Five Interesting Abandoned Places

Another installment in our series on abandoned places in the world.

1. Château de Mesen, Lede, Belgium

Dating from 1628, this once majestic castle was owned by the Bette Family of Lede, Belgium until 1796.  Redeveloped into a Genever distillery and sugar and tobacco factory, the structure was eventually purchased by the Kannunikessen nuns of Liège in 1897, whereupon a school and neo-gothic cathedral were added in 1905.  Prior to its abandonment in 1972, the Château de Mesen served as a boarding school for girls from 1914 to 1970.

2. Okpo Amusement Park, South Korea

The Okpo Amusement Park, located in the Gyeongsand Province of South Korea, has been closed since 1999.  Shut down due to two fatalities resulting from unsafe equipment, a number of sites report that the owner of the park disappeared and was never heard from again.

3. JN Adam Sanatorium, Perrysburg, United States

Designed in a neo-classical Southern plantation style by architect John Hopper Coxhead, the JN Adam Sanatorium, in Perrysburg, New York, was constructed between 1909 and 1912.  Originally serving as a hospital for the treatment of tuberculosis patients, JN Adam was later converted into an educational facility for children with disabilities.  Abandoned since 1995, the dining hall rotunda continues to house the stained-glass oculus taken from the Temple of Music at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition.  The very dome structure that President William McKinley was assassinated under.

4. Train Graveyard, Uyuni, Bolivia

Located near the deserted outskirts of Uyuni, in South-Western Bolivia, the Cementerio de Trenes (train graveyard) contains a large number of abandoned locomotives, rail cars and steam engines. Founded in 1890 as a trading post, Uyuni served as an important railroad junction in South America. Plans for turning the town into an even greater transportation hub collapsed before the work was completed, resulting in a railroad “graveyard.”

5. Villa Sbertoli, Tuscany, Italy

Picture it: Italy, 1868. Agostino Sbertoli inaugurates a psychiatric hospital called the “House of Health.” The complex (Villa Sbertoli is made up of 15 buildings) was later used as a penal institution for political prisoners during the Fascist Movement.  Following World War II, the buildings are sold to the province where they are returned and extended into a provincial psychiatric hospital.  Abandoned by 1990, the city of Pistoia is attempting to revitalize the area.  A 360-degree view of the Villa can be viewed here.

For previous entries, please click here.

(Images c/o 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)

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