Ghost towns
If you had thought that the lonely boy Palle alias Paul from the Danish author’s Sigsgaard’s story was the only one to find himself all alone in the world, you’re sorely mistaken. In nearly all countries round the world there are completely abandoned, haunted towns, which, although having the necessary infrastructure for normal life, stand completely empty and lifeless. What happened that in one instance absolutely all inhabitants decided to move out of their homes?! The reasons are numerous, and here are merely some of the most interesting examples:
Pripyat, Ukraine
Every year on April 26th we remember the horrific nuclear catastrophe that happened at the Chernobyl power plant. On April 26, 1986, as a consequence of the Soviets’ unreliable design of a nuclear reactor and human error, an explosion occurred that destroyed one of the four reactors. The consequence of the explosion was the release of large amounts of radioactive dust which was the cause of approximately nine times stronger contamination from the one that happened during the atomic bomb explosion in Hiroshima, Japan.
Only 60 hours following the disaster almost 50.000 inhabitants of Pripyat were evacuated due to security and health reasons and Pripyat had turned into a completely abandoned ghost town in the course of a mere several hours. Twenty four years later the city looks as it’s frozen in time: beds are still covered with sheets, desks in classrooms are stacked with books, the amusement park hasn’t relocated… Even though vegetation has started to crop up in the town, along with several wild animals such as bears and deer, the town will remain a forbidden zone for the human race during the next 500 years.
Skrunda, Latvia
Located approximately 150 kilometers from Latvia’s capital Riga, is the secret town of Skrunda, built during the Cold War. The main function of this unusual settlement, which wasn’t added to any Soviet map, was to search for space objects and thus prevent an American nuclear attack with two large radars set in the center of the town. At a highly unusual auction held some time ago, the former home to 5000 people abandoned over ten years ago, was sold to an anonymous Russian investor for as much as 3.1 million dollars.
We certainly hope to find out in the near future what exactly the investor plans on doing with the town which spreads over a surface of 45 hectares and in which 70 buildings are situated (housing buildings, schools, barracks, officers’ club…) albeit in a considerably bad state.
Balestrino, Italy
Situated on one of the hillocks of the Italian province Liguria is a little town about which documents have existed since the 12th century. This little town surrounded by picturesque scenery seems like the perfect place to live, however, only insects and wild critters dwell in the perfectly preserved medieval forts and the Renaissance castle walls. Due to seismic reasons, that is, highly unstable ground, the place was abandoned during the 1960’s, while approximately 500 inhabitants live at the foot the hill along the main road. If you’re interested in seeing a perfectly preserved historical place, you’d better hurry up and visit Balestrino as the next earthquake could well be fatal.
Oradour–sur-Glane, France
During World War II, June 1944 to be precise, German enemy troops received intel that German officers were imprisoned and executed in a little French town. In the horrific German retaliation the whole town was wiped out, leaving only a handful of women and men who managed to escape the gruesome massacre. Women and children were taken to the church and burned alive while German soldiers aimed at the men’s legs leaving them in the streets to die a slow and painful death. The town was never again inhabited and left untouched as a memorial in honor of slain victims.
Hashima, Japan
An unusual Island of Horror and Ghosts, Hashima is but one of hundreds of abandoned Japanese islands. Once a mining community whose inhabitants dug up coal was one of the most populated and wealthiest towns to whom a brilliant future beckoned and it seemed as if it would prosper and blossom into a real metropolis. Alas, fate had other plans. Following the complete exploitation of the mines, the inhabitants started to gradually move out, hence the town with its narrow streets and unusual buildings was left to the sands of time. The Japanese authorities started to renovate the unusual island a few years ago so as to transform it into an interesting tourist attraction.
