Another installment in our series on abandoned places in the world.
1. Villa de Epecuén, Argentina
Once a beautiful resort town, Villa de Epecuén was founded in the 1920s along the shore of Lago Epecuén. Cue to the 1980s where high levels of precipitation causes Lago Epecuén to swell and consume the town under 33 feet of water. The waters began to recede in 2009. Will this be the future of the Hamptons and, more importantly, Victoria Grayson?
I’m a slaughterhouse
2. Warehouse B, Brussels, Belgium
Proving once again that no one lives in Belgium (See 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7), “Warehouse B” was a multi-purpose transport centre built between 1903 and 1907. The site’s five floors of galleries served as a warehouse for customs until it was closed in 1987.
I’m a lonely trolley
3. Picher, Oklahoma, United States
Formerly a major centre of zinc and lead mining, Picher, Oklahoma is now a ghost town. With groundwater contamination, lead-laced hills, and ongoing threats of sinkholes, the town became a superfund and declared uninhabitable by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2006. A more detailed account on the rise and fall of Picher can be read here. Many thanks to GrandInquisitor for this suggestion.
I’m a museum. Yes, a museum
4. Pompeii, Naples, Campania, Italy
Picture it, Pompeii, August 24th, 79 BCE. Mount Vesuvius erupts spewing molten ash and sulfuric gas into the atmosphere. Poisonous vapors and debris suffocate the inhabitants of the neighboring Roman cities of Pompeii, Stabiae and Herculaneum. Pompeii remains buried for over 1700 years and is only rediscovered in 1748. With scientists believing that another eruption is long overdue, be sure to try la vera pizza while praying to la Madonna del cielo during your next visit to Naples.
I’m a fork in the road
5. Rhodes Zoo, Groote Schuur Estate, Cape Town, South Africa
Diamonds are forever, zoos are not. The Rhodes Zoo was named for and designed by Cecil Rhodes, staunch supporter of British colonialism and founder of De Beers diamond company. Built in the 1890s and closed in the 1970s, the Rhodes Groote Schuur estate located nearby now serves as a museum.
I’m a lion’s den
For previous entries, please click here.
