There are many abandoned places in the world with a difficult history and atmosphere full of secrets and mysteries. Ghost towns and devastated islands attract adventure lovers: someone looking for treasure, someone taking pictures against the background of old architecture or filming videos. There are five places worth visiting.
1. Body, California, USA. California is known for tales of gold mines. For the sake of gold in those days, many abandoned their usual way of life and went to no one knows where for fame and wealth, and created entire settlements near the gold quarries. However, the gold was running out, and people abandoned their homes in pursuit of a new source of gold. One such abandoned place was the town of Bodie (named after its founder, William Bodie in 1861), once famous as the most dangerous city in the Wild West.
In 1962, Bodie received the status of a historic park. Tourists from all over the world come to Bodie to see the wooden buildings of that time: a church, a saloon, a trading store, a cemetery, a gold mine management center, etc.
How to get to Bodie: East of San Francisco, 19 km by car on Highway 270 from Bridgeport or Highway 167 past Mono Lake. Note: everything that is in Bodie is considered cultural heritage and is protected by law, so if you pick up any item from the ground, do not rush to put it in your pocket, otherwise you can get an impressive fine.
2. Belchite, Spain. Where is: in the north-east of Spain, 48 km. from the administrative center of Zaragoza. The village of Belchite fell to the onslaught of nationalist rebels during the Spanish Civil War in 1937. By order of the rebellious General Francisco Franco, the ruins were ordered to remain intact as a sign of edification to all Republicans. Now Belchite is a museum of stone buildings of the Renaissance. Many directors choose Belchite for filming historical adventure films.
3. Oradour-sur-Glane, France. Location: in the province of Haute Vienne, south of Paris, west of the city of Limoges (22.6 km. From Limoges on the D9 road). In 1944 the town of Oradour-sur-Glane was attacked by the Nazis. More than 500 people were burned alive in the local church, the rest were tortured and killed with extreme cruelty. After the war, it was decided to leave the city in ruins as a memory of the brutal massacre. In 1999 the city was given the status of a martyr city. Time seems to have stopped in Oradour-sur-Glane: on the street you can find a burnt car, among the ruins you can find an antique clock or a sewing machine that has stopped.
4. Old Bussana (Bussana Vechia), Italy. The once picturesque sunny city was abandoned by people for fear of earthquakes. After a powerful earthquake in 1887, the city was declared dangerous for living. Despite this, in the 1960s, the old Bussana was chosen by hippies from Europe. Even occasional clashes with the police do not prevent hippies from living in Bussan and organizing art festivals. They say that dilapidated stone buildings are filled with the spirit of freedom, creativity and mysticism. How to get there: from San Remo by bus of the San Remo Taggia route to the New Bussana stop, then on foot, following the signs.
5. Hirta Island (St Kilda Archipelago), Scotland. Where is: 165 km. off the coast of Scotland west of the Hebrides. The only settlement: Derevenskaya Bay. Picturesque views of green pastures and abandoned rocky buildings are mesmerizing. Green hills, fortified with cobblestones, resemble huge flower beds. The most ancient structures still cause confusion among archaeologists: why were they built and by whom? Maybe elves, hobbits or giants once lived here - there is no reliable information.
