Abandoned places that became history

 

Buildings often known to be haunted

Often buildings that become part of the story and are known for exploration or known at all are known for dark and/or mysterious reasons. The history of these places has often not been fully explained…

Marlboro Psychiatric Hospital: the senator investigation

Four hundred eleven acres of land in New Jersey is left abandoned for years. The land was owned by Marlboro State Psychiatric Hospital. This hospital had been infamous for being a psychiatric hospital. Still true up to now, it was so badly managed that a state senator went undercover to investigate the alleged “inhumane treatment” being conducted there. A lot of irregularities were exposed during that time, including inhumane patient treatment, environmental destruction, and reports of deaths. It just got out of hand that patients were able to escape. A total of 151 mentally ill patients escaped.

Minxiong Ghost House: the scarlet handmaid

The Minxiong Liu House in Chiayi (嘉義民雄劉氏古厝) is a historic building located in Minxiong City, Chiayi Prefecture, Taiwan. It was built in the early 20th century by a Liu family who were a wealthy family in this area.

According to rumours, the family’s maid was having a carnal affair with the family’s husband. When the pink pole was discovered, she allegedly “killed herself” after jumping into a well. A few years later, the property was occupied by members of the Kuomintang of China (KMT), many of whom also reportedly died by suicide, exacerbating its reputation as a haunted place.

Gheel Psychiatric Hospital: an insight into past medical practices

The Gheel psychiatric hospital in Belgium is an abandoned site that offers a unique insight into past medical practices. Closed in the 1990s, the hospital was known for its controversial care practices, including the use of occupation therapy and the confinement of patients in dark cells. Visitors can explore the disused facilities, empty rooms and stories of patients who were treated at the hospital, as well as the impact of these practices on the local community. Exploring this hospital offers a unique opportunity to learn about ancient and somewhat “original” medical practices.

Activist mayor’s castle: French way of life

We end with an exploration we did ourselves recently: Activist mayor’s castle. It once belonged to a former mayor who was a fervent supporter of farmers and stonemasons. The sublime interior is packed with well-preserved antiques, including paintings, mirrors, documents, chandeliers and a piano.

But sometimes it’s not just a building that has a rich history, but a whole city.

Cities and villages with a heavy history

In this article we talked about the infamous city of Chernobyl and the ghost town of Pyramiden. We will not go into this here.

Varosha: abandoned overnight

The town of Varosha in Cyprus is known as an abandoned and closed area that was once a popular tourist destination. The town was abandoned in 1974 after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, which divided the island into Greek and Turkish parts. The inhabitants of Varosha fled or were evacuated during this period of conflict and the town was closed by the Turkish authorities for security reasons. Since then, the town has remained in a state of lethargy, almost intact, as it was before the invasion.

The town has become a militarised zone and is inaccessible to visitors and islanders. The buildings are in ruins, the streets are overgrown, the beaches are deserted.

Poveglia: the sick island

Poveglia Island is an island located in the Venice lagoon in Italy, which is known for its dark and disturbing history. For centuries, the island was used for various purposes such as agriculture, salt production, and as a place of confinement for people suffering from contagious diseases. Poveglia became most famous for its use as a leprosarium and as one of the main isolation centres for plague patients in Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries.

In the 1920s, the island was transformed into an asylum for the mentally ill. Patients were subjected to brutal and inhumane medical experiments and inhumane living conditions. The asylum was closed in 1968 and the island has since been abandoned.

Today, Poveglia is an abandoned place and off-limits to visitors, but that hasn’t stopped the curious and urbex-loving from sneaking in to discover the abandoned buildings and the dark stories behind the asylum’s walls. The island is also a place of interest to historians and those interested in mental health and the treatment of contagious diseases.

Hashima: the grey disaster

Hashima Island in Japan is known as “Battleship Island” for its shape, this island was used for coal mining for several decades before being abandoned in the 1970s. The island’s buildings are now in ruins, offering a glimpse into the past life of the miners who lived there.

Kolmanskop: The desert won

Kolmanskop in Namibia was built in the early 20th century by German workers who discovered diamond deposits in the desert. But after the deposits were exhausted, the town was abandoned in the 1950s. The buildings are now overgrown with desert sand, giving the town a ghostly appearance.