Ghost towns with a haunted past
Things change, people leave, and these towns… wait. Once bustling places filled with the sounds and motions of life, ghost towns are now mere ruins frozen in time, offering a glimpse into the past through shattered windows and decaying structures.
These ghost towns may be eerily silent but there are many with stories that echo loud. From abandoned villages emptied overnight under tragic circumstances to cursed islands and theme parks, these 10 ghost towns around the world carry the weight of their legends and histories so chilling, there’s no need for actual ghost sightings to make your spine-tingle.
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1. Oradour-sur Glane, France
Image credit: France Comfort
Haunted by a memory so brutal that its entirety is frozen in its last moments, the rural French village of Oradour-sur-Glane is the few places in France where the atrocities of World War II are so palpable, its physical remains was left as is as a permanent reminder of a horrendous tragedy.
On 10th June 1944, the village was invaded by the Nazi SS troops, who rounded up all 642 of the residents. The men were machine-gunned in the barns, and the women and children locked up in the church which was then set ablaze. There were barely any survivors.
The massacre ended with the Nazis burning down the village, and today, much of its remnants remain – a scorched car in the middle of the town square, charred signages, crumbling walls of the church.
2. Isla De Las Muñecas, Mexico
Image credit: Flickr
This one is straight out of your nightmares. We’re talking an island with hundreds of disfigured dolls strung up the trees and nailed to the walls, eyes following, all watching.
You’ll find this haunting sight on a small secluded island within the labyrinths of Xochimilco in Mexico City, known as the Island of Dolls or Isla de las Muñecas in Spanish, with an origin story as creepy as the island itself.
When the only inhabitant and caretaker of the island Don Julián Santana Barrera discovered the body of a drowned girl in the 1950s, he hung a doll that was found floating nearby to a tree, in honour of the girl’s spirit. Believing that the ghost of the young girl was restless, he went insane adorning the island with a macabre of discarded dolls and toy remnants to appease her spirit.
Years later, Don Julian was found dead in the same spot where the girl had drowned.
3. Dhanushkodi, India
Image credit: Aaditya Aakash via Tripoto
Small as it may be, Dhanushkhodi was once a town so prosperous as a thriving port and in its strategic location between the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean, it was called the “Gateway to Lanka”. And within a single night, everything changed.
In 1964, a massive cyclone struck the town and left behind a catastrophic sight – the sea rose up in a fury, swept a passenger train off its tracks, engulfed buildings and the residents. By morning, the entire town was a skeletal ruin.
Myths swirl that the town was cursed, punished by the gods for reasons unknown, and rumours about phantom trains and strange lights circulate. But despite the fear and the emptiness, the ghost town fascinates travellers with its soft white sand, azure sea and pleasant breeze.
4. Hashima Island, Japan
Image credit: Trip To Japan
It’s hard to believe that the completely vacant Hashima Island in Japan was once one of the most densely populated places in the world.
Like a concrete phantom of a fortress emerging from the waves of Nagasaki, the island is known as Gunkanjima, or “Battleship Island”, which used to be a significant coal-mining facility during WWII. Life was harsh and dangerous for the workers, which consisted of forced labourers and prisoners, as the environment was tightly controlled.
When the coal reserves eventually ran out in 1974, mining operations ceased and the entire population was evacuated overnight, leaving behind a ghost of an island and a grim symbol of industrial ambition at the cost of human lives.
Hashima Island is now open to tourists, and was later even named a UNESCO world heritage site in 2015, but the past lingers and locals whisper of souls still trapped in the decaying concrete blocks.
5. Varosha, Cyprus
Image credit: Muhammet Fatih Ogras via Getty Images
Once upon a time, Varosha was the place to be at when you’re looking to have a glamorous seaside holiday in the Mediterranean. Encircled by glistening waters, a golden coast and an endless blue sky, the crown jewel of Cyprus buzzed with life and its luxury beachfront resorts frequented by the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and Brigitte Bardot.
It all changed when Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974, and the residents fled for their lives. The place was fenced off by the Turkish military, and since then the buildings had stood untouched for over 50 years. There are whispers of the town being cursed, trapped in a limbo of its own greed and vanity, with shadows wandering the rooms, waiting for life to resume.
6. Okpo Land, Korea
Image credit: @kazakhstanu via Instagram
Amusement parks are meant to be a place of joy, but Okpo Land in Korea evokes emotions that are somewhat the opposite. Perched on a hillside that overlooks the town on Okpo on Geoje Island, the abandoned park seems eerily frozen in time – derailed rides, rusted machinery, and broken animatronics – with dark rumours behind the seemingly bright facade.
A sight that stood out is the park’s signature duck roller coaster, now swathed with vegetation and claims of being the cause of multiple fatal accidents. Soon after, Okpo Land was shuttered without warning.
It is unclear if these accidents by the duck coaster did actually happen, but the park has been abandoned as is since the late 90s, with all rides eerily frozen in mid-motion.
7. Poveglia, Italy
Image credit: Visit Venezia
Just a speck of a land yet so shrouded in tragedy, Poveglia is an island that lies a little off the coast of Venice, known to possess a grim legacy that makes it one of Italy’s most infamously haunted ghost towns.
Back in the 5th century, the quiet fishing village was a peaceful refuge from the chaos of the mainland, but when the Black Death swept mercilessly through Europe in the 14th century, Poveglia was turned into a mass quarantine station. The sick were dumped on the island and left to die, and mass graves were dug for bodies burnt. It is estimated that over 160,000 people died on the island, and to this day, Poveglia is said to be built on human remains.
The darkness continued into the 1920s when the island became home to a psychiatric asylum. Legend has it that a sadistic doctor would perform barbaric experiments and lobotomies on patients. He eventually went mad and threw himself off the asylum’s bell tower. In 1968, the asylum was closed down, and Poveglia was sealed off. It remains a ghost town till this day, like a floating tomb of restless spirits.
8. Pripyat, Ukraine
Image credit: @StreetSignificant411 via Reddit
Pripyat was once a city that was a shining symbol of Soviet progress, but now it is nothing but an eerie monument to one of history’s greatest disasters. Located just a stone’s throw from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the city was a utopia built to house the workers of Chernobyl, completed with everything that showed life – schools, cinemas, hospitals, cafes, and even an amusement park with a now-famous Ferris wheel.
Then came 26th April 1986, and everything about that life was blown apart. Reactor No. 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded and released a deadly cloud of radioactive material across Europe. It wasn’t until nearly 2 days later that residents of Pripyat were ordered to evacuate.
Now, these concrete buildings stand in complete isolation, with an air looming over the ghost town that feels anything but normal.
9. Belchite, Spain
Image credit: ES Forgotten via YouTube
If there’s any event that has left a gaping wound in Spain’s long history, it would be the brutal Spanish Civil War in 1937, and the medieval village of Belchite was the ground for one of its bloodiest battles.
For nearly two weeks, Republican and Nationalist forces were in a door-to-door combat, throwing the village into a horrifying chaos and leaving thousands dead.
General Franco, who led the Nationalists, retook the ruined town when the Civil War ended, and the rubble was simply left in the devastated state that it was in. The crumbled towers, bullet-riddled walls, and bloodied archways remain till this day as a stark reminder of the cost of war on human lives.
10. Al Madam, United Arab Emirates
Image credit: @farkhshatov via Instagram
In the heart of the vast golden dunes of the United Arab Emirates lies a small village that seems to be almost swallowed up by the desert itself. This ghost town of Al Madam was built as part of a housing initiative for the Al Kutbi tribe, with houses lined up in rows that lead to a mosque standing proud at the end. For a time, residents lived there peacefully, and then they just… left.
Nobody knows why. There are indications that residents may have left in a hurry, and rumour has it that they may have fled from supernatural forces. The ghost town is now a favourite spot for explorers and photographers, with each house filled with dune waves seemingly frozen mid-crash.
Ghost towns with stories that’ll give you the shivers
From crumbling churches to sand-filled homes, these ghost towns may be abandoned but every corner of them have stories that stick around as much as the shadows lurk.
You might also be interested to read:
- Lembah Beringin, a ghost town in Selangor with 1,000 abandoned houses
- Safari Lagoon, Malaysia’s first rooftop water theme park that’s now deserted
- 14 haunted places in Malaysian and the horrors you’ll experience there
Cover image adapted from: Visit Venezia, Historic National Geographic, @farkhshatov via Instagram & Sitios De Espana