Another installment in our series on abandoned places in the world.
1. Pablo Escobar’s Vacation Home, Medellin, Colombia
What will drug trafficking get you? Apparently, a series of fatal gunshot wounds to the leg, torso, and ear. But let’s focus on the positive: a net worth of US$3 billion and lots of real estate. While Colombian drug baron Pablo Escobar’s Hacienda Napoles estate has been turned into a full-fledged tourist attraction, his vacation home near Guatapé has fallen into disarray since his death in 1993. Many thanks to GrandInquisitor for this suggestion.
2. Panacolor Filmstudios, Germany
Nicknamed by urban explorers as “Panacolor Filmstudios,” the abandoned film and sound synchronization studio is located somewhere in Germany. Originally built as a Benedictine monastery in 1895, the convent was later used by the Hitler Youth. Following WW2, the building was converted into a film studio where over 800 films were synchronized.
3. Sabinosa’s Sanatorium, Tarragona, Spain
Sabinosa’s Sanatorium (aka Preventorio Marítimo La Sabinosa) is located on a peninsula near Tarragona. Designed by architect Francesc Monravà i Soler, the hospital was originally built in 1929 to house tuberculosis patients. Following the Spanish Civil War, children left orphaned by the Francoist regime were imprisoned and mistreated. The hospital complex was soon abandoned following the death of Francisco Franco in 1975.
4. Cody Hall Residence, University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Built in a Mid-Century Modern style by the architectural firm of Johnson and McWhinnie in 1961, Cody Hall served as a student residence for 54 years. Decommissioned in 2005, the University of Windsor’s Board of Governors voted to convert the abandoned building into a green space. The residence is in the process of being demolished.
5. Lighthouse, Great Isaac Cay, Bahamas
The 151 foot tall lighthouse on the Bahamian Island of Great Isaac Cay was erected in 1859. According to folklore, the site has a history of unexplained disappearances and ghosts sightings. In the late 19th century, an infant is said to have been the sole survivor of a shipwreck on the island. Locals claim that the infant’s mother, known as the Grey Lady, can still be heard wailing in sorrow during the full moon. On August 4th, 1969, the lighthouse keepers, Ivan Major and B. Mollings, mysteriously disappeared. Since then, the compound’s buildings have been left to crumble while the lighthouse has been automated in the late 1970s.
For previous entries, please click here.
