It’s hard to imagine famous landmarks like the Taj Mahal or the Kremlin being destroyed by negligence when they’re such important tourism hotspots. Except it already happened to Notre Dame.
Many landmarks are forgotten when governments change, populations migrate, or funds run out. In this way, architectural marvels and monuments to the past are often turned into unrecognizable piles of rubble.
Tourists aren’t deterred by the risk of injury that comes with visiting sites that are half-toppled, rusted over, or even radioactive. Stealing a glimpse of a once beautiful landmark as it inches into nonexistence is an amazing moment. There might not be many more opportunities in a few years.
Here are 20 disturbing photos of these neglected landmarks that can be enjoyed in the safety of your home.
20 Cortijo Jurado - Destroyed By Debt
Plans to bring life back to this haunted house in Spain fell through after its buyers couldn’t pay it off. Now its decay worsens with each year. White paint chips away to reveal the cracked bricks beneath. Through one of its 365 windows, you might even glimpse a ghost.
19 Notre Dame - A Fire Waiting To Happen
Paris’s most beloved church was nearly decimated by the negligence of its caretakers. Before catching fire, its roof was riddled with holes and cracks. Workers could only put a Band-Aid on the church's massive wounds. This pattern of neglect ensured that the church was destined for disaster.
18 Fureai Sekibutsu no Sato - Most Hidden Temple
A collection of 800 Buddhist deities can be found poking their heads over the grass of this Japanese park. Their commissioner, Mutsuo Furukawa, had good intentions. He hoped people would come to his garden and feel at peace. In the years without him, the garden has become anything but peaceful.
17 St Mark's Basilica - Knee Deep In Delays
The highest floodwaters in recent Italian history have begun to eat away at Venice’s most iconic church: St Mark’s Basilica. This catastrophe could’ve been prevented by a dam that’s 4 years overdue. Corruption and mismanagement have kept the project at a standstill while Italy’s treasures begin to disappear.
16 Williamsburg, Virginia - Undead Presidents
This ghastly garden of presidents is located in Williamsburg, Virginia. At one point, it was filled with pristine busts. Then the park closed in 2011 due to a lack of funds and the founding fathers were left to rot. Visitors are still welcome to tour the remains.
15 Angkor Wat - Crumbling Remains In Cambodia's Capital
Massive sandstone faces eye every visitor who approaches this sacred temple complex. Cambodia’s mortals are equally protective of these buildings that honor local Hindu deities. Yet a dependency on tourism has called for compromise. Every year, the structure crumbles more under the weight of 2.6 million pairs of feet.
14 Ganges - Flooded With Garbage
The waters of the Ganges were once crystalline and pure. Now the river acts as a conveyor belt carrying a mix of unwanted trash and poisonous chemicals through India. A huge population makes the issue hard to control. The government is trying but has yet to succeed.
13 Cosson Hall - Stranded On Treasure Island
Treasure Island exists. It’s just not the one you’re thinking of. A sloppy radiation cleanup job has left the San Francisco island abandoned. The Cosson Hall military barracks are emblematic of the wasteland. From any of its graffiti-filled rooms, you can look down onto the garbage at its center.
12 Buzludzha Monument - The Future From Forty Years Ago
Inspiration for this Bulgarian memorial came from science fiction. With its sleek halls and UFO-shaped exterior, it was expected to still look modern in a century. It fell into disuse after a decade. Now the fading mosaics that line its walls reflect its fate: obsolescence.
11 Beelitz-Heilstatten - Just Your Average Horror Movie Hospital
This spooky Berlin hospital has hosted some of history’s most notorious villains. Maybe that’s why no one has bothered to renovate it. Things only get worse on the inside. Peeling paint, floors obscured by debris, and underground tunnels add to the atmosphere. It’s an ideal location for paranormal enthusiasts.
10 Maunsell Sea Forts - Metal Islands
Decades after World War II these forts still stand guard over the Thames Estuary, unaware that they’ve been relieved of duty. A return to land strategy made them useless. Rust and missing staircases then made them dangerous to enter. The view from a boat is now the best you can get.
9 Turkish Chateaux - Nearly $27 Million Down The Drain
Turkey’s elite was intended to fill this valley of white castles. When the group building it was bankrupted by $27 million in debt, the project came to an abrupt halt. To be fair, the 300 identical homes were unsettling to begin with. Emptiness only adds to the neighborhood’s creepy atmosphere.
8 Christ of the Abyss - Redeemer Of The Fish
Drop down 50 feet into the waters of San Fruttuoso, and you’ll find the wide arms of this statue waiting to embrace you. Renowned diver Duilio Marcante placed it to honor his friend Dario Gonzatti who had passed away nearby. Now it serves as a refuge for clingy aquatic plants.
7 Pyramid of Tirana - Bogged Down By History
This monument is an uncomfortable eyesore that reminds citizens of a time when Albania was divided. Shattered windows, graffiti, and broken bricks give the false impression that it's on its way out. The government has attempted to demolish it more than once. Yet somehow the pyramid still manages to survive.
6 Sans-Souci Palace - An Earthquake Casualty
Poor maintenance has kept Haiti’s biggest gem buried beneath rubble. The sprawling palace of Sans-Souci was once alive with festivities. Gardens bloomed within its walls and complicated waterworks screamed opulence. After an earthquake reduced it to ruins, there has been little attempt to restore it.
5 Fort Macomb - Reclaimed By Nature
Uncontrollable green growth has already gobbled up most of this Louisiana military fort. The damage done by hurricanes and fires has made attempts to turn it into a tourist site too dangerous. Instead it serves as a backdrop in popular media like Beyonce’s “Lemonade” and True Detective.”
4 Wonderland - The Magic Kingdom Castle But Terrifying
Intended to be a Disney world clone, this castle is more like its evil twin. A project to recreate the entire park in China ended before it architects could even finish covering this building’s skeleton. Now the gray giant and the other incomplete buildings create a disturbing scene in Chenzhuang.
3 Great Barrier Reef - Or What's Left Of It
Vibrant colors come to mind when thinking of the Great Barrier Reef. The reality is a lot grayer. High ocean temperatures leave the coral scorched. Slimy algae then come in to finish the job. This far into the species' extinction, scientists believe that only 10% can be saved.
2 Buran Hangar - Reusable Spacecraft Used Just Once
The Buran shuttle was retired in 1988 after its one and only flight. Government funds shrunk, and the project was cut. Though this hangar has been forgotten by its backers, it’s impossible to miss. Its 300 ft tall launchpad marks its location in the middle of a barren Kazakh desert.
1 El Hotel del Salto - Cliffside Hotel of Horrors
With moss-covered roofs and an exterior coated in muck, the Colombian hotel was avoided for decades. Recently, it was acquired and transformed into a gleaming, white museum. Now it serves as an example of how neglected landmarks can be returned to their former glory with a little love.