29The world is full of awe-inspiring spots that we all long to visit. While there are some that are on our bucket list, there are some that are out of our price range and there are some that sadly, no longer exist. Some of the world’s most toured spots sometimes become suddenly unattainable because natural disasters, attractions close down because of lack of funding and sadly, this leaves these once-popular spots to be deserted. This article will show off 15 spots that were once trendy locations to visit, either recently or in historically, that are today eerily empty.
Aside from spots that have lost popularity, there are some beautiful places that are not explored or known about nearly as much as they should be. This article presents 10 super cool vacation spots that are on the rise to be one of the most popular places to visit in 2019. There are some beautiful locations, beaches and culturally rich cities to see that aren’t bombarded with tourists and would provide a really cool vacation for anyone searching for something a little less conventional! Let’s find out where you’re headed this summer…
25 Deserted - The Crystal Palace, London
The Crystal Palace was a beautiful Victorian-style palace in London, England. The palace originally served to house the Great London Exhibition in 1851. The palace’s architecture was extremely extravagant and became incredibly renowned resulting in what was supposed to be a temporary exhibition becoming permanent.
In 1866 however, a fire took down a large portion of the castle, beginning the castle’s downfall.
In 1911, the palace filed for loss of funds and it began to be emptied. Another fire in 1936, as well as damages caused by WW2, contributed to the castle’s ruin. There have been plans put in place to rebuild this beautiful castle, but it is unclear if this will really happen.
24 Deserted - Varosha, Cyprus
Varosha was once a luxurious resort city in Cyprus full of life and tourists. In 1974, a Turkish invasion, referred to as “operation Atillia”, left this beautiful city abandoned and in ruins.
All 40 000 inhabitants had to flee, leaving behind their belongings.
A book was written by Jo Bunt entitled Daughter of the Winds about this fascinating, yet eerie event in history. To this day, the Turks still hold the land and do not allow anyone to enter, leaving it a totally untouched, ghost town.
23 Deserted - Six Flags Theme Park, New Orleans
There’s nothing quite eerier than an abandoned theme park. The Six Flags Theme Park in New Orleans was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and never recovered.
In 2005, when the hurricane began to form the park was abandoned and was never cleaned up.
The site today is creepy to see, full of still rollercoasters and overgrown vegetation. Having been closed to the public for over 10 years now, this once-fun destination has definitely lost its allure to tourists.
22 Deserted - Maya Hotel, Kobe, Japan
Maya Hotel is a hotel built on top of Mount Maya in Kobe, Japan in 1929. It was a gorgeous building that had a sweeping view of the city below, to which it was connected by a cable car.
The hotel was closed and damaged during WW2 in 1945 and then closed again in 1967 after some serious damages caused by a typhoon.
In 1995, it closed for the last time. The devastating Great Hanshin earthquake forced the building to be closed off to the public as a precaution. The building is still standing all these years later, but is completely in shambles.
21 Deserted - Spreepark, Berlin, Germany
Turns out there are lots of creepily abandoned amusement parks in the world. Spreepark was an entertainment park opened in 1969 in Berlin, Germany. It was the only park of this sort under the German Democratic Republic’s socialist administration, making it a very big deal.
The park was increasingly popular in the 90s, having over 1 million visitors per year.
The site became increasingly costly for visitors, with higher entrance fees being charged. By 1999, the park was indebted and in 2001, they were completely penniless and unable to pay the debts off. The park has been closed ever since, but the attractions still remain.
20 Deserted - Penn Hills Resort, Pennsylvania, US
Penn Hills Resort was a honeymoon resort located in Pennsylvania that was founded in 1944. It expanded to include a ski resort, golf course, ice rink and over 100 rooms. The hotel was very romantic, with heart-shaped bathtubs, round beds and a wedding bell shaped swimming pool.
While it was luxurious in its early phase, it began to decline over the years and eventually closed in 2009. The hotel was already in ruins when it was closed, however it was further damaged by thieves and flooding.
19 Deserted - Bran Castle, Romania
The Bran Castle is a national monument in Romania and a famous landmark. It was a castle that has a rich history in Romania, and many believed it was used in the 15th century to defend against the Ottoman Empire. This huge castle belonged to Romanian kings, however, the Romanians regained possession in 1533.
This castle continued to be an important part of Romania, as in 1922 it became the royal residence. Many tourists visited Romania to see sights of this gorgeous castle. A refurbished version of the castle still stands today but is now used as a museum displaying Queen Marie’s belongings. Tourists still visit this location, however, it is far from what it used to be.
18 Deserted - Sutro Baths, San Francisco
In the late 19th century, Sutro, a German engineer who emigrated to the United States, began purchasing land in San Francisco until he owned 1/12th of the city.
On this land, he built extravagant public gardens, a giant Victorian castle and what he called, “his aquarium,” which was an enormous public bathhouse.
These baths were a major tourist attraction and insanely popular at first, but eventually became too expensive to maintain. In 1966, it burnt down due to suspicious circumstances and was never rebuilt.
17 Deserted - The New York Hippodrome, New York
The New York Hippodrome was a theatre built in New York City in 1905. It was considered the world’s largest theatre to be built at the time and had extremely modern technology, creating the most realistic sets. Unfortunately, in the 20s other theatres were built that came to compete with it.
As movies and Broadway became more popular, the Hippodrome was unable to stay open.
It was vacated in 1939 and later re-opened and used for offices and parking. Sadly, it’s far from attracting any tourists now.
16 Deserted - Pripyat, Ukraine
Pripyat was home to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the 70s. This Ukrainian city was intended to show off Soviet engineering with its powerful nuclear power. It was a large city with 50 000 inhabitants, flocking to live in this prosperous place.
Unfortunately, in 1986, a nuclear disaster occurred, better known as the Chernobyl disaster.
The entire city was evacuated and deemed unliveable, leaving behind a total ghost town. While some companies attempt to offer guided tours still today, you have to be very brave to visit this radiation-filled place.
15 Deserted - Haludovo Palace Hotel, Krk, Croatia
The Haludovo Palace Hotel was a luxurious resort in Krk, Croatia. This resort was built in the 70’s by the founder of Penthouse. It was a project that cost a whopping 45 MILLION dollars.
Tourists came from all over the world to visit this beautiful hotel and casino.
Sadly, war led to the downfall of this hotel. It was used during the Yugoslavian wars to house refugees and was later privately bought by different owners in the 90s. In 2001, the hotel was shut down and abandoned. Its structure still stands, but its interior was demolished, meaning no tourist will be visiting there anytime soon.
14 Deserted - Original Pennsylvania Station, New York
The original Pennsylvania Station opened in 1910 in New York and covered 8 acres of Manhattan land. Its architecture was inspired by the extravagance of Roman buildings and certainly was a sight to see.
It was actually declared to be the largest building in the world, however, unfortunately, the rise of other methods of transportation led to the downfall of this beautiful station.
Unfortunately, the station began to deteriorate due to lack of funding and it was eventually demolished in 1963. The decline of the station is best demonstrated by the measly 200 people that protested its demolition, it certainly wasn’t a big deal at the time of its destruction.
13 Deserted - Original Shakespeare's Globe, London
The Globe Theatre in London is often called the Shakespeare's Globe since Shakespeare's play company built it. The globe was owned by the actors who were shareholders in this company and was built in 1599. The globe put on some of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, like Julius Caesar and Henry V.
The Globe was so popular that it was quickly rebuilt after being destroyed by a fire in 1613. Unfortunately, in 1942, the Globe was closed down, as well all theatres, by the Puritan administration in England and demolished in the following years. In 1997, a modern version of Shakespeare’s globe was built near the original site.
12 Deserted - Salto Hotel, Colombia
The Salto Hotel was an incredibly popular place for visitors touring Bogota. It was a famously luxurious hotel in Colombia, built in 1923. Originally, it served as a mansion for a famous architect, but in 1928 it was expanded and opened as a hotel for travellers.
Sadly, however, this gorgeous building became a very risky place to visit.
The pollution from the Bogota River affected its structure negatively and made it very dangerous to visit. This resulted in a significant decrease in visitors and eventually, the abandonment of the hotel in the 90s. Today, it still stands but is overgrown with vegetation and believed to be haunted.
11 Deserted - Houtouwan, Shengshan Island, China
This deserted location is completely surreal. Houtouwan is a village located on the Shengshan Island in China. It was once a lovely village with 3000 inhabitants, however considering how remote the island was, people eventually began to relocate.
By the year 2002, the island was completely abandoned with no one left to maintain it. The village’s homes still stand, some even still furnished, but are now invaded by overgrown plants. It’s quite a mesmerizing site.
10 Everyone Will Go - Leeuwarden, Netherlands
Leeuwarden is a Dutch city in the Netherlands. In 2018, it was named the European Capital of Culture. This award is sure to attract endless amounts of tourist who want to view all the art, ceramics and museums this city as to offer.
Its architecture is also impressive and has plenty of beautiful buildings to see. It’s an amazing place to stop on a larger European tour. You can always visit the city and then travel to Amsterdam, its next-door neighbour.
9 Everyone Will Go - Sintra, Portugal
Europe is a popular destination among tourists, however the larger, most commonly known cities, like Rome and London. Sintra is a beautiful city in Portugal that will make you feel as though you’ve travelled in a time machine.
It has a large medical castle that looks as though it came out of a fairy tale and a beautiful landscape full of mountains. Pena Palace a colourful castle used as a summer palace by King Ferdinand II. It certainly is a sight to see amongst many in Sintra.
8 Everyone Will Go - Shēnzhèn, China
Shēnzhèn is a Chinese city that has experienced a boom in population and wealth over the last couple of years. Unlike European countries that offer medieval or Victorian-inspired castles, Shēnzhèn appears to be straight out of the future.
Its architecture is impressively modern and it’s filled with museums. It has recently been renowned as the hub for art in China. There’s definitely something for everyone in this city.
7 Everyone Will Go - Kathmandu, Nepal
Kathmandu is a lovely city in Nepal. This is the ultimate go-to location in 2019 for mountain trekkers, considering its proximity to the Himalayan country in which Mount Everest is found. It is also home to the Boudhanath Stupa, a beautiful piece of architecture that plays an important role in the Buddhist religion.
Kathmandu is home to extravagant temples that are a definite sight to be seen, like Pashupatinath Temple and Swayambhunath Temple. This town is only beginning to be popularly recognized by tourists and is a must-see for anyone with a bit of wanderlust.
6 Everyone Will Go - Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen is a city in Denmark that is known for is liveliness. Copenhagen’s unique café culture is something everyone must experience and enjoy at least once in their lifetime. There is so much to see and do in this city, like appreciate the architecture and extravagance of the Christiansborg Palace.
It has impressive museums like The National Gallery of Denmark and the National Museum of Denmark. Portrayed in the image above is Nyhavn Harbor, a harbour with brightly painted houses facing a quaint canal. There's never a dull moment in a city like Copenhagen.