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13 Abandoned Cities Or Huge Structures (That Seem To Be Frozen In Time)

There’s a concert hall deep beneath Boston that’s been abandoned since 1942.

13 Abandoned Cities Or Huge Structures (That Seem To Be Frozen In Time)

June 09, 2023

Welcome, dear reader, to a journey through time and space, to explore thirteen of the most fascinating abandoned cities and huge structures that seem to have been frozen in time. From the deserted resort town of Varosha in Cyprus, to Disney’s private island of Treasure Island in Florida, to Mussolini’s abandoned dream in western Sicily, we will be exploring a variety of places that have been left to the ravages of time and nature.

We will be visiting places like Steinert Hall, an old concert hall from the 1800s that was shut down after a tragic fire, and the World Discoverer cruise ship, which ran aground in the Solomon Islands in 2000 and is still there today. We will also be exploring Molson, Washington, a mining town with lots of reminders of the Old West, and City Hall Station in New York City, a fancy station that was closed in 1945 and is now only accessible via tour.

So, let us embark on this journey together, to explore these thirteen abandoned cities and huge structures that seem to be frozen in time.

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13

Abandoned

Huge and abandoned A swanky Cyprus resort Varosha used to be a really popular resort town in Cyprus. It had tall hotels, fancy shopping areas, and beautiful beaches. But then in 1974, Cyprus was divided and Varosha was blocked off and left empty. It's been like that ever since. - was - - - - WEIT CRACKED — trabantos/Shutterstock
Yahoo Life

12

Fancy 1904 station, closed in 1945.

Huge and abandoned A New York City subway station City Hall Station was built in 1904 and was really fancy, with glass tiles and big chandeliers. Unfortunately, it had to be closed in 1945 because the platforms were made longer to fit longer trains. Now, the only way to get in is to take a special tour. CRACKED — Felix Lipov/Shutterstock
Atlas Obscura

11

Abandoned Ships

Huge and abandoned A whole cruise ship The World Discoverer ran aground in the Solomon Islands in April 2000, and is still there today. The wood on the deck is rotting, and the hull is covered in rust. World Disc W CRACKED — Tetyana Dotsenko/Shutterstock
Slate

10

Fort Taber Park

Huge and abandoned A Civil War-era fort complex Fort Taber Park in Massachusetts has old military buildings, like a big granite fort and four smaller artillery hills. Those are 19th-century structures, but you can see an outline of the original, 18th-century wooden structure too. CRACKED — Allan Wood Photography/Shutterstock
Atlas Obscura

9

Underground and outdated.

Huge and abandoned A concert hall beneath Boston Steinert Hall, an old concert hall from the 1800s, was shut down after the Coconut Grove Nightclub fire in 1942. It was located almost 40 feet below the street in Boston, and it's still there, kind of frozen in time. CRACKED — HistoryView
masslive.com

8

Abandoned 11th century town brought back to life, kind of.

Huge and abandoned A medieval Italian village San Severino di Centola dates back to the 11th century. It was abandoned in the 1970s - i it just kind of died a natural death. Il Borgo, a local group, organizes cultural events in the abandoned town to help bring it back to life and keep it safe. CRACKED — antonio notari/Shutterstock
Atlas Obscura

7

Once bustling, now deserted.

Huge and abandoned America's most toxic town Picher, Oklahoma used to be a thriving mining town of over 20,000 people, but now it's practically deserted. In 1983, it was declared an ЕРА Superfund site and in 2009, the ЕРА said it was too dangerous to live in. CRACKED — Angela Feltes/Shutterstock
Atlas Obscura

6

Franco’s Luxury Vacation Spot: Still Popular.

Huge and abandoned A luxury resort for workers Perlora Ciudad de Vacaciones in Spain was a fancy resort created by the Francoist government in 1954, where people from all walks of life could take a break. Although it stopped hosting vacationers in 2005, it still sometimes gets busy in the summer. CRACKED — h3c7orC/Shutterstock
Atlas Obscura

5

The Old West

Huge and abandoned An entire Western mining town Molson, Washington was once a mining town, and still has lots of reminders of the Old West. There's a big stone school house, the Molson State Bank, and around ten other wooden buildings in different states of repair. CRACKED — CL Shebley/Shutterstock
Atlas Obscura

4

The Jupiter Radiotechnology Factory

Huge and abandoned A secret factory near Chernobyl The Jupiter Radiotechnology Factory in Pripyat, Ukraine was once used to make secret semiconductor parts for the Soviet military. But after the Chernobyl Disaster, it was only used for radiological experiments until 1996, when it was abandoned. CRACKED — Chawranphoto/Shutterstock
Atlas Obscura

3

Abandoned dreams.

Huge and abandoned A Disney World island Disney World's Discovery Island used to be a zoological park. Unfortunately, it closed in 1999 due to the opening of Animal Kingdom. Now, it's been abandoned for years and is a popular spot for urban explorers. CRACKED — MattSonswa/YouTube
Disney Fanatic

2

Nitrate town to torture camp.

Huge and abandoned Nitrate town turned torture camp Chacabuco was founded in Chile in 1924 as a town for nitrate production, but it was abandoned in the 1930s. Decades later, it was used as a prison and torture camp for intellectuals who opposed the government. Now, it's a national monument. CRACKED — Jeremy Richards/Shutterstock
Atlas Obscura

1

Mussolini’s abandoned dream.

Huge and abandoned A Sicilian village Borgo Amerigo Fazio was created by Mussolini in 1939 as part of his agricultural reforms, but it was never used. It has a church, school, and other government buildings in the middle, and houses around the edges. CRACKED — claus donau/Atlas Obscura
Atlas Obscura

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