1. Buzludzha Monument, Bulgaria
This bizarre flying-saucer-shaped monument was built in 1981 to commemorate secret socialist meetings that were the precursor to the Bulgarian Communist Party. It is no longer maintained by the government and has been abandoned since 1989. It now stands as a relic of the angular, concrete architecture that defined the Soviet aesthetic.
2. Skellig Michael, Ireland
Photo: Klickpunktsport/Shutterstock
Fans of the Star Wars film Episode VII “The Force Awakens” and Episode VIII “The Last Jedi” will immediately recognize this site. A Unesco World Heritage site, the remote monastic settlement dating all the way back to the sixth century has been abandoned since the 13th century when the monks relocated to the mainland of Ireland. Inhabited for hundreds of years, the island is still home to a number of well-preserved beehive-shaped huts, two oratories, a church, stone terraces, stone steps, and more — but there’s no Luke Skywalker in sight.
3. Cape Romano dome homes, Florida
If you’ve ever seen the movie Waterworld, these domes off the coast of Florida should strike a cinematic note. The Cape Romano Dome House is an abandoned house consisting of six separate domes on stilts, 300 feet off the coast of Cape Romano Island. It was built in 1981, abandoned in 1992, has no landing or docking facilities, and currently sits abandoned.
4.Kalavantin Durg, India
According to legend, this 530 BC fort was built around the time of Buddha for a queen named Kalavantin, but this has never been confirmed. The steps leading up to the fort-like cave (which sits at an elevation of 2,300 feet) were cut into the rock of the hill. You can see for miles from the top of the fort. It’s a popular hiking destination, as long as you’re prepared for a steep climb.
5.Buffalo Central Terminal, Buffalo, New York
This old train station is worth a visit, just don’t expect to catch a train here. The Buffalo Central Terminal is a 17-story art deco building that was Buffalo’s main railway terminal for 50 years before it finally closed in 1979. In 1997, after years of abuse, the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation purchased the derelict building and is currently in the process of restoring it.
6.Oradour-sur-Glane, France
This town in France looks exactly as it did after it was devastated in 1944. During the war, German soldiers mistakenly surrounded this small French town, meaning to instead target nearby Oradour-sur-Vayres, where Resistance fighters were located. 642 of the village’s residents were massacred in punishment for the French resistance members, and the village was destroyed. It has stood empty since then, its ruins have remained, and the place serves as a memorial to those who died that day.
7.Talisay Mansion, Talisay City, Philippines
At first glance, this enormous mansion in Talisay City, Philippines, looks like a dream home — before you realize it has no roof and hardly any walls. The story goes that the mansion was built by a sugar baron in honor of his dead wife in the early 1900s. In World War II, Filipino guerillas employed by the US Army set the building on fire. It burned for several days and sat empty for a long time after that, and it’s been preserved in its ruined state as a tourist attraction.
9.Whittingham Asylum, Lancashire, England
There are few places more chilling than old asylums. While we partly have horror movies to thank for that, we also have genuinely creepy places like the Whittingham Asylum, which was once the largest mental institution in the UK. Opened in 1973, the asylum was built to treat those with mental illness but also treated soldiers during WWI and WWII. The asylum finally closed in 1995 after allegations of abuse against patients. The site is currently closed, and many of the original buildings have been torn down.
