Ten Dead Cities
11:381. Kolmanskop in Namibia
Kolmanskop is a dead city in the south of Namibia, few kilometers from the Luderitz harbor. In the year 1908, Luderitz had diamond fever and people went to Namib desert to get the easy richness. In two years created a luxurious city completed with all of its facilities like casino, school, hospital, and also high-rise buildings for exclusive settlement on the land which was dry and was a desert.
But after the first World War, the diamond purchase was stopped and this was the beginning of the end of it all. During the year 1950 the city was started being abandoned, the sand started to ask back what once belonged to it. The solid metal boards were down, the beautiful garden and the lined streets were buried under the sand; windows and doors were out of its hinges, the window glasses broken like it was showing the destroyer on the desert of sands.
A dead city was born, until now there are a couple of buildings still standing, and also some like theater that is still in a very good condition. The rest of it and houses were destroyed like it was scraped by sand and became lines of scary ghost houses.
2. Prypiat in Ukraine
Prypiat was a big city in a secluded area in North Ukraine. It was a settlement area for workers of the Chernobyl nuclear area. The area was dead since the Chernobyl nuclear accident that took 50,000 souls. After the accident, the location practical left as a museum, became a part of Soviet history. Apartment buildings (four were buildings never employed), swimming pools, hospitals, and many other buildings damaged. And all of the contents of the buildings were left over, like archives, TVs, children toys, furniture, valuables, clothes and other things normal family would own.
Inhabitants could only take uncontaminated important documents, books, and clothes. But since the 21st century, no more valuables were left, even bench in toilets were taken by the robbers; many of the things inside of the buildings were robbed year by year. The buildings were no longer be well taken care of, with holed roofs, and the interiors stagnated by water in rain season, made the city totally dead. We can see trees that grow above the roofs and inside of the houses.
3. San Zhi in Taiwan
In the north of Taiwan, there was a futuristic village, which at first was built as a luxurious resting place for the riches. However, after so many fatal accidents during the building, the project was stopped. After having trouble with funds and difficulties with workers who wanted to do the project, finally the building of the resort was fully stopped in the way. Rumors came after, many said that the village became the place of ghost from those who died.
4. Craco in Italy
Craco is located in the Basilicata and Matera province, about 25 miles from Taranto Bay. The mid-age city has a unique area with waved hills and wheat fields and other farm plants. In 1060 when the land of Craco was owned by Bishop Arnaldo, the head of Tricarico diocese, the long-term relation with the church brought many influences to the inhabitants. In 1891 the population of Craco was more than 2,000 people, at the time they were dealing with many social and poverty problems that made them desperated. Between the year 1892 and 1922 about 1,300 people moved out to North America. The bad farm condition and the disasters like earthquake, landslide and war made them migrate in mass number.
Between the year 1959 and 1972 Craco was shaken by the earthquake and landslide again. In 1963 the inhabitants were left in 1,300 people and finally moved to a valley near Craco Peschiera, and until now the original Craco is still abandoned in ruins and left the rottenness from the leftovers.
5. Oradour Sur Glane in France
A small village Oradour Sul Glane in France showed a horrible condition. During the World Was II, 642 inhabitants were slaughtered by Germany army as a revenge for what the French had done at the time. The Germans planned to attack an area near Oradour Sul Glane but finally they attacked the small village on 10 June 1944. By the survivors' testimonies, the men were entered in a warehouse and the Germans shot at their feet so they'd die slowly. The ladies and children were entered in a church and eventually they died by the shooting when they tried to escape the church. The village was totally destroyed by the Germans at the time. And until now the remains are still standing and became the witnesses of the cruel thing happened.
6. Gunkan Jima Island in Japan
This is one of 505 unattended islands in Japanese Administration Area Nagasaki, about 15 kilometers from Nagasaki. The island is also known as 'Gunkan Jima' or warship island. In 1890 a company (Mitsubishi) bought the island and started a project to get coal from the bottom of the sea around the island. In 1916 they built the first huge concrete on the island, and an apartment block was built for workers and also to shelter them from the typhoon.
In the year 1959, the population of the island was increased, the density of the islander reached 835 people per hectare for the whole island (1,391 per hectare in the center of settlement), the most dense population ever happened in the world. When kerosene replaced coal in 1960, the coal mine started to be closed, included Gunkan Jima for no exception. In the year 1974 Mitsubishi formally announced the closing of the mine, and finally emptied the island. In 2003 the island was taken as the 'Battle Royal II' movie setting and inspired a popular game 'Killer 7'.
8. Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong
7. Kadykchan in Russia
Kadykchan was one of the small cities in Russia that was ruined when the Soviet Union went down. The citizen had to struggle to get access to have water, health services, and also school. They had to get out of town in two weeks duration to stay over at another town and placed new houses. The city with averagely 12,000 inhabitants worked as tin miner was emptied. They left their houses with all of the furniture. So you can find toys, books, clothes and many other things in this empty city.
The big Kowloon city was located outside of Hong Kong, China. It was controlled by Japanese during the World War II, which was taken over by wild citizens after the Japanese gave in. The English government wanted China to take responsibility on the town, because the town became a non-discipline one and didn't obey the government rules. The inhabitants became out of control; the citizen built a labyrinth corridors of garbage as high as the street; the buildings were so high the sun could no longer shine on it.
The whole city was lighted by neon. It was full of prostitution houses, casinos, opium dens, drugs, cocaine, and many food made of the meat of dogs, and also secret unauthorized factories. The condition was finally ended when in the year 1993 English government and Chinese authority made a decision to stop it all.
9. Famagusta in Cyprus
Varosha was an area that wasn't admitted by North Cyprus Republic. Before year 1974 the Turkey invasion reached Cyprus and the area was a modern tourism area in Famagusta city. In the last three decades, the city had been abandoned and became a dead city. In the year 1970s, the city was the main tourism destination in Cyprus. To give satisfaction services for the tourists, and it built many luxurious buildings and hotels.
When the Turkey army domineered the area, they guarded and walled the area so no one get out or in the city without permission from the Turkeys and the UN armies. Plan was made to give Varosha back to the Greek, but the plan will never be done. For almost 34 years the city was abandoned and no restoration was made. Slowly the buildings start to damaged, the metals were rusty, the windows broken, the roots of plantations reached the walls and pedestrians. The turtles nested on the abandoned shores. In the year 2010, the Turkey government was planning to reopen Varosha for the tourists and the city can be lived in on again and will be one of the most influenced city in the north island.
10. Adgam in Azerbaijan
Big city Agdam in Azerbaijan is one of big cities with inhabitant population up to 150,000 people. But it was missing after year 1993 during the was Nagorno Karabakh. Although the city wasn't directly a war base, but the city still got the effect of the war, being the victim of the Armenians who damaged the city. The buildings were ruined and finally abandoned by the owners, leaving only mosques that are still standing. The Adgams moved out to another areas, like the Iran.
by courtesy of Markus Wiryahadinata.
0 comments