10 Abandoned Places You Barely Have Heard or Known About
6 Capella de Nossa Senhora das Vitórias, PortugalA magically, beautiful neo-Gothic Church in Portugal built-in 1882 is the wish of a wealthy landownerâs ailing wife. The ownerâs wife wanted to create this church, but after she fell ill, her husband completed the work. Both of the husband and wifeâs bodies are buried in the chapel. No services are being held in the chapel. It stands abandoned to this date.
A neo-Gothic Church in São Miguel, Portugal named as Capella de Nossa Senhora das Vitórias, gives a magical, Disney-like feeling after the natural elements took over this beautiful chapel.
The Chapel of Our Lady of Victories was built in 1882 by a wealthy landowner, José Do Conto, in honor of his wife, Maria Guilhermina Taveira de Brum da Silveira. She intended to create this magical church, but after she fell ill, her husband took the responsibility of completing the church.
After the completion of the church in 1882, José Do Conto wanted to be buried next to his wife. Both husband and wife are buried next to each other in the chapel. It has 18 windows with soft-focus tenderness giving it a magical feeling.
No services are being held here. It stands abandoned, having been given up to nature. The chapel is surrounded by mountains, a garden, and a lake giving it a fairy-tale look. (source)
7 Berengaria Hotel, CyprusThe Berengaria hotel, built in 1930 in Cyprus, was one of the most luxurious hotels of that time. It was built by a local village resident. The trouble began when its owner died and his three sons neglected the hotel while arguing about the property. Now it is silently standing in Prodromos and is famous for its ghost stories.
A majestic hotel named âThe Berengaria Hotel” is standing in Prodromos, a famous village in Cyprus. It was abandoned for decades but was once one of the most luxurious hotels where the royalty dined and spent their holidays. It was built in 1930 by a resident of Prodromos named Mr. Kokkalos.
He raised and borrowed funds to build this gorgeous site for travelers and diners. The hotel was at its peak in the middle of the 20th century, when hundreds of Europeans came to enjoy the beautiful views of the Troodos mountain range.
The tragic period began for this hotel when the owner of the Berengaria Hotel died and left the hotel in the hands of his three sons to share equally. His sons ignored the hotel because of their pride, jealousy, and greed. It is also said that all of his three sons died mysteriously. The Berengaria Hotel has stood abandoned since 1984 and is surrounded by ghost stories believed by locals. (1, 2)
8 Maunsell Sea FortsThe Maunsell Forts are the defensive platforms that were built to defend the UK from enemy aircraft during World War II. In 1942, the development of these forts started. They are located off the east coast in Thames and Mersey Estuaries. After the end of the war, these forts became useless and were abandoned and left to decay into the sea.
During World War II, the Maunsell Forts were developed as defensive platforms off the east coast in Thames and Mersey Estuaries. In 1942, the construction of these forts was undertaken to defend the UK from enemy aircraft.
The engineer, Guy Maunsell, developed these forts to destroy enemy aircraft, and they would be sited out at sea. These forts were expensive at that time of limited resources, but they proved their worth.
After the war ended, these forts were of no use. By the 1950s, they were decommissioned one by one and were abandoned to decay into the sea. They were slowly destroyed by time and tide. Metal corroded because of saltwater and one of the forts was demolished after a ship collided with it. (1, 2)
9 Plague Fort, St. PetersburgPlague Fort is a bean-shaped fort built in the mid-1800s on an artificial island near St. Petersburg, Russia. The fort was used as a defensive site. It defended a naval base during Crimean War. In 1896, the fort was used as a laboratory to create medicine for the plague. In 1917, the work at Plague Fort, as it came to be called, stopped, and it has been abandoned since then.
The Plague Fort, developed on an artificial island near St. Petersburg, Russia, was built by Czar Nicholas in the mid-1800s. It was firstly named “Fort Emperor Alexander.” The fort was built with the motive to gain defensive control in the southern entry to St. Petersburg. The fort was used to defend the naval base during Crimean War against British and French navies.
In 1894, a plague began from Hong Kong and Canton which reached the Caspian region in 1896. At that time, the fort was converted into a laboratory to create an antidote for the plague. This is when the fort got its second name, âThe Plague Fort.”The Institute of Experimental Medicine was transferred to the fort, and this anti-plague laboratory was called âKomochum.” Several doctors died during the experiments.
The work at Plague Fort stopped with the beginning of World War I. Now the fort stands abandoned to lurking visitors wanting to see its unique structures and mysterious cellars. (1, 2)
10 Forty-three Giant, Crumbling, Presidential Heads, VirginiaA rural Virginia field consists of 43 abandoned, giant, president’s heads. The busts were to be placed at Virginiaâs Presidents Park, which cost over $10 million and was closed due to lack of visitors in 2010. The land was auctioned off after the park closed. Instead of destroying the busts, they were moved to a 400-acre farm.
On the outskirts of the private farmland in Virginia sits 43 abandoned, giant, presidents’ heads. These busts used to be part of Virginiaâs President Park which went bankrupt due to lack of visitors in 2010. A man was hired by Howard Hankins to destroy the busts. He was also involved in the creation of the park.
Instead of destroying these busts, he moved these busts weighing over 20,000 pounds onto his property to save them. Around eight years have passed, and these busts are decaying and still residing on the farmland.
These busts attract more visitors today that were drawn to President’s Park. It seems like people are more interested in watching these busts being abandoned and decaying. (1, 2)