones. Although Beijing received international accolades for its new architectural icons, many venues fell in disrepair after the games as there were no plans for future use.

The largest venue, Beijing's Olympic Stadium, known as 'Bird's nest' costed $471 million to be built which might take China 30 years to pay off. Even though there are plans for it to be used for the 2022 Winter Olympics, again hosted in Beijing, it hasn't been used much since the Olympics. Meanwhile, the Water Cube, as Beijing National Aquatics Center was nicknamed, lost about $1 million in 2011 even after public financial assistance and the addition of a water park.

At the same time, many other venues, like those for kayaking, beach volleyball, BMX, and baseball have been sitting untouched since 2008. In photos, taken the years after the Games, signage and landscaping appear to have gone without maintenance since the closing ceremonies.

Beijing followed in the footsteps of other Olympic cities like Athens and Sochi where sport venues have remained abandoned following the games due to lack of planning.

SEE ALSO: More abandoned Olympic venues around the world // More abandoned sport facilities // More abandoned places in China // LIST OF ALL DESERTED PLACES

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REUTERS/David Gray

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Inside Washington Coliseum, where the Beatles gave their first concert in the US

Washington Coliseum is widely known as the venue where the Beatles gave their first concert in the United States. In its 75 years of history it has hosted a wide array of performances and athletic events, including ice skating, martial arts, ballet, music, circuses, and speeches until it then became a jail, a waste management facility and a parking lot.

Washington Coliseum opened in February 1941, as Uline Ice Arena built by Miguel L. "Uncle Mike" Uline for his hockey team, the Washington Lions. The first act was Sonja Henie's Hollywood Ice Revue while one of its first events was a pro-America rally designed to promote U.S. entry in World War II, just weeks before Pearl Harbor.

The arena was renamed Washington Coliseum in 1960 after it was bought by jewelry wholesaler Harry G. Lynn. It then became the basketball court for Washington Capitols where Earl Lloyd became the first African American athlete to play in the NBA.

In 1964 the Beatles gave their first concert in the US, less than 48 hours after their historic appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. 8,092 fans attended the event with the Beatles playing for approximately 40 minutes. Concerts in the arena were banned in 1967 after a riot during a performance by The Temptations.

Between 1969-1970 Washington Coliseum hosted a sport event for the last time, becoming the home of Washington Caps. In 1971 it was briefly turned into a makeshift jail for up to 1200 male and female prisoners arrested during the 1971 May Day Protests against the war in Vietnam.

From 1994 to 2003 the Washington Coliseum served as a trash transfer station by Waste Management, the company that handles trash disposal for the District of Columbia. Then, Waste Management applied for its demolition, however in 2007 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 2015, Outdoor retailer REI announced that Washngton Coliseum will be redeveloped and will be turned into their fifth flagship store with additional office and retail space for other businesses.

Jennifer L. Reid/urbanghostsmedia.org

SEE ALSO: More abandoned arenas and theaters around the world // More abandoned sports facilities // More abandoned places in the United States // LIST OF ALL DESERTED PLACES
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Aaron DeNu/urbanghostsmedia.org

Monday, April 25, 2016

The abandoned Durham City Baths and Washhouses

The Durham City Baths and Washhouses in the city of North East England city of Durham opened in 1932 to replace an older peat-floored swimming pool that turned water into mud. The main pool measured 75 feet by 30 feet (23 by 9 meters), large enough to accommodate competitions by the Amateur Swimming Association.

The heat from the pool would be diverted to hot drying rooms and women would supplement their income by washing and drying other people's clothes. The hall was enhanced with plaster decorations of bulrushes and water lilies on the arch-ribbed roof. The balcony was supported by a pair of sandstone columns in the form of lotus buds, at either end of the pool.

The Durham City Baths stayed open until July 2008, after remaining in a desolate state during the final years. There were plans to demolish the building to make way for a housing development however those plans fell through. The Baths remained abandoned with urban explorers being the only visitors.

SEE ALSO: More abandoned swimming pools // More abandoned sport facilities around the world // More abandoned places in the United Kingdom // LIST OF ALL DESERTED PLACES
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Monday, April 18, 2016

The deserted North Wilkesboro Speedway

The North Wilkesboro Speedway opened in 1947 and for the next 5 decades it hosted races for NASCAR's top three series. Located 4 miles (6.4 km) east of the town of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, it carried a reputation as one of the fastest short-tracks in auto racing in the late 1940s and 1950s. The truck was also where the first NASCAR champion, Robert "Red" Byron, was crowned.

Through the 1960s and 1970s the NASCAR Grand National Series began focusing toward bigger, faster and longer tracks. To keep the facility modern, Speedway's owners built a garage facility within the truck and added new chairs for the audience. In 1964 the track was repaved however the lack of traction caused many crashes.

By the 1980's it was more obvious that the track was lagging behind other speedways on the NASCAR circuit with the attendance being the lowest. The track was closed after the fall race of 1996 and North Wilkesboro's spring date was moved to the new Texas Motor Speedway.

In 2005, Save The Speedway group was founded aiming to bring races back to the Speedway. Although the owners agreed to sell the circuit for $12 million, the Speedway wasn't sold. The Speedway was reopened in 2010 and briefly played host to several Stock Car series before closing again in the spring of 2011. Since then, it remains empty.

Jeremy Markovich/flickr.com

SEE ALSO: More abandoned sport facilities around the world // More abandoned places in North Carolina // More abandoned places in the United States // LIST OF ALL DESERTED PLACES
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Monday, March 21, 2016

The abandoned Devils Nest ski resort in Nebraska

Micheal Peterson/flickr.com

The abandoned Devils Nest ski resort can be found in Knox County of northeast Nebraska. It opened in 1972 and it was supposed to become part of a $100 luxury development which included a 25-story hotel and luxury homes. It met some success at first with skiers flocking from as far away as Omaha and Lincoln to try the dozen slopes. By that time, eight houses plus an equestrian center and a yacht club had been built.

Just two years later though the Devils Nest Development Co. was dissolved by the Nebraska Secretary of State for nonpayment of corporate occupation taxes. The developers blamed poor lot sales and the declining economic climate and banks foreclosed the property in 1975. In 1977 the property was sold at auction to satisfy judgments.

Today, just rusty cables and decaying chairs remain amongst the cottonwoods and evergreens in the land where Jesse James and other wild west outlaws used to hide from the law.

Source

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Monday, December 14, 2015

Deserted places around crisis-hit Greece

Starting in 2009, the Greek debt crisis and the subsequent policies of austerity, have taken their toll all over Greece. Unemployment and homelessness have soared, while state-provided health, education and welfare services have deteriorated.

Even though the country's de-industrialization began back in the 1980s, the economic crisis was the last nail in the coffin for Greece's factories. Many of them went bankrupt while other were moved to neighboring countries with growing economies and lower wages.

The country is now dotted with the hulks of formerly flourishing factories that for decades churned out wealth for their owners and provided a sure if modest livelihood for multitudes of workers.

Some of the plants are guarded by former staff, others padlocked or open to anyone prepared to dirty a pair of trousers. Inside are the relics of their former activity: Piles of wine bottles, stacks of crockery, idle machinery. Scattered among them are the imprints of the people who worked there — rotting boots and gloves, personnel files, dust-infused jackets left hanging on nails and never reclaimed.

The crisis, combined with political incompetence, was also the main reason why other infrastructure, such as the former Athens airport or the former Olympic Games sites remained deserted and weren't put to use for years.

Associated Press photographer Petros Giannakouris travelled around Greece to capture those abandoned places.