The creepiest ghost towns outside the US

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Kolmanskop, Namibia

The remains of forgotten Wild West towns can be found in many states in the US, and they important historical sites, as well as destinations that combine fun and creepiness. If you’re a fan of western movies, a trip to places like Bodie will be a delight for your inner movie buff, and make you want to don a cowboy hat and head to the nearest saloon.

But ghost towns can be found outside the US as well, and while they won’t remind you of John Wayne films, they are suitably creepy and mysterious. Here are some of the creepiest ghost towns outside the US.

Kolmanskop, Namibia

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Namid Desert attracted hundreds of people looking to make a quick fortune off the newly discovered diamond mines. Kolmanskop sprung up in only a couple of years, and shortly after its founding it already sported a casino, hospital, school and several shops, all in the middle of the desert.

But after less then 50 years, the desert started to reclaim its territory, and the town was engulfed by the dunes. Many of the old buildings of the town are still standing, but they are half filled with sand.

Prypiat, Ukraine

The Chernobyl disaster is one of the biggest tragedies in recent history, and its marks are still plain to see in the area surrounding the nuclear plant. Most of the people working on the plant lived in the nearby town of Prypiat, which was completely abandoned after the catastrophe.

Until recently, the town was a museum of life in the Soviet era, with schools, homes and official buildings standing tall and untouched, but sadly, nowadays most of the buildings have been looted.

San Zhi, Taiwan

When you see San Zhi for the first time, you might think that it was used as the filming set of some sci-fi movie. The pod dwellings of San Zhi are like nothing else in Taiwan, and they were part of a futuristic pod village for the rich. However, the resort was never completed, due to a number of accidents, and some people even believe that the site is haunted.

Craco, Italy

Ghost towns are usually quickly built, and quickly abandoned, but this is not the case with Craco. This charming medieval village was already inhabited in the 11th century, and at the end of the 19th century, Craco was still a bustling village of 2000 inhabitants.

However, due to poor soil, landslides and earthquakes, most of the villagers emigrated to North America, and by the 70s the village was completely uninhabited.

Oradour-sur-Glane, France

Oradour-sur-Glane’s history is so unspeakably terrible that no other ghost town can be a match for it. The 642 inhabitants of the town were all massacred by German soldiers during WWII, as a punishment for resistance (the soldiers actually targetted Oradour-sur-Vayres, but destroyed Oradour-sur-Glane by mistake instead). The town now stands as a memorial to the dead.

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Comments on The creepiest ghost towns outside the US

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Camper Glamis wrote on March 9, 2011:

Have you been to any of these places? What was the feeling? If I were to go here, I’d bring a lot of people with me.

 

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