50 Of The Most Breathtaking Forgotten Places, Shared In The ‘Abandoned Beauties’ Facebook Group
There aren’t too many opportunities to feel like an adventurer in modern times. However, exploring abandoned places and finding unexpected treasures can give you that deep thrill. You might not bring anything physical back to show for your efforts, but the photos you take and the first-hand experiences make for even better souvenirs.
The ‘Abandoned Beauties’ Facebook page is dedicated to urban exploration (aka Urbex or UE) and showcasing gorgeous images of abandoned places and objects. Both past and present. We’ve got a beautiful selection of photos from them to share with you today, Pandas, so go on and have a scroll down into the mysterious, uncharted wilds of Urbex. Upvote your fave photos and, if you’ve ever gone exploring like this yourselves, tell us all about it in the comments.
A very strong note of warning, dear Pandas: your safety is of paramount importance. If you plan on exploring any abandoned places, you need to take the necessary precautions and be extremely careful. I know that you’re all very capable, but you can’t go adventuring without the proper preparations if you want to stay safe. More on that below.
I reached out to photographer Dominic Sberna for some advice about how to keep our photography gear safe while exploring new areas, how to get the right lighting for photos in dark settings, and to understand just how vital camera angles are.
Dominic told Bored Panda that camera angles are important when it comes to showing off the scope of a large building. "A lower angle is going to intensify the view, just as a high vantage point would. The vantage point really matters as well. Depending on what you're going for in your shot, you'll want to have a nice showcase of the scene in front of you when exploring any abandoned property," the photographer explained. You'll find the full interview below.
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Mcdermott's Castle, Abandoned Fairytale Irish Castle In The Middle Of A Lake, County Roscommon, Ireland
"A wide-angle lens is always a great option for any confined space, but again this all depends on the look you're going for and is absolutely dependent on the scene in front of you. If you're in a massive industrial warehouse, you could lose some impact to your image if you have a super-wide-angle lens," photographer Dominic told Bored Panda
"At the end of the day, just like any genre of photography and anything in life, practice makes perfect. But don't beat yourself up if your images aren't 'perfect.' You should always try to take them for yourself. If others like them, that's an added bonus and you'll stay true to your creative self by knowing you did things for yourself," the photographer suggested that we focus on what makes us happy instead of trying to please absolutely everyone else.
Abandoned House In The Swamp
A Very Little Key Will Open A Very Heavy Door. Charles Dickens
"The best way to keep your camera safe is to always keep it attached to you. That might mean different things to different people. Generally having your camera strap around your neck is a good thing. But, if you feel more comfortable holding it, that way if something unexpected does happen, you can move as needed," Dominic said.
When it comes to lighting, your camera's inbuilt flash might not be enough. He shared that he will "always advocate" for a tripod and a long exposure when shooting in dark settings.
The Garden Of Ninfa Is A Landscape Garden In The Territory Of Cisterna Di Latina, In The Province Of Latina, Central Italy
The garden includes the ruins of the ancient settlement of Ninfa, whose name seems to derive from a classical era nymphaeum, a temple dedicated to nymphs, located on an island in the small lake.
Abandoned Castle In Italy
Can you imagine how beautiful this once was.. The winding staircase, the balls that took place there... So sad that it can't be restored...
Abandoned Casino In Romania
restoration works are in progress. in 1-2 years will be reopen.
"If you're wanting an action shot in the dark or a more illuminated subject, I'd recommend using an external flash or using external lighting altogether," Dominic suggested. "Depending on the look you're going for will depend on your preferred light source."
He noted that the flash on a camera has a fairly harsh and direct light. "You're going to cause a lot of harsh shadows and as a general rule, I would recommend staying away from the on-camera flash unless you absolutely have to use it," the photographer told Bored Panda.
The Stairway Of An Abandoned Button Factory
Looks like someone raided the place and dropped the stash as they were escaping.
A Perfect Place For Peaceful Thoughts And Meditation
Abandoned 19th Century Greenhouse, France
The ‘Abandoned Beauties’ project has quite the member count over on Facebook. A whopping 435.8k people follow the page. It’s easy to see why.
The photos are stunning and evoke a sense of mystery, adventure, and uncovering lost secrets. The photos are also peppered with a heavy dose of creepiness that makes us just uncomfortable enough to keep us alert.
Abandoned Glasshouse
We have one of these in my town park. It’s really beautiful. I wanted to restore it and turn it into a cafe, the council planning department said no and it’s still rotting away with more and more windows being smashed by yobs each passing year. Sigh.
Abandoned Mansion, Belgium
Abandoned Chapel In France
The founder of the ‘Abandoned Beauties’ project notes that they credit all the photographers for their work. If you notice a gorgeous photo without any credits, then that means that the image is either part of the creative commons license or the page wasn’t able to find the original photographer.
If you have any questions about all of that and you want to give the photographers a follow but can’t seem to find the original source, try asking the page moderator or the community itself. You never know, you might find someone who’s in the know!
One thing to keep in mind is that, overwhelmingly, the authors of the photos don’t add details about the precise locations. This is done very much on purpose, in order to protect the locations and objects from vandalism.
The Ruins Of Bannerman’s Castle, An Abandoned Military Surplus Warehouse, Still Stand In The Middle Of The Hudson River
Fairy Tale House
I Don't Understand Why People Abandoned Beautiful Properties Like This
Keeping the locations secret is a very practical approach. While a handful of urban explorers visiting an abandoned ship (which is dangerous in itself) might not do much harm (especially if they don’t remove anything as souvenirs), the same can’t be said about dozens, hundreds, or possibly even thousands of visitors.
A Library Inside An Abandoned 19th Century Victorian Mansion. Who Wants To Explore??
Italy
Ballysaggartmore Towers Are Two Ornate Entrance Lodges (One Also Acts As A Bridge)
They are situated on the former Ballysaggartmore Demesne approx 2.5 kilometres from the town of Lismore in County Waterford, Ireland. The structures are were constructed for an Anglo Irish Landlord, Arthur Keily-Ussher no later than 1834.
Imagine if a huge flood of urban explorers would end up going to a single location. Some of them might be veterans who know to treat the location with care, however, others might be amateurs who damage the place willfully or by accident.
The Magnificence Of An Abandoned Place
A Roman Bathhouse Still In Use After 2,000 Years In Khenchela, Algeria
An Old Castle That’s Been Left Behind In England
It's not an abandoned castle, it's King Alfred's tower, a folly built in the1760s to commemorate the end of the Seven Years' War against France and the accession of King George III near the location of Egbert's Stone, where it is believed that Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, rallied the Anglo-Saxons in 878 before the Battle of Edington.
Thanks, Rich, for taking time to share the history...!!!
Load More Replies...What do you mean 'left behind'? what when we moved all the castles somewhere else? lol
Is that like the butler's castle next to the actual castle or something? That's such cute tiny castle.
Imagine the thigh and bum muscles you'd have after climbing those stairs all day!
Been there. Thought about walking up. Decided not to.
Load More Replies...I love old beacon towers. The keepers quarters are on the left. Between 1200-1800 beacon keeps were built throughout Europe. Built on a rise, a hill, or a mountain, the tall narrow towers could be seen for many miles. A beaconeer would have banners, flags or a lens to send signals or codes to armies or even other towers.
Lots of follies were built in times of recession to give work to local craftsmen when they fell on hard times. Now the rich don't give a s**t about anything other than themselves and more money.
Being rich back then implies being a landowner who partook in government, so they had an obligation to local society. Now it's just a race to the top.
Load More Replies...Hey know it all Rich, most people just understand " looks abandoned " maybe not technically, but you get the drift. Besides whoever told you that epic structure was built in 1760 lied to you. Without power tools? Just some horses and and unskilled slaves. You might want to sit down for this but History is not our-story. You or I don't have the slightest clue what the real story is.
This is St. Alfred's Tower on the Stourhead Estate in Somerset, England. It was built (commissioned) by Henry Hoare II who was a leading banker in London and was later Member of the British Parliament for the constituency of Salisbury, Wilts. The tower is what's known as a "folly" - a decorative feature in the landscape - but one that commemorates an important historical event... see other posts. The tower is 131 Ft'. high and its interior is 100% comprised of a spiral staircase of 215 steps. it is open to the public (within restricted hours) and offers outstanding views over the surrounding countryside.
If restored, there would be spectacular views from the top of the tower.
More foot traffic means more wear and tear and that means that the risk of getting hurt increases. Someone might weaken the floorboards in an abandoned shack or someone else might have vandalized the railings, leading to a nasty fall.
Abandoned Beach House Slowly Being Reclaimed By The Sea, North Carolina
Shengsi Islands
There are few reminders of the power of nature as beautiful and stark as the scenes at the abandoned village of Houtouwan, on the Shengsi archipelago just off the Chinese mainland.
This small fishing village was only deserted in the early 1990s, but since then nearly every building has been enveloped by some of the densest greenery you will ever see.
Abandoned Hotel Del Salto, Colombia. Explore Or Ignore?
Part of being an urban explorer means keeping a lot of information secret, only sharing it with a small handful of trustworthy community members. Posting photos is fine; shouting about where you took them isn’t.
Beautiful Abandoned Miners' Cottages In A Disused Slate Quarry In Snowdonia, North Wales
The quarry closed in 1969 due to industry decline and because 170-years of working the site had reaulted in waste tips sliding into the main pit workings.
I can't help but imagine the misery of living in one of those stone cells and trudging off every day in that dank, dim air to work in the mines.
Strasbourg, France
Abandoned Hotel In Northern Italy (San Pellegrino)
Preparation is everything when it comes to Urbex. That means getting yourself a good pair of gloves, a pair of thick shoes, and wearing a quality dust mask. When you venture out, you should be wearing heavy clothing and perhaps even a helmet of some sort to protect your body from any debris or in the case of a fall.
Hidden In The Forest
Abandoned Spa Town In The Czech Republic
Abandoned Villa In Italy
Before you venture out, do some research about the area and the specific location. Reach out to any local Urbex communities or any pals who you know go exploring after school or work. Whenever possible, consider starting your adventure with a partner or two by your side. That way, if one of you gets hurt, the other can help! And that means that you all get back home safely, ready to share your fantastic photos with everyone on the internet.
Ghost Cloud Temple
I think this is the pi bedugul hotel in Bali. Abandoned because the building against local rule for not build anything higher then local Pura, so considered to having bad luck.
Aniva Lighthouse In Sakhalin, North Of Japan
French Castle
A Sanatorium, In Poland. Explore Or Ignore?
Sintra
This is not abandoned, it is called "Poço Iniciático" (or Well of Initiation), and it belongs to the complex of Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra, Portugal. It can be visited.
Skola Tower. Italia
Is that the real name? There was no letter K in the Italian language.
Abandoned Beauty
Abandoned Train In Siberia
Abandoned Guitar Factory
Awesome Staircase In Europe
Who’s Interested In Escaping Civilization And Buying Their Own Private Island In Wales? This Fixer Upper Sea Fort With Epic Views Is Now For Sale, It Was Last Upgraded In 1859!
An Overgrown Pool At An Abandoned Mansion. Location Unknown
Atmosphere In Russia
Abandoned Library
Volkswagen Graveyard
Abandoned Hotel - 2019
Smirnykh, Sakhalinskaya Oblast', Russia
Originally, the airfield on this place was built in the early 20th century for the Imperial Japanese Army and was called Keton. It consisted of a 1200 m long concrete runway, gravel taxiways and about 20 equipped aircraft parking lots.
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After the Soviet Union regained control over Sakhalin in 1945, the Smirnykh airfield (both the village and airfield were renamed in 1946 after the battalion commander who died in the battles for the liberation of the island in this area) became home to the 528th Fighter Aviation Regiment, which performed the tasks of air defense of Sakhalin Island and its marine zone.
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In 1966, the airfield was reconstructed. A new runway with a length of 2,000 m was built, which was later extended to 2,500 m, as well as reinforced concrete shelters for aircrafts with fan exit to taxiways.
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In 1994 the fighter aviation regiment was disbanded. The aircrafts were moved to Komsomolsk-on-Amur, where a storage base was equipped, but later all of them were disposed off. But two MiG-23s, one combat aircraft and one combat trainer, were left in hangars at the Smirnykh, where they remain to this day...
Abandoned...
If Walls Could Talk...
Soviet Era Tupolev 104 Jet
Abandoned And Beautiful
Abandoned Church In France Where Nature Has Taken Over
Abandoned 19th Century Greenhouse
They Do Not Make Anything Like They Use To
A Glimpse Of Otagi Nenbutsu-Ji Temple, Arashiyama, Japan
The Gate Keeper At The Abandoned Putzar Castle In Germany
Brings Back Memories Of Phantom Of The Opera
An Abandoned Carousel
Odd. Were the stairs added later? Would prevent it going round otherwise.
This Beautiful Synagogue Has Been Abandoned For Over 20 Years
That is, sadly, the The Great Synagogue of Constanța, built in 1914 in a Moorish Revival architectural style. It was abandoned in 1996, as most of the Jewish community of Constanța either died off or emigrated to Israel. It has been slowly decaying ever since and there is no money or much public interest to save it.
This Is A Ship Is Stranded On Koh Chang And Used To Be Bookable As Accommodation. Now It's Completely Deserted For Some Years Already And People Call It The 'Ghost Ship'
Old Castle In New Hampshire
Its actually the staircase of a house built in the 1920's that burned down in the 1960s. https://newengland.com/today/travel/new-hampshire/madame-sherris-castle-ruins/
Abandoned 19th Century Greenhouse
Villa In Italy
Abandoned Somewhere
Palace
Amazing 19th Century Staircase On An Abandoned Building!
This Sculpture Of Jesus At Abandoned Cemetery In Poland Gets Slowly Absorbed By A Tree
Abandoned Bank Vault
Nature Taking Over
Room With A View
A 14th Century Abandoned Castle In Scotland
Abandoned Chapel
Staircase Inside An Abandoned Hospital
It doesn't seem practical for a hospital... I guess I wasn't the first to come to this conclusion ... Could be a great environment for a museum or gallery, though~
Abandoned Castle In France That Once Employed Over 1,200 People At Its Peak
The Splendor Still Shines Through
On Planet Earth
Overgrown Greenhouse In Illinois, United States
I dont understand why all of these absolutely stunning greenhouses are just left behind. They wouldnt even take that much effort to restore.
An Overgrown Boat On The River In Europe, Exact Location Unknown
This is the MS Heimliche Liebe in Frankfurt and it is a science project.
An Old Sanatorium Where Nature Has Begun To Take Over. Exact Location Unknown
Derailed
Sevastopol Shipyard
Abandoned Observation Tower At Coral Island, Bahamas
Be Careful!
Poland
Either that was placed there, or someone had a s**t ya pants lucky landing
Some of these are too grand to be allowed to deteriorate, surely they could have been repurposed.
And who is supposed to pay for that? Restoring an historical building easily costs tens of millions.
Load More Replies...Amazing. You can just feel the layers of history in these places waiting to be unpeeled.
It would be better if BP was doing a little more work on the posts and write the location of every building! Honestly it's not that difficult since the commenters can find it with one click! It would take a little more time and the post would be more complete and interesting! Uploading staff from reddit and other sites just like that is plain laziness!
Why were those beautiful buildings abandoned in the first place? Humans need to reclaimed their cities, towns, re-purpose , reuse old structure and stop urban sprawl - the desecrating' the nature!!!!
Sad. All these beautiful places left to rot. And NOTHING built today is anywhere this epic. We can only build bland and boring now. Well, no one will care when the current stuff is left to rot.
My favorite photography subject. I wish I could visit Europe more often. I've got all the gear, but... Waiting for the opportunity.
I love these places I always have since I was a child and explored my first farm house. It's like furniture you find in the garbage that someone has thrown out you see that piece and it wow that looks like a what ever you lake another look and that's what it is something fantastic . It like homes. I love to bring them back trying to keep the place as original as possible but with all the modern conveniences convinces with it . Ie nothing wrong with a 150 year old house with a 2023 kitchen in it . If you look at homes built in the 16th century you'll see over the years how different people have change and modernized . Just look at Buckingham palace from when it was first built by lord Buckingham then purchased by a royal family how over the years it's been changed from a brick palace to having it refaced with the stone that's on it now. And now with the new renovations that have started with the queen . But it's great to save our history even if it's an old ice house to a palace.
There is such strange weird beauty in these abandoned places, where nature adds her fractal embellishments to artificial objects.
Some of these are too grand to be allowed to deteriorate, surely they could have been repurposed.
And who is supposed to pay for that? Restoring an historical building easily costs tens of millions.
Load More Replies...Amazing. You can just feel the layers of history in these places waiting to be unpeeled.
It would be better if BP was doing a little more work on the posts and write the location of every building! Honestly it's not that difficult since the commenters can find it with one click! It would take a little more time and the post would be more complete and interesting! Uploading staff from reddit and other sites just like that is plain laziness!
Why were those beautiful buildings abandoned in the first place? Humans need to reclaimed their cities, towns, re-purpose , reuse old structure and stop urban sprawl - the desecrating' the nature!!!!
Sad. All these beautiful places left to rot. And NOTHING built today is anywhere this epic. We can only build bland and boring now. Well, no one will care when the current stuff is left to rot.
My favorite photography subject. I wish I could visit Europe more often. I've got all the gear, but... Waiting for the opportunity.
I love these places I always have since I was a child and explored my first farm house. It's like furniture you find in the garbage that someone has thrown out you see that piece and it wow that looks like a what ever you lake another look and that's what it is something fantastic . It like homes. I love to bring them back trying to keep the place as original as possible but with all the modern conveniences convinces with it . Ie nothing wrong with a 150 year old house with a 2023 kitchen in it . If you look at homes built in the 16th century you'll see over the years how different people have change and modernized . Just look at Buckingham palace from when it was first built by lord Buckingham then purchased by a royal family how over the years it's been changed from a brick palace to having it refaced with the stone that's on it now. And now with the new renovations that have started with the queen . But it's great to save our history even if it's an old ice house to a palace.
There is such strange weird beauty in these abandoned places, where nature adds her fractal embellishments to artificial objects.