Three Abandoned Places

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

1. Olympic Village, Berlin, Germany

Located on the western edge of Berlin, the 1936 Summer Olympics (commonly referred to as the “Nazi Games”) had a total of 49 participating nations. Cray cray Hitler was in attendance. As was Leni Riefenstahl, who was commissioned by the German Olympic Committee to film her hotly-debated Olympia. Jesse Owens became the most successful athlete winning a total of four gold medals to the vexation of race theorists. Following WW2, the Olympic village was occupied by the Soviet Army as a torture base. The site has been abandoned since the fall of communism.

2. Seattle Underground, Washington, United States

The Seattle Underground was once at ground level in the mid-19th century. Yet due to 31 blocks being destroyed in the Great Seattle Fire, the city was rebuilt one to two stories higher than the original street grade leaving a network of subterranean ruins. Guided walking tours are available on a daily basis.

3. Atafona, Brazil

The ocean is coming for you. Via a combination of human folly in our quest for rising temperatures and deforestation, the town of Atafona has already lost 183 buildings, totalling 14 city blocks, due to rising sea levels. Located some 360 kilometers north of Rio de Janeiro, Atafona was established in the 1950s, but is currently being swallowed up by the ocean at a rate of close to ten feet a year.

For previous entries, please click here.

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