Another installment in our series on abandoned places in the world.
1. Abandoned Zoo, Los Angeles
Lion, tigers, and bears! Oh my! Opened in 1912, the old zoo in Griffith Park was abandoned in 1965 when the Los Angeles Zoo relocated 3km southbound from its original site. With its earliest structures still in place, visitors can freely spend time exploring concrete enclosures and cages.
2. Belchite, Spain
What man builds, man will destroy. Located in the province of Zaragoza, Belchite was ravaged in 1937 when rebels from General Franco’s forces and loyalist Spanish Republicans descended upon the village during the Spanish Civil War. Following the war, a new village was built adjacent to the ruins, which serves as a memorial. The abandoned village was recently used as a film location for Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth.
3. South Fremantle Power Station, South Fremantle, Australia
Built between 1946 and 1953, the South Fremantle Power Station was the largest purpose built power station in Western Australia. The station was closed in 1985 owing to the decline of coal as an economic power source. Since its closure, the internal stairways had to be removed due to a number of suicides.
4. Ani, Fars Province, Turkey
Commonly referred to as the “City of 1001 Churches,” Ani is located on the Turkish side of a militarized zone between the border of Armenia and Turkey. Founded in the 5th century AD, Ani was once capital to a medieval Armenian Kingdom and had a population of 100,000–200,000 people. Fragmented and depopulated due to varying empires, the city has been abandoned for centuries.
5. Harland and Wolff, Belfast, Ireland
Since the world has largely forgotten about the Titanic, I figured now would be a good time as ever to feature where the ill-fated ship was built. The Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland is where the Olympic class liners (i.e. Olympic, Titanic and Britannic) were assembled for the White Starr Line. Abandoned for decades owing to the company’s main operations moving to the east side of Queen’s Island in central Belfast, the Drawing Room and empty strip of land is being converted into a new district known as the Titanic Quarter.
