Evander Jones
Some places go quiet fast. Others empty out over time. In most cases, something didn’t go as planned—conflict, disaster, or a shift no one saw coming. What’s left behind isn’t always ruins, but it’s rarely normal either. This article walks through 10 places that lost their people and never returned to how they used to be.
Pripyat, Ukraine
Pripyat was evacuated within 36 hours after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Over 49,000 people left behind a complete city. Today, the military controls access while wildlife thrives unchecked in the radioactive zone that still remains hazardous to human life.
Hashima Island, Japan
This place used to be the world’s most densely populated island. However, Hashima was deserted in 1974 when its coal mine closed. High seawalls surround its crumbling buildings. It’s now a UNESCO site and appeared in the James Bond film “Skyfall.” Nature and rust are all that remain in this artificial rock fortress.
Craco, Italy
Craco suffered repeated landslides that forced evacuations in the 1960s and 1980s. It was officially abandoned in 1991. The cliff-top village now serves as a haunting film set, used in “The Passion of the Christ.” A ghost festival is held yearly in its ruins
Centralia, Pennsylvania, USA
An underground coal fire began in 1962 and still burns today beneath Centralia. The town’s population dropped from over 1,000 to fewer than 10. Roads collapsed, toxic gases rose, and homes were condemned. It inspired the horror game “Silent Hill” and was erased from highway signage.
Famagusta, Cyprus
Once Cyprus’s busiest port, Famagusta emptied overnight in 1974 during the Turkish invasion. Its beachfront resorts and homes remain untouched under military control. Nature has taken over the buildings. Nicknamed “the Forbidden City of Europe,” its eerie stillness attracts attention from historians, journalists, and curious international visitors.
Kayakoy, Turkey
After a forced population exchange in 1923, life abruptly stopped in what is now known as Kayakoy. More than 350 homes and churches were left behind, untouched for decades. Mentioned in “Birds Without Wings” and preserved as a historic site, the village now draws visitors curious to explore its silent 20th-century ruins.
Kolmanskop, Namibia
Kolmanskop boomed during a diamond rush and was emptied by 1956. Windblown sand has since taken over its buildings. The town featured Africa’s first X-ray station and even had an ice factory. It’s become a surreal desert attraction where photographers document rooms buried knee-deep in fine desert grains.
Agdam, Azerbaijan
Agdam was evacuated during the 1993 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Once home to 40,000, it’s now a city of rubble under military control. Known as the “Hiroshima of the Caucasus,” it’s filled with skeletal buildings and a lone mosque that stands amid widespread destruction and decay.
Fordlandia, Brazil
In the heart of the Amazon, an ambitious experiment tried to transplant small-town America into the rainforest. Built in the 1920s to grow rubber, Fordlandia was Henry Ford’s vision of industry and order. But strict rules, unfamiliar diets, and jungle realities led to rebellion. By 1945, the dream had failed.
Plymouth, Montserrat
In 1997, volcanic eruptions from Soufrière Hills forced residents to flee Plymouth, Montserrat’s capital at the time. Ash swallowed government buildings, homes, and businesses, freezing them in time. Though access is limited, parts of the abandoned city can still be viewed through designated public lookout points nearby.
