Abandoned Places Around The World

Abandoned cities — even buildings — capture our imagination. From their history to their current dilapidated state, they never fail to invoke the curiosity within us. Who lived there? Why is it abandoned? Why did they settle there in the first place?

1. Kolmanskop, Namibia

German miners settled on this desolate place after finding that the area was rich in diamonds. After WWI, the diamonds were on the verge of depletion and the residents left one by one, until the town was completely abandoned in 1954.

2. Humberstone, Chile

Humberstone used to be a saltpeter refinery in northern Chile — it has since been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

3. Hashima Island, Japan

Also known as Battleship Island, Hashima Island is approximately 9 kilometers (roughly 5.6 miles) off the coast of Nagasaki.

4. Craco, Basilicata, Italy

Craco is a medieval village in Italy that has been left for nature to creep back in — well — abandoned, actually, because of nature. It was first inhabited by the Greeks in 540 AD. From then until 1959, the town saw an average 1,500 inhabitants living in its grounds. However, from then on, until about 1972, landslides due to earthquakes damaged much of the structures in Craco.