Top Ten Ghost Towns In Europe Worth Visiting

In modern Europe, there are many unexplained phenomena. Some of the most interesting and mysterious have always been ghost towns. There are many nuances and causes of their appearance. So, if the topic is of interest to you, then here are some of the most famous and exciting ghost towns in Europe:

10. Kayaköy, Turkey

At the beginning of XX century, the city was populated mainly by Greek Christians, but in 1923 - as a result of the Greco-Turkish war - its inhabitants (like thousands of other Greeks) were forced to leave Turkey.

Now, there are about 500 homes in the city. They are all protected by the Turkish government, while the entrance to see them and the city itself costs a small fee.

9. Balestrino, Italy

Today, the city is one of the most famous ghost towns in Europe. It holds a lot of secrets, in particular, no one knows for sure when it was built. However, it is clear that natural disasters - that took place about 60 years ago - forced the locals to look for a new home.

8. Doel, Belgium

A small ghost town with the name of Doel has been existed in Belgium for 700 years now, but since the 70-ies of the last century, it has been destined for demolition due to the fact that it was abandoned by its inhabitants. Nevertheless, today it has become home to many famous graffiti artists.

7. Milovice, Czech Republic

This city is located about 50 kilometers from the capital of the Czech Republic. Until 1990, its population consisted of the military of the USSR, however, with the withdrawal of the troops, the city deserted. Before that moment, about 30,000 people lived there. Now, there is no one.
The city also hosted films such as "The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin" (1993) and "Hostel" (2005).

6. Spinalonga, Greece

This island has gone through many incarnations, but the last thing we know about it is that it was a colony of lepers. Since 1903, the lepers were transferred to the island where they were given food, water, and medical support, but when the cure of leprosy was discovered (1957), the inhabitants left the city. Today, it is not only one of the abandoned cities in Europe, but also a popular tourist attraction.

5. Pyramiden, Norway

Today, the chief residents of the city in Norway are polar bears. It is a former Soviet village located around coal mines that has been abandoned since 1998.
Most of its buildings still remain intact. However, there have been several attempts to turn the village into a tourist area, but officially, it belongs to a Russian firm.

Named after the mountain located nearby, the shape of which is like a pyramid, the settlement was bought out by the Soviet Union from Sweden in 1927 year. In the most lively period, there lived about 1200 people in the city.

4. Imber, England

This village is situated in Wiltshire on the Salisbury plain. It was evacuated in December 1943. Allied troops were using the area to prepare for the invasion of Europe during World War II.

Local residents were never allowed to return to their homes, therefore, the village is included in our 'Top Ten Ghost Towns In Europe'. However, it is a training ground for British soldiers, but it is opened to visitors during certain periods such as Christmas and the so-called Bank holiday.

3. Varosha, Famagusta, Cyprus

From afar a quarter of the town of Famagusta named Varosha looks like any other coastal resort that, in theory, should be filled with tourists searching sunlight. However, upon closer inspection of the quarter, it looks more like one of the darkest sea resorts in the world.
On the banks of Varosha once walked famous movie stars such as Elizabeth Taylor and Brigitte Bardot. However, in the summer of 1974, a city with a population of 40,000 people was captured by Turkish troops. All the locals ran away.

Today, the resort is the property of the Turks, but its beaches are empty, while dilapidated hotels are in the hands of nature.

2. Oradour-sur-Glane, France

Destroyed by Nazi troops during the Second World War, the village of Oradour-sur-Glane was the site of massacres of the local inhabitants. In June of 1944, there were shot 642 people.
Today its ruins constitute a memorial to those who were shot at close range or burned alive at that time. Since the mass murder, the village remains intact.

1. Pripyat, Ukraine

The abandoned city of Pripyat near the Northern border of Ukraine with Belarus is probably the most famous ghost town in the world.
Its inhabitants were forced to leave their homes with their property, which they had managed to collect till the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in April 1986. The incident is considered to be the worst nuclear disaster in the world.
The once-thriving Soviet city the population of which was more than 50 000 people is now abandoned.

An exclusion zone covering an area of more than 1,000 square meters was created around the abandoned station to protect people from exposure to radiation. Scientists say that the area will not be safe to live in for another 20,000 years.