In April 1986 a meltdown at the nuclear plant in Chornobyl caused a widespread disaster. Whole towns and cities were evacuated including the town of Pripyat in Ukraine. This was to try and stop the residents from being exposed to dangerously high levels of radiation.
It will be many years before people will be able to return to these parts. In the meantime, it just makes us think of what a post-apocalyptic world might be like.
City Hall Station – New York City, New York
This beautiful station is located in the heart of New York City and was designed by Rafael Guastavino, whose distinctive arched tiled designs also featured in Grand Central Station and the US Supreme Court. Unfortunately, because the station was only receiving an average of 600 passengers a day, it was decided that in 1945 it should close.
Today it is used as a location for film sets but hopes it might one day be restored to a working train station a fading.
Holy Land USA – Waterbury, Connecticut
The Holy Land park, which was designed by taking inspiration from various biblical passages, used to be a favorite theme park. In its prime, between the 1960s and 1970s, it used to welcome up to 40,000 visitors a year.
The park was eventually closed in 1984, but the grounds are still maintained, so it doesn’t feel as spooky as some of the other abandoned places on our list.
Abandoned Castle In Ireland Built in 1586
This is McDermott’s Castle, which is situated in County Roscommon, a small island, given the apt name of Castle Island which is located on the southwest corner of Lough Key in Ireland. The original castle was built by the Mac Diarmada dynasty in 1184, but it was destroyed when the castle was struck by lightning which caused a considerable fire resulting in the castle being completely destroyed.
The castle was rebuilt in 1586 but came under siege, and Cormack McDermott was forced to surrender fleeing from the area and leaving the castle abandoned. In 2014 the castle appeared in an episode of Moone Bay and in 2018 was put up for sale for £80,000, which is approximately $102,000.
St. Joseph Frozen Lighthouse on Lake Michigan
This doesn’t look as though it can be real but instead was imagined by an illustrator at Disney. Amazingly, this incredible ice sculpture sits on the banks of Lake Michigan, looking more like an ice castle than a frozen lighthouse.
The St. Joseph Lighthouse became completely covered in ice when temperatures dropped to an incredible -34C in December 2016. Weather warnings at the time stated that just 10 minutes outside in these conditions would cause frostbite. This looks like a bad case of frostbite for this lighthouse!