The popularity of excursions to unusual places is growing every day. And one of the most popular tours is travel to cities that were once inhabited by thousands of residents, but today you cannot find a single one on the streets. Such settlements are called "ghost towns". Some of them were abandoned due to objective circumstances, and some became forbidden territory due to serious environmental disasters. In any case, ghost towns attract a lot of extreme lovers and unusual visits, looking out with empty eye sockets for numerous houses of potential visitors.
These cities will never return to their former life, children's laughter will never sound on their streets, and couples in love will stroll in the parks. Abandoned cities will only forever remain in the hearts of those who were once enlisted in the ranks of their inhabitants. And every year there are fewer and fewer people among us who remember their former place of residence. Let's go together for a walk through the most popular ghost towns that can still be visited, walk together through deserted streets and look into abandoned dwellings, in which only the wind has lived for so many years.
Echoes of Chernobyl
Our generation will shudder for a long time from the mere memory of the monstrous catastrophe that happened at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The Chernobyl accident, striking the imagination with its grave consequences, became the only factor that made the town of Pripyat, once fading in the greenery, a white dot on the map of Ukraine. Today Pripyat is one of the most desirable places for extreme lovers.
Many tourists from Russia and abroad are ready to spend a lot of money to see with their own eyes what remains of the city, to stroll through the deserted quarters and take pictures against the background of sentimental landscapes. But access to the ghost town is now limited. Despite the fact that almost a third of a century has passed since the day of the disaster, being in a zone affected by radiation, even today, is dangerous to health. Therefore, there is practically no hope that the city may at least someday return to its former life.
Kadykchan, Khalmer-Yu and Pyramid
Even many residents of Russia have never heard of such settlements as Kadykchan, Khalmer-Yu and Pyramida. Each of these small settlements has passed a considerable historical path. Nevertheless, the settlements annually host dozens, if not hundreds, of lovers of antiquities and everything unusual. Kadykchan is located in the Magadan region. It was an ordinary workers' settlement. Those who were employed in the coal mine lived here. The settlement was built by prisoners during the war years. The population lived its own life until the very moment, until in 1966 a tragedy struck at one of the mines, which claimed the lives of seven miners. By the decision of the authorities, the resettlement of all residents of the village began, and so that no one returned, all private houses were burned to the ground. It is interesting that in 2010 there were still two indigenous people in Kadykchan who flatly refused to leave their homes. And after a couple of years, only one old man and two of his dogs survived here.
The second settlement - Khalmer-Yu - is also located on the territory of the Russian Federation, but already in the Komi Republic. The name itself, which in translation from the local dialect sounds like "dead river" in many ways became a harbinger of the sad fate of the settlement. Like his “fellow in misfortune” Kadykchan, Khalmer-Yu was also located in the area of the mine and was intended for miners and his families. But there were no disasters or accidents here. The village existed until 1993, when the government of the already independent Russia considered that the existence of the village was no longer justified. And after the closure of the mine, this village was also empty. Residents, for whom the only place of income was the mine, hastily left their homes. Although, there were some incidents, for the solution of which they even had to resort to the services of riot police.
Today, according to official information, the former working settlement has been reformatted into a real military training ground.
And the third village, which has a similar history, is Pyramid, which is located on the island of West Spitsbergen. This is also a mining settlement that boasts a more loyal fate. For example, the village was officially considered inhabited until 1998, while the miners continued to extract the precious fuel. By the way, the mine located in the village of Pyramida was considered the northernmost on the planet until it was closed. The main reasons for the closure of the mine were: high production costs and depleting coal reserves. Despite the closure of the mine, the village is still inhabited by people. True, all residents can be counted on the fingers of both hands. But tourists are always welcome here. And the research base has been preserved in a decent form, which allows us to engage in the necessary scientific delights.
Centralia - Silent Hill
The very mention of the fictional town of Silent Hill is terrifying. Of course, in fact, this city does not exist, but its prototype called Centralia is located in the US state of Pennsylvania. The main guess that contributed to the devastation of the houses of the town and its environs is an underground fire that began half a century ago. It is surprising that the usual set fire to unnecessary garbage led to a real disaster. The underground deposits of debris turned out to be so large that it has not been possible to extinguish the fire to this day. Or maybe the city streets are "heated" by some unprecedented force? Be that as it may, and the population, the number of which does not exceed 10 people, gives the right to call Centralia a real ghost town.
Berlin in the USA
Another ghost town is located in the United States. And the name of this eerie settlement does not evoke American thoughts at all. The city of Berlin is one of the settlements of the state of Nevada. Mixed feelings of delight and surprise begin to visit the heads of tourists who are here, still on the way. For example, the emblem of the city depicts an impressive size ichthyosaur. It would seem, what does this ancient inhabitant of the seas and oceans have to do with a small human settlement? But a little "digging" in the history of Pennsylvania, it turns out that in the place of Berlin, long before the appearance of the first people, there was an ancient ocean, and its depths were guarded by the most real monsters, the progenitors of modern reptiles.
Even today, skeletons of marine life can be found, the bones of which are generously strewn with the Pennsylvanian lands within the boundaries of this small town. But the wealth of American Berlin is not limited to these finds. According to official sources, large reserves of silver were discovered here in 1863. That is why the stone houses of the first settlers of Berlin grew on the once deserted lands.
The city has never been famous for its huge number of inhabitants. At the end of the 19th century, no more than 300 people lived in local houses, and the last desperate silver finder left his home in 1911, immediately after the outbreak of the crisis in the United States. Unlike many other abandoned settlements, the town of Berlin, Pennsylvania, has not gone unnoticed by the authorities. Soon, given the abundance of the bones of prehistoric monsters, and also due to the enormous popularity of the city among the seekers of antiquities, in 1970 most of the city was set aside for the National Park. Therefore, even today, many thrill-seekers do not neglect the opportunity to stroll around the glorious town and take memorable photographs.
Humberston and Sewell in Chile
The Latin American country of Chile also has something to offer fans of unusual attractions. It is here that two towns are located at once, which have recently become deserted, but at the same time have taken a worthy place among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We are talking about the towns of Humberston and Sewell. The first settlement appeared in the middle of the Atacama Desert in the north of the country. And again, the discovered deposits of nitrate, which it was decided to extract, became the main catalyst for the appearance of the first dwellings. The saltstone mining enterprise was the only source of income for the Chileans living here. Therefore, when the enterprise stopped working (at the end of the 50s of the last century), the former employees had no choice but to go in search of a better life. A few years later, the city was completely deserted, adding to the list of the most popular ghost towns for unusual excursions. In order to somehow protect the settlement from hunters for antiquities, it was decided to take the city under global protection.
If the first Chilean ghost town was located in the middle of the desert, then its "brother" Sewell was built high in the Andes. At the same time, it was no exception, and was created to ensure the functioning of a copper mining enterprise. But the amazing facts about this unusual settlement will be enough for more than one story. For example, all of Sewell's buildings are made entirely of wood and even today retain the remains of the bright paint. And the town owes its name to the first head of the company, which owned the rights to mining copper. The largest copper mine in the world contributed to the fact that the population of the city already in 1918 exceeded the mark of 14 thousand people. But already in the 70s of the last century, the reserves of copper were exhausted, and the need for the maintenance of the town and its inhabitants disappeared. Soon no one could be found on the streets of Sewell.
Kolmanskop in Namibia
This deserted town is located in another desert - Namib. This small settlement, just like the ones mentioned above, has become another victim of the so-called "race for minerals". Still would! Indeed, among the millions of tons of sand in 1908, seekers discovered considerable reserves of diamonds! Well, then the life of the city began to develop according to the well-known scenario for many cities that "stand" on precious deposits. Beautiful houses, schools, an excellent hospital and much more that are necessary for a fulfilling life have appeared here in a matter of months.
But as soon as the diamond deposits dried up, residents had to look for new places to live and earn money. Therefore, the sand-covered town today is of interest only to a few fans of unusual excursions. Local authorities are trying with all their might to maintain houses and streets in a tolerable condition, earning good money on numerous tourist visits. Such is the unfulfilled hope of people for a quick enrichment. Kolmanskop is another striking confirmation of how important a constant source of income is for the life of a settlement.
Oradour-sur-Glane in France
Another prominent representative of ghost settlements that are gaining popularity among exotic lovers is the small village of Oradour-sur-Glane, which is located in one of the French provinces. The village boasts a considerable number of sad pages of its history. For example, during the Second World War, it was almost completely destroyed by Hitler's troops.
The Nazis gathered all the inhabitants of the village and staged a brutal reprisal against them: women and children were burned alive in the church, and men with their legs shot in advance were doused with fuel and burned right on the square. As it turned out, out of 451 residents, only six managed to survive. Even today, a visit to such a tragic place brings only sad memories. The French authorities decided not to restore the village, leaving it in the form in which it was remembered by all residents on that fateful morning.
San Chi
San Chi is the name of a Thai resort that was built in the 70s of the last century. The main attraction of the town is its futuristic-style houses. But with the onset of the crisis, the development of the massif was never completed. The dismantling of buildings began, which was accompanied by the mass death of workers. The superstitious Chinese decided to leave this unusual settlement in the form in which it appears before us today.
