The most interesting ghost towns in the world

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Visiting cities is rewarding and taxing at the same time, especially if you are not very fond of crowds. But if you like urban environments, the asphalt jungle, the shops, the looming buildings and the general atmosphere of a city or a town, then you are probably interested in urban tourism.

However, if you want to avoid the crowds, here’s a compromise: visit a ghost town! There’s no reason to limit yourself to the typical old Western ghost towns (although they are really fascinating), because ghost towns can be found all over the planet. So here are some of the most interesting ghost towns in the world.

Humberstone and Santa Lauda Saltpeter Works, Chile

photo by rewbs.soal

Humberstone used to be a prosperous little town relying on saltpeter mining and exports until the 40s, when synthetic saltpeter was invented. The town started to decline and its residents slowly abandoned Humberstone, moving to other cities to find work.

Since the 60’s the desert slowly crept up on the remaining buildings, and engulfed some of them. Many buildings and the machinery and furniture inside them are still visible, and the town was declared a World Heritage Site.

Wittenoom, Australia

The mining town of Wittenoom used to have around 20,000 inhabitants in its glory days. However, the town survived on a dangerous business: asbestos mining. When the dangers of asbestos became painfully clear in the 60s, when 1000 inhabitants died, most people fled to other towns, except for 8 residents, who are still living in Wittenoom.

Mandu, Madhya Pradesh, India

photo by McKay Savage

In the past, Mandu used to be the the capital of a Indian Muslim state, but it has been laying abandoned for the past 4 centuries. The ruined city sprawls on a plateau over Narmada River, and it has an astounding number of buildings that are in very good condition, especially a mosque and a royal palace.

Agdam, Azerbaijan

By the looks of Agdam, you’d never guessed that not so long ago it was a thriving city of 150,000 residents. However, it was lost during the Nagorno Karabakh war of 1988-1994, not because it was a site of battle, but because it was vandalized by the occupying forces.

The buildings are still standing but they are hardly intact and covered in graffiti, and the whole city has a surreal, postapocalyptic feel.

Balestrino, Italy

photo by Martina Rathgens

Italy is full of pretty medieval towns surrounded by beautiful scenery, and Balestrino is no different. However, what distinguished Balestrino from other medieval towns is the fact that it is completely abandoned.

The town was built around a Benedictine Abbey and it was a good place to live until the 19th century, when earthquakes started damaging the region and people started moving away. The town lost its last residents in the 50s.

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