8 Ghost Towns Around The World To Visit For A Glimpse Into The Bygone Era

1. Pripyat, Ukraine

[{"selector":"#anim-65da7ee3-b7a7-4f87-b62f-da1a02d1d929","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-6b9d71c5-6c93-4178-a5e6-963fb261f066","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 571.23557%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] The most infamous ghost town, abandoned after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, frozen in time with Soviet-era buildings and amusement parks. Credits: Unsplash

2. Kolmanskop, Namibia

[{"selector":"#anim-ba253742-f775-407a-8be4-876475d7990e","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-2044551e-5786-4390-a58c-2ac595c0df3a","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 707.15196%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] A once-thriving diamond mining town in the Namib Desert, now slowly being reclaimed by shifting sands that engulf its elegant German colonial architecture. Credits: Unsplash

3. Gunkanjima, Japan

[{"selector":"#anim-6b9a8134-f6c2-4326-b400-a04c003a4abb","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-dbeb05be-8039-4be1-8893-d64aae9b746a","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 476.55298%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] A former coal mining complex near Nagasaki, this tiny island was once the most densely populated place on Earth before being completely abandoned in 1974. Credits: Unsplash

4. Bodie, USA

[{"selector":"#anim-259a2b3c-3836-4904-8dea-7a3628ebc68e","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a2b2f0e3-21fe-4b2a-8cd1-f21283714596","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 699.10603%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] A perfectly preserved gold rush town in the Sierra Nevada mountains, maintained in a state of "arrested decay" by California State Parks. Credits: Unsplash

5. Oradour-sur-Glane, France

[{"selector":"#anim-9569f296-59a5-4d4e-b6a3-332f2939a327","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-51cd9a0c-cbcc-45fb-8991-12a2bebd69c4","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 560.02067%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] A village deliberately left untouched since a horrific Nazi massacre in 1944, serving as a permanent memorial to the victims of World War II. Credits: Unsplash

6. Craco, Italy

[{"selector":"#anim-1e2cd463-36e2-4ea8-9ae1-dada6e97c9b4","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-96e43523-2948-4a93-83b5-321152bc3103","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 582.45054%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] A medieval hillside town in southern Italy abandoned due to recurring landslides and geological instability, creating a hauntingly beautiful landscape. Credits: Unsplash

7. Varosha, Cyprus

[{"selector":"#anim-d52f3e76-58f1-4ead-aa5c-9de575cf1262","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-20f44e4f-9e66-4db0-a0e2-7eb4f37b55d8","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 710.60026%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] A once-bustling tourist district in Famagusta, sealed off since the Turkish invasion of 1974 and left completely uninhabited for decades. Credits: Unsplash

8. Centralia, USA

[{"selector":"#anim-4954e304-cd92-4b08-bfe7-5df03af854b7","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4836dc9c-6f56-4b3d-bb2c-ceb8041eab8b","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 707.15196%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] An abandoned coal mining town rendered uninhabitable by an underground coal fire that has been burning continuously since 1962. Credits: Unsplash

[{"selector":"#anim-7e14b3b7-0546-4c4d-a01e-f80a864e79a3","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f93c25d3-e13b-405f-ba26-34791869e07b","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 1278.44526%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Would you want to visit any of these places? Credits: Unsplash