Meet 7 of the World's Most Curious Ghost Towns
In times of global overcrowding - after all, we are over 7 billion people on the planet! - It is hard to imagine that there are entire villages out there that were gradually being abandoned by their inhabitants, becoming what we know as "ghost towns".
However, these places - which are not few! Yes, there are, and many of them are so interesting that they have become popular tourist destinations. We have selected for you seven of these cities, which you can check out from the list below:
1 - Sanzhi, Taiwan
The curious locality above, filled with futuristic spaceship-like homes, was never occupied. The official version is that the person responsible for the venture went bankrupt before completing the work, intended for tourism.
However, a major local newspaper revealed that thousands of skeletons were discovered in the area, and that numerous murders were reported to have occurred there. Information has never been confirmed, but Sanzhi remains a ghost town.
2 - Famagusta, Cyprus
In fact, it is more precisely the Varosha neighborhood which, in the 1970s, was a spectacular seaside tourist destination. However, in 1974 the entire population fled the site during the Turkish invasion of the country, and the area was completely surrounded. Everything was left as it was - shops, houses, table meals and even light bulbs - and the neighborhood was frozen in time.
Varosha remains under the control of the Turkish Armed Forces to this day, and only former residents are allowed - granted by the UN - to enter the area, although one another adventurer risks crossing the barriers surrounding the locality to photograph them. over there.
3 - Castelnuovo dei Sabbioni, Italy
This picturesque village located in Tuscany has been abandoned since the 1970s. However, the site was the scene of a terrible massacre executed by Nazi troops, who made a huge bonfire with furniture and 78 inhabitants. Another ominous fact related to Castelnuovo dei Sabbioni, are several illustrations such as pentagrams, fish and other strange figures, which to this day nobody has been able to decipher.
4 - Spinalonga, Greece
Today, Spinalonga Island is known as a major tourist attraction in Greece thanks to its long history - and the legend that a mermaid inhabits nearby waters. Although it served as a fortress for several centuries, it was eventually transformed into a leper colony, which became operational until the late 1950s, when the cure for the disease was discovered.
5 - Kolmanskop, Namibia
The city of Kolmanskop was founded in the early 20th century in the middle of the desert after a train company employee found a diamond in the sand. However, the price of this mineral plummeted after the end of World War I, leading the inhabitants to abandon the site. As you can imagine, the desert sands have taken over the village, which has become a popular tourist destination.
6 - Bodie, USA
The city of Bodie - once one of the largest in California - housed fortunate miners during the 19th century. But the bitter cold of the winter and the end of the gold rush eventually overwhelmed the population of 8, 500. population. Today, only about 10 percent of the 2, 000 buildings on site remain standing, and Bodie has become a curious tourist destination, where visitors can see old houses and shops covered in dust.
7 - Oradur Sur Glane, France
Oradur Sur Glane's story is very sad indeed. During World War II, the town was occupied by Nazi troops, which killed more than 600 people and destroyed everything they found ahead. Houses and burned vehicles were frozen in time, testifying to the terrible massacre that occurred there, which became known as one of the most pitiful in history.
* Originally posted on 26/09/2013.
