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The 12 best urbex sites in the world

Fascinating and intriguing at a time, discover our selection of the best urbex sites in the world!

A practice of visiting places built and abandoned by man, urban exploration called “urbex” fascinates as much as it intrigues. And for cause, we could almost confuse these places left to abandon with a fantastic movie scenario. More or less hidden but well present around the world, these urbex sites are both impressive, hypnotizing and sometimes even scary.

Demeures, whole cities, hospitals, sanatoriums or abandoned amusement parks... so many mythical places to explore, where nature reclaims its rights over the years. Discover our selection of the best urbex sites in the world without further delay!

1. Bodie, ghost town in California

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Photo credit: Shutterstock – Boris Edelmann

Mythic ghost town of California, Bodie is a vestige of the famous rush to gold . Definitely abandoned in 1942 following two fires, the city has become a place of memory of the History of the United States .

If Bodie is not the only abandoned town in the American West, it remains the best preserved one. A urbex site not to be missed during your roatrip in the United States!

2. The village of Kolmanskop in Namibia

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Photo credit: Shutterstock – CharlotteLouiseB

Very good example of this encounter between the wild nature and the construction of man, the ensablé village of Kolmanskop is definitely a must of the Urbex sites to explore in the world.

Formerly a diamond city that experienced its peak in the 1920s, this country is now abandoned and invaded by the sand of the desert of Namibia. A particularly enchanting setting, a witness to the history of the places.

3. Pripyat in Ukraine

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Photo credit: Shutterstock – Marianna Ianovska

This name may not tell you anything at first, but it is in this Ukrainian city that the nuclear catastrophe of Chernobyl .

Originally, it was the Chernobyl atomic plant that gave birth to Pripiat. Finally, this city ends victim of a twentieth century or the industry created by man turned against him.

Indeed, the devastating catastrophe caused by the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, a jewel of the Soviet nuclear industry, is the largest atomic accident in the history of humanity. Thus, since the date of the explosion of April 26, 1986, the city of Prypiat is left torn apart, as if the time stopped.

Today, the threat of radiation is very low which allows you to explore this urbex site, surely one of the most fascinating in the world. A funny tourism that attracts the curious and bits of unusual.

4. The abandoned monument of Buzludzha in Bulgaria

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Photo credit: Shutterstock – Milen Dobrev

Perched at 1,441 meters above sea level in the heart of Grand Balkan the monument of Bouzloudja dominates the Bulgarian mountains. Impressive by its complex size and architecture, this unusually abandoned place once served as a conference room, home of the Bulgarian Communist Party.

A unique urbex site in the world and heavily charged in History!

5. An abandoned amusement park in the heart of the city Yangon at Myanmar

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Photo credit: Camille Nagel

It is in Myanmar in the heart of Yangon, a former capital of the country, that takes place a most fascinating Urbex site... an abandoned amusement park, where the nature that takes over its rights creates a magical atmosphere at the limits of the fantastic.

Opened in 1997, the park closed overnight a few years later for reasons that remain uncertain. A lot of all the more fascinating amusements lie there.

And the most intriguing about this urbex site is the place where it is! Indeed, he resides in the middle of the city, between the famous Lake Kandawgyi and the noisy Downtown . But its hidden location in a park gives the impression of being in a bubble totally out of time.

6. Beelitz-Heilstätten hospital in Germany

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Photo credit: Shutterstock – Merlot Levert

Fascinating and disturbing at the same time, this former German hospital is one of the most unusual and luscious urbex sites... This shows the atmosphere of the place, but especially its glazing History!

Indeed, between 1898 and 1930 the place served as sanatorium to treat tuberculosis. Later in the Second World War, the place served as a care centre for the Nazi soldiers. Finally, the site will be used as a military hospital by the Soviets from 1945 until the fall of the Berlin Wall. I mean, the memory of the place is very charged...

7. The abandoned remains of the Sarajevo Olympic Games

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Photo credit: Shutterstock – Patrik Dietrich

It’s at Sarajevo the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the first Olympic Winter Games were held in a communist state in 1984. Today, the Olympic site is completely abandoned. We can still find the old infrastructure, including the bobsleigh track, invaded by nature lady.

8. Xochimilco, the island of dolls at Mexico

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Photo credit: Shutterstock – marketa1982

The island of dolls, what does this name evoke? Although young children can dream, the story behind this small island in Mexico does not really come out of a fairy tale...

Indeed, the story tells us that the peasant who once lived on the scene has once made the macabre found a dead little girl in one of the canals around the island. Thus, he decided to scatter toys and dolls all over the island in order to repel the evil spirits.

Today, the site is classified as World Heritage of Humanity and there are hundreds of dolls, even pieces, hung to trees and scattered everywhere.

9. The ancient city of Craco in Italy

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Photo credit: Shutterstock – illpaxphotomatic

Located in the south of the Italy , the medieval village of Craco was left to abandon in 1963 because of the instability of its buildings, the collapse of some houses and quite recurring earthquakes.

Today, the site has become a tourist place. He was even the place of shooting scenes The Passion of Christ and Quantum of Solace .

10. The valley of the Moulins, Sorrento, Italy

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Photo credit: Shutterstock – Crazy nook

It is at the bottom of a deep shrimp from an earthquake that the old buildings of the valley of the mills rest. Built around the thirteenth century, the famous mills were finally moved to the Piazzo Tasso de Sorrento in 1866.

Definitely abandoned since the 1940s, the site is now devoured by the vegetation that regains its rights.

11. The Eastern State Penitentiary de Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Photo credit: Shutterstock – MISHELLA

Built in 1829, the Eastern State Penitentiary is not the least glaucosal urbex site... And for cause, this former prison favoured solitary confinement. Indeed, the prisoners lived there in an atrocious loneliness. When one of them came out of his cell, he had to wear a hood to see nothing and not be seen.

When the number of prisoners became too high either from 1913, the prison abandoned its isolation system. That said, the punishments were no less severe... Finally, the establishment closed its doors permanently in 1971. The site has been empty since that date and has opened its doors to the public since 1994, including the opening of a museum.

12. City Hall Ghost Metro Station, New York

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Photo credit: Shutterstock / Felix Lipov

Opened in 1904 directly under the Hotel de Ville de New York , City Hall is today a ghost metro station. Indeed, the speed of the Brooklyn Bridge station has come to steal its star since 1940.

If the speed took the top, we can't say that much for the style. Indeed, with its ceiling dressed in glasses and mosaic walls, City Hall is a real architectural pearl designed by Rafael Guastavino .

Samuel Adams

Samuel Adams

I'm Samuel Adams, an enthusiastic globetrotter forever drawn to the world's allure. Life's journey is my greatest inspiration, brimming with vibrant moments, from summiting majestic peaks to immersing myself in diverse cultures. Every destination has a unique story, and I'm here to share those stories with you. Through my narratives, I aim to ignite your wanderlust, offering insights, tips, and the sheer joy of exploration. Let's embark on this extraordinary adventure together, unveiling the world's hidden treasures and creating lasting memories that define our shared wanderlust-filled lives.

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