11 STRANGEST Abandoned Places In The World!

 11 Strangest Abandoned Places in the World 11.

 Château Miranda

 Completed in 1907 and officially abandoned in 1991, the Château Miranda (a.k.a.

 Château de Noisy) is often mistakenly referred to as a shuttered orphanage.

 It was actually used for a portion of its operation as a seasonal retreat for sick children.

 During World War II, the building was occupied by German troops and was eventually retaken by Allied forces during the Battle of the Bulge.

 The Liedekerke-Beaufort family, owners of the property since its construction, sought to sell the uninhabited castle as a potential hotel venue in the early ‘90s.

 But a fire in 1995 caused significant damage, and Château Miranda has remained in a state of disrepair ever since.

 10.

 Witley Court - Worcestershire, England This sprawling English estate was owned and added-on to by numerous noble English families since the original house was commissioned in 1086 by a cousin of William the Conqueror.

 Mounting debts forced the Earl of Dudley to sell Witley to a carpet manufacturer in 1920, and a fire in 1937 left only its stone frame standing.

 After being stripped of its antique and architectural valuables in the early ‘50s, the manor was left to the elements until it was designated an ancient monument by the British government in 1972.

 9.

 Town of Garnet

 A hollow monument to the Gold Rush, Garnet was once an active township consisting of hotels, family-owned stores and a small schoolhouse.

 After being deserted during the Great Depression, Garnet helped inspire myths and legends regarding ghost towns for decades.

 Today, visitors to the town can peek into some structures and see untouched furniture items and valuables left behind by long-departed residents.

 8.

 Craco

 Originally established in 540 AD by occupying Greeks, the city of Craco continued to grow throughout the Middle Ages.

 From 1060 to roughly 1656, the Catholic Church controlled the city, adding over time a large church, a castle, a university, and several shop-adorned plazas.

 But by the end of the 17th Century, the Black Plague left Craco’s population depleted, and eventually the routine occurrence of earthquakes in the surrounding Basilicata region created unsustainable living conditions for its citizens.

 In 1963, the last inhabitants were forced out by the Italian government.

 Craco has occasionally been used as a set piece for major Hollywood productions in the decades since its abandonment.

 7.

 Hashima Island

 Though it was opened to tourists in 2009, access to this abandoned island is strictly monitored by the Japanese government due to safety concerns stemming from an overall lack of structural integrity.

 Originally a mining town, Hashima was settled in 1887 and continued to function until the 1970s, when Japan’s coal industry fell apart after the country developed a greater dependence on petrol.

 Though the Japanese have sought recognition for the island as a world heritage site, international objections have kept it from reaching such a designation due to Hashima’s history as a forced labor camp for Chinese and Korean prisoners of war.

 Hashima’s decrepit highrises and eerie, echoing streets were made famous to Western audiences by the 2012 James Bond film Skyfall.

 Film sets were modeled after the long-uninhabited island during the design process of the fictional hideout for Bond villain, Raoul Silva.

 6.

 Beelitz Military Hospital First opened in the late 1800s as a treatment facility for tuberculosis patients, the Beelitz Military Hospital, known to Germans as “Beelitz-Heilstätten,” became vital during World War I as the largest and best supplied hospital in the country.

 In 1916, a young Adolf Hitler received care there for injuries sustained during the Battle of the Somme.

 The complex contains over 60 structures and once functioned as a mini-township where ailing and injured soldiers could recuperate or readjust to normal life.

 Between the two global conflicts, Beelitz returned to its status as an internationally respected tuberculosis treatment center.

 Despite taking heavy damage in the Allied air raids of Berlin during World War II, Beelitz remained in operation until it was captured by the Soviets and converted to a USSR military hospital and outpost in 1945.

 It was turned over to private owners in 1990 and finally abandoned in 2000 after a decade of failed attempts to turn it into a therapeutic resort.

 5.

 Ross Island

 This British survey outpost-turned-penal colony was constructed in 1788.

 It remained under British control until it was captured by Japanese forces in 1942.

 It was then returned to the British after the World War II, being used primarily as a military barracks.

 It was transferred to the Indian Navy as one of the final steps in full Indian independence from Great Britain.

 While it is still designated as a naval base, it has not been occupied for over 30 years.

 It remains a popular tourist sight.

 4.

 Dadipark

 Dadipark was once capable of amusing a million visitors a day.

 But over time, poor maintenance and a lack of oversight caused rides to break down or create unsafe conditions, culminating with the severe injury of a child in 2000.

 The park was closed soon after with its owners promising the public renovations and improvements.

 No modifications were made.

 The sight is now filled with rusting ruins, resembling a post-apocalyptic landscape reminiscent of the settings of countless science fiction stories.

 3.

 Maunsell Sea Forts

 Erected in 1942 as anti-aircraft tower-forts, the Maunsell Sea Forts served a vital role in combatting Germany’s air force, the Luftwaffe.

 They were decommissioned in 1950 and suffered intense storm damage in the ensuing decades.

 Among the structural casualties were the catwalks that once connected each section.

 Now each fort is an island unto itself.

 It is illegal to enter the forts due to their instability, but visitors are permitted to travel between and beneath them by boat.

 2.

 Wonderland Amusement Park Originally slated to be “the largest amusement park in Asia,” Wonderland was once on track to put American theme parks to shame due to its size alone.

 But conflicts between local farmers and the Chinese government halted construction in 1998.

 Since then, the park has been left empty, the haunting skeleton of a bastion of fairytale escapism that never was.

 Attempts to continue construction in 2008 fell flat, leaving Wonderland to the mercy of vandals and invading vegetation.

 1.

 Island of the Dolls Isla de las Muñecas is widely considered one of the most frightening tourist destinations in the world.

 Local legends and stories differ, but the most common narrative is that the island’s caretaker failed to save a young girl from drowning and subsequently found her doll floating in the water nearby.

 Afflicted with guilt and claiming to be haunted by the girl’s spirit, the caretaker spent 50 years hanging dolls from tree branches on the island.

 He reportedly drowned in 2001 in the same area where he found the girl.

 Since then the island and its childlike “inhabitants” have served as a disturbing reminder to visitors of one man’s obsession.