Humans have always excelled at being an unsettled, roving species. It’s only in the last 12,000 years (though historians constantly debate this figure) that we really began to set down permanent roots, eschewing our hunter-gatherer lifestyle and revelling in what was then a very modern invention - agriculture. During those 12,000 years or so, humanity has settled and abandoned on an epic scale, from small villages in Celtic Britain to the ancestors of modern cities across what’s now the Anatolian plains of Turkey. This process continues today, and may question whether, given time, metropolises like New York, London and Hong Kong will suffer a similar fate. The following ghost towns are a glimpse not only of our recent past, but perhaps also our future.
1. Grytviken, South Georgia Island
Images: Hannes Grobe; Lexaxis7; Liam Quinn; cc-sa-3.0
An isolated settlement over a 1,000 miles east of South America, Grytviken, or ‘The Pot Cove’ in Swedish, has enjoyed a chequered history since being established as a whaling station in the early 20th century. Workers utilised every single component of the hunted whales to forge a highly profitable trade, until the station closed in December 1966 due to perilously low whale stocks. After briefly changing hands during the Falklands War, the territory of South Georgia remains in British hands, and tourists to the area can visit Ernest Shackleton’s grave while marvelling at the abandoned tankers, whale oil processing plants and the imposing bones of whales long deceased.
2. Chaitén, Chile
Few abandoned settlements underscore our inferiority in the face of mother nature like the South America ghost town of Chaitén. In our modern, industrialised age, natural disasters are still able to destroy whole communities; when the Chaitén Volcano erupted in May 2008, the entire town was evacuated. But this was only the beginning of a controversial and on-going catastrophe. After the Blanco River flooded the town as a result of the eruption, destroying much of its infrastructure, Chaitén became completely uninhabitable. Despite the efforts of the Chilean government to first rebuild the town 10 km north of its former location, before choosing to repopulate it in its former area, the issue remains unresolved, and the once bustling streets of Chaitén wallow in eerie silence.
3. Berlin, Nevada, USA
Image: Snowfalcon, public domain
Like the gold ore mining town of Bodie (below), Berlin was created as a means of extracting gold, as well as silver, from the potentially lucrative desert plains of the ‘Wild West’. But unlike Bodie, Berlin never experienced a boom period, and burnt itself out totally by 1911, producing only a modest yield worth $850,000 in total, compared to Bodie’s spectacular production of $3,000,000 in 1881 alone. Even so, Berlin is said to have employed approximately 250 workers and their families at its height, and today stands the test of time as a true Nevada ghost town. Its century old cemetery, standing alone in a large plain with its crooked headstones, provides an almost sinister reminder of this deserted town’s very human past.
4. Sewell, Chile
Images: Jorge Felipe Gonzales (website), cc-nc-sa-3.0
As humanity has prospered and industrialised, our thirst for the natural materials which make our modern world possible has intensified. Copper mining was the main industry of Sewell for almost a century. Situated on the Andean slopes over 2,000m high, this once thriving town had over 15,000 residents, a cinema, a fire station, hospital and shops. Sewell’s residents prospered, despite the awkward location of the town (built on a steep mountainside, accessible only by steep staircases). Such an eccentrically located settlement proved fatal, however, when a tragic fire in 1945 killed over 300 residents. After nationalisation in 1971, the mining families were gradually relocated. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2006, Sewell continues to attract visitors eager to explore its unorthodox architecture and abandoned infrastructure.
5. Oradour-sur-Glane, France
The events of June 10, 1944 cemented Oradour-sur-Glane’s place in infamy. A rogue German SS regiment, led by Adolf Diekmann, shot the entire male population of the village, before burning them whilst many were still alive. The women and children were similarly massacred outside the church. In total, 642 innocents lost their lives on that fateful day. Although the village was rebuilt to the northwest of the site of the bloodbath and remains to this day, Charles De Gaulle had initially confirmed after World War Two that the original village was to remain. A chilling ghost town that stood defiant in the face of Nazi occupation, it serves as an enduring and heart-breaking homily to those who lost their lives.
6. Chinguetti, Mauritania
Images: Radoslaw Bote (1, 2); Bildtankstelle.de; Ji-Elle; cc-sa-3.0
Chinguetti illustrates perfectly how a once frenetic trading centre (for the Moorish Empire) can regress into a thinly populated ghost town several centuries later, consumed by the desert, a mere spectre of its former glory. In the 13th century Chinguetti was an integral educational site for the Islamic world, schooling its students not only in religion, but in the sciences, mathematics, law and medicine. Considered by some to be the seventh holiest city in the Muslim world, Michael Palin visited Chinguetti in his ground-breaking series Sahara. Although impressed by its beautifully restored mosque, Palin was struck by how ‘the warren of streets around it is like a ghost town’.
7. Mandu, Madhya Pradesh, India
Images: Varun Shiv Kapur, cc-3.0
Throughout history tales abound of fortresses being warred over incessantly by various armies, but the ruined city of Mandu in central India has seen more battles than most. The ghostly fortress is referenced in a Sanskrit inscription dating back to 555 AD. Continual feuding saw the city change hands between Islamic and Hindu dynasties, reaching its zenith between the 15th and 17th centuries. Today, intrigued visitors marvel at the Jahaz Mehal, a two-storied former harem for the Sultan which is perched between two man-made lakes, so as to make the structure magically appear to float. Meanwhile, a variety of abandoned palaces and archaic mosques built in the Pashtun style continue to beguile visitors year after year.
8. Kayaköy, Fethiye District, Turkey
Images: Darwinek (1, 2, 3), Nikodem Nijaki; Orderinchaos; cc-sa-3.0; Astolath, cc-3.0
Kayaköy is another town ravaged by war, but from a much more recent time. The omens were never encouraging, as the region battled against a huge earthquake in 1856 and a terrible fire in 1885. After the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-1922, Kayaköy’s almost exclusively Greek Christian population of 2,000 was sent back to Greece, leaving the entire area deserted, its dwellings and two Greek Orthodox churches abandoned. Hope remains, however, with some houses redeveloped for modern occupation, although the area retains its hauntingly abandoned quality to this day.
9. Plymouth, Montserrat
Images: R.P. Hoblitt, public domain; Godot13, cc-sa-3.0; Mike Schinkel, cc-3.0
Throughout history humans have been forced to abandon their settlements due to natural disasters. Such occurrences still happen today, as the evacuation of Plymouth demonstrates. In the summer of 1995, the Soufrière Hills Volcano erupted violently, covering the southern region of Montserrat in ash, and decimating Plymouth, the capital and seat of government. The entire settlement is now abandoned and uncompromisingly barren, while the island has lost over half of its population during the last 15 years. It remains to be seen whether the area can ever recover, or whether it will slide slowly into desolation and obscurity. Soufrière Hills, meanwhile, continues to erupt at intervals, terrorising any locals who remain.
10. L’Île-aux-Marins, Saint Pierre and Miquelon
One of the smallest ghost towns in our list, ‘The Island of the Sailors’ is a wild outcrop of rock in the Atlantic Ocean, located off the coast of Newfoundland. At just under a mile long, L’Île-aux-Marins has never attracted a population of more than 200 since it was first settled in 1604. Uninhabited since 1965, despite a few hardy souls establishing a camp in the summer months, the island boasts a number of abandoned fisherman’s houses, a church and a school, as well as an impressive ship’s hull which has attracted numerous photographers over the decades. Guided tours are available, which make apparent the harsh, unforgiving lifestyle endured by the brave, primarily French fishermen who once called this island home.
11. Agdam, Azerbaijan
Images: Joaoleitao; Divot; cc-sa-3.0
A city since the early 19th century that once boasted a population of over 40,000, Agdam today stands crumbling and silent, two decades after it was abandoned during the Nagorno-Karabakh War, a bloody conflict between Armenian and Azerbaijani military forces that lasted six years. Since Agdam’s population fled eastwards to safety in 1993, they have been unable to return, as the area remains an officially recognised buffer zone by the Armenian Government; so don’t set your hopes on a sightseeing tour. Intriguingly, the abandoned city is still represented by a football team in the Azerbaijan Premier League, though one assumes they play their home games at a more hospitable location.
12. Múli, Faroe Islands
Images: Sebastian Anthony, cc-nd-3.0
A visually stunning spot which has previously featured on Urban Ghosts, Múli’s mountainous landscape and spookily peaceful atmosphere make it a quintessential ‘ghost town’. With a rich history dating back to the 13th century, the area only received electricity in 1970 and, despite numerous efforts to reverse the effects of depopulation, today Múli has only four permanent residents. Nonetheless, some former residents still maintain holiday homes which they visit in the summer months - so if you want to truly soak up the remote and secluded mood of Múli, make sure to visit during less inviting times of the year.
13. Bodie, California, USA
Images: photographersnature.com; Thomas.fanghaenel; Chris Willis, cc-3.0; cc-sa-3.0; Francesco Orfei;
pd-pdphoto.org; public domain
pd-pdphoto.org; public domain
Bodie is a superb example of how a once bustling community can resurrect itself and achieve a maintainable afterlife, even once its former residents depart and its industry collapses. Located in California, Bodie was a booming mining town, achieving notoriety in the 1870s due to its particularly profitable gold ore trade. In a classic representation of the ‘Wild West’, countless saloons lined the streets. Bar-room brawls, hold-ups and shoot-outs were regular occurrences, while Bodie’s Chinatown was home to a red light district and prominent Opium trade. But as the gold dried up, miners and their families relocated to other states such as Utah and Arizona. The railway closed in 1917, and the mines were forever abandoned in 1942. Today, 110 buildings remain open to tourists, decorated as they would have been over a century ago and frozen in a state of “arrested decay“. Nearby, the ghostly spectre of a single gold mill lies dormant, a reminder of Bodie’s celebrated though long-gone glory days.
14. Romagnano al Monte, Italy
Another ghost town featured previously on Urban Ghosts, the tale of Romagnano al Monte is a tragic one, littered with death and destruction in the face of mother nature’s supremacy over civilisation. An earthquake measuring 6.89 on the Richter Scale decimated the area on November 23, 1980, taking almost 3,000 lives and rendering the area uninhabitable. All that remains of the imposing hilltop village are its crumbling architecture and empty streets that once hummed with the sounds of life; now, only the hollow echo of awestruck tourists’ footsteps prevents Romagnano al Monte from descending into total silence. (Explore more European ghost towns here.)
15. Bannack, Montana, USA
Images: Nomadic Lass; Raymond Hitchcock; cc-sa-3.0; chippee, cc-3.0
Like several other American ghost towns on our list, Bannack has its roots in the 19th century precious metals boom and, in particular, the gold rush. Named after a local Native American tribe, the Bannocks, the town’s oscillating population reached 10,000 at its peak, even briefly serving as the Montana state capital in 1864. The area is exceptionally remote, reachable only by the Montana Trail, meaning that the community had to be self-sufficient. There were several bakeries, saloons, stores and hotels which allowed the community to flourish despite its isolated location. Despite its 60 or so surviving wooden buildings, its remoteness has made Bannack less popular with tourists, attracting only the most eager of historians to this vast, secluded landscape.
16. Calico, California, USA
Images: Wilson44691; Jan Kronsell; public domain; Bobjgalindo, cc-sa-3.0
Unlike Bannack, Calico is an abandoned mining town which has prospered in its afterlife, becoming a profitable tourist destination which continues to captivate visitors with its vivid illustration of late 19th century American life. Located in the largely arid and mountainous Mojave Desert, Calico’s rise and fall was swift and extreme. With over 500 mines, the town’s silver production was lucrative until the mid 1890s, when the Silver Purchase Act drove down the price of silver, ruining the local economy. What was once a small pocket of early multiculturalism (there were Chinese, Irish, Greeks and Dutch working in the town) suddenly became deserted. Today, giant Hollywood Hills-esque capital letters proclaim ‘CALICO’ at the park entrance, luring tourists in to discover a unique time and place which many know little about.
17. Butugichag, Russia
The atrocities of the former Soviet Union’s gulags are forever enshrined in world history; Butugichag, a corrective labour camp open for a decade between 1945 and 1955, forced its prisoners to mine dangerous nuclear materials and experimented on them mercilessly. It’s estimated that up to 400,000 people perished in these horrific conditions, mostly through exposure to radiation. The Russian government still refuses to recognise Butugichag on its list of abandoned settlements, shamelessly attempting to avoid investigating the tragedies which occurred in this remote corner of eastern Russia. Today, the sparse, icy camp is barely reachable by road, its abandoned workhouses, mines and experimental facilities hidden away by a nation which wants to forget its brutal past.
18. Anyox, Canada
Image: McRae Brothers, public domain
Located in British Columbia, Anyox (or ‘Hidden Water’ in the Tsimshian tongue), like its American contemporaries, was a town which sprang out of nothing into a booming mining community, rich in copper and supporting a growing economy until the Great Depression of the 1930s ruined its trade. The Anyox mines themselves shut down in 1935 and the town, like many others in the US and Canada, was simply abandoned, its houses and buildings lingering silently in the wilderness like a memory of happier times. Although it was once a hugely profitable minerals producer for the British Empire, forest fires destroyed most of the area in the 1940s, leaving a predominantly scorched and disfigured landscape barely able to support life.
19. Cañada de Benatanduz, Spain
Jutting out of the Sierra de la Cañada at an altitude of 1,422 feet, the spectacular landscape of the region today is almost deserted, save for a handful of hardy sheep and grain farming families that remain, eking out a living in this secluded community. Poplars, willows and honeysuckle trees dot the landscape. Interestingly, the town of Cañada de Benatanduz was one of the first in the region to receive its charter in 1198, after the Knights Templar retook the area from the Islamic Moorish Empire. After the horrors of the Spanish Civil War, further depopulation occurred and today visitors in the region are able to view a small pocket of Spanish society which, due to its awkward location, remains staunchly traditional to its centuries old roots.
20. The Village Street, St. Kilda, Scotland
Images: Hugh Miller, cc-sa-3.0
Arguably the remotest part of the British Isles, St. Kilda is the westernmost point of the Outer Hebrides, an island whose final 36 permanent residents voluntarily left “The Village” for the Scottish mainland in 1930. Originally a prehistoric Norse settlement, St. Kilda’s unforgiving setting provided a meagre living for its residents for centuries before gradually becoming reliant on outsiders for food, fuel and building materials in the 1800s. Today, St. Kilda remains an important European sea bird colony and popular location for diving, with clear water and a succession of underwater caves and tunnels. Each empty house on the island now contains a stone plaque naming every one of the final 36 residents who left all those years ago, providing a poignant reminder that this remote craggy rock wasn’t always devoid of human life.
ast weekend i visited to K Gudi Resort with my wife there we enjoy a lot and we saw different kinds of Kgudi forest and too high and very good atmosphere and eco friendly place hope we will go n visit agani soon.......thanks for your blog
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