10 - Not something from a Sci Fi movie… This was actually the HQ for the Communist Party in Bulgaria. It looks like a giant flying saucer, and was created by the communist regime as a meeting place. It was active from 1981 to 1991, and then fell into disrepair when the fall of the Soviet Union took place. Apparently they are looking into restoring it.
9 - Old places have soul… And this exquisite abandoned railway station oozes soul. Its location is the former Russian territory known as Abkhazia. It was deserted in the 90’s, more than likely due to blockades imposed by Russia. This type of architecture is known as Stalinist Gothic or Socialist Classicism.
8 - Only memories left behind... This is the Gouqi Island, which forms part of a group of nearly 400 islands called the Shengsi Islands in China. At one stage it was a super busy fishing village, but with the developments of secondary and tertiary industries, many of these little fishing villages didn’t last too much longer, and people left seeking work elsewhere.
7 - Hauntingly Beautiful… Sadly, the stories of what went on inside the Beelitz -Heilstaten hospital are not as hauntingly beautiful as some of the architecture seen in this building. This hospital once had Hitler recovering there for a bit. It saw thousands of TB patients heading through the doors, had murders take place inside, accidental deaths and I’m sure many other atrocities. The Sanatorium is in Brandenburg in Germany, and sees many people breaking in just to capture some of the beauty that the actual building hosts.
6 - A romantic tale… There doesn’t seem to be an exact story as to how the Chatillon Car Graveyard in Belgium came into being, but it’s a breathtaking sight. The cars are surrounded by plants and branches and vines are growing through the vehicles. Reporters say the cars were left in haste, but the romanticized story attached to them is that the cars belonged to US Soldiers, who left them behind when the war finished and they returned home.
5 - Going back in time… This makes me feel like I am right there at this blade mill in France. Not much is given about this exact blade mill, but the sharpening of blades, scythes, sickles, knives and swords took place there. Apparently many grinders died very young due to grinders disease, which is a lung disease more than likely from inhaling the dust when the grinding took place.
4 - No trespassing allowed… It’s all because of one brave girl that we have access to these beautiful images of an abandoned rocket factory in Russia. We only know her as Lana, and she broke into the factory, situated just outside Moscow. As you can imagine, Russian authorities weren’t happy at all, and even posted threatening letters on her website. So a big thank you Lana, for showing us what it looks like on the inside!
3 - A personal journey… This 27-meter-deep well is found in Sintra and is known as the Initiation Well. It’s meant to be lead one on a journey of self-discovery and rebirth. You’re either going into the darkness or coming out into the light. Also could be deemed as death and birth. It was owned by a well-known freemason, who used the wells (there are 2 of them) for ceremonial purposes. They were never used to draw water, and every part of the wells is symbolic in some way.
2 - Ghost Town… Or rather Ghost Subway… this is stunning, the City Hall Subway Station in New York, and was supposed to the showpiece when it came to subway stations. However, a mere 41 years after opening – it was actually closed down. For some reason, traffic at that station saw a rapid decline, and then with the onset of the Great Depression and then WW2, the station wasn’t used at all… so it was shut down. It received landmark status in 1979, and there plans in the pipeline a few years ago to bring it back to life.
1 - History created… This breathtaking Crystal Mill is from 1892, and is actually a decompressor station. Constructed in 1893, it was used as a power plant. This Mill is said to be one of the most photographed sites in Colorado in the US, and has a place on the National Register of Historic Places.
