9 Beautiful Abandoned Places

Whether their eerie solitude was caused by economic decline, environmental factors, or simply human indifference, these images of untouched, beautiful spaces are fascinating.

1. Chemin de fer de Petite Ceinture, France

Also known as the “little belt railway,” it was a circular railway system built in 1852 to supply Paris’ fortifications. When the city outgrew its defenses, the railway system went with it as well.

---

2. Disney’s Discovery Island – Lake Buena Vista, Florida

It used to be a wildlife attraction in the heart of Disney World, and was rumored to contain bacteria capable of killing humans in the water, therefore closing it down for good.

---

3. El Hotel del Salto – Columbia

The hotel was built in 1928 for wealthy visitors by the Tequendama Falls. But the waterfall was eventually contaminated, causing people to lose interest and led to the hotel’s abandonment.

---

4. Floating Forest – Sydney, Australia

Aside from the skies being extremely breathtaking, the idea of a forest on a ship is so magical or unreal.

 

---

5. Methodist Church – Gary, Indiana

The city was found in 1905 during the boom of US steel, when more than 200,000 people worked in the busy city. But when the manufacturing sector decline, so did half the city.

---

6. Staircase to nowhere – Pismo Beach, California

Who could deny a beautiful Southern California sunset at the beach? Once being the gateway to the beach, the staircase has been rotting away.

---

7. Poveglia Island – Italy

What looks like a piece of heaven, was actually an island for plague victims and then an asylum.

---

8. Titanic Wreck

The Titanic’s first and last voyage was in April, 1912, and the ship wasn’t discovered until 73 years later. The ocean washed away the 1,500 lives lost, and left nothing but a ghost ship.

---

9. Turquoise Canal – Venice, Italy