Another installment in our series on abandoned places in the world.
1. Holy Land USA, Waterbury, Connecticut, United States
Jesus is real, y’all. He’s just really bad at marketing. One of us! One of us! Holy Land U.S.A. was an 18-acre theme park created by attorney John Greco in homage to Israel. Well, the Christian version. The park featured over 200 structures, including the Stations of the Cross, the Garden of Eden, replicas of Bethlehem and Jerusalem and catacombs. Closed in 1984 for renovations, the site was abandoned following Greco’s death in 1986. For a collection of then and now photographs, please click here. Many thanks to Blackball for the recommendation.
2. Baron Empain Palace, Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt
Satanic rituals are real, y’all. Especially when satanists camp out in an abandoned palace’s underground chamber late at night. One of us! Oh, wait, I’ve said too much. Built for industrialist Édouard Louis Joseph, the Baron Empain Palace was designed by architect Alexandre Marcel and decorated by Georges-Louis Claude between 1907 and 1911. Inspired by Hindu temples and Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the palace was sold in the 1950s. The site, which is rumoured to be haunted, has been abandoned for decades.
3. Croix-Rouge Subway Station, Paris, France
Service on the Croix-Rouge (Red Cross) subway station ceased on September 2nd, 1939 in preparation for WW2. Located on Paris Metro’s line 10, the station was built in 1923 and situated between Sèvres Babylone and Mabillon. Never to reopen following the war (as most of the section is now served by line 13), passengers can still get a glimpse of the abandoned platform when traveling on the metro.
For previous entries, please click here.
