Evocative of our own limits, these abandoned structures provide us an opportunity to consider our place--however temporary--in the world.
A building is never just that. It can be a place we call home, a repository for memories, an intimate space where we share even more intimate ideas; it’s one of the ways we as people lay physical claim to the world in which we live.
And just as a building is more than its material components, the same can be said for a building in shambles. Evocative of our own limits, mortality and time’s dominion over all, these abandoned structures provide as much aesthetic interest as they do opportunities to consider our place–however temporary–in the world:
An abandoned train in Czestochowa, Poland.
Nature asserts its power in Asunción, Paraguay. Source: Imgur
This abandoned Soviet hospital isn't exactly where you'd like to get a medical procedure.
A staircase within the Beelitz Military Hospital.
A blade mill returns to nature in France. Source: Imgur
The exterior of Belgium's Chateau Miranda. The castle was built for a family in 1866 but came under possession during World War II by the National Railway Company of Belgium, where it was converted into an orphanage. The castle has been abandoned since 1991.
A sleepy, sooty room in Chateau Miranda. Source: David Baker Photography
A dusty staircase in Chateau Miranda. Source: David Baker Photography
The interiors of Chateau Miranda. Source: Panoramio
Light shines through a barren church in Canada.
An empty congregation within an abandoned Detroit church. Source: Flickr
Decay amid Belgium's abandoned Dadipark amusement park. Source: Pinterest
A filthy slide in Dadipark. Source: Panoramio
The haunting halls of Philadelphia's Eastern State Penitentiary.
Australia's abandoned SS Ayrfield now serves as a centuries-old floating forest.
The larger than life decay in Japan's Gulliver's Travels Theme Park. Source: Tumblr
The hollowed out interiors of North Wales' Hafodunos Hall. Source: Imgur
Japan's uninhibited Hashima Island. Source: Bored Panda
Hashima Island's interior. Source: Bored Panda
An empty home struggles for footing amid Holland Island's expedited erosion.
The ghostly remains of Connecticut's Holy Land USA park, closed since 1984. Source: The Dreamy Idealist
The rusted entrance to Connecticut's Holy Land park. Source: 500 PX
A structure overtaken by flora along Ireland's Kerry Way trail. Source: Imgur
A derelict subway in Kiev, Ukraine.
Chicago's dilapidated Lawndale Theatre. Source: Imgur
Detroit's cavernous Michigan Central Station. Source: Bored Panda
An abandoned mill in Sorrento, Italy. Source: Imgur
A ghostly ride at Japan's Nara Dreamland theme park. The park was closed in 2006 due to low visitor numbers. Source: Imgur
The dusty interior of Massachusetts' Orpheum Theatre.
Remnants of the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Source: Imgur
Divers explore Shi Cheng, China. Shi Cheng was an ancient city but was ultimately flooded in 1959 to make room for a dam project. Source: Bored Panda
Roller coaster cars at Six Flags New Orleans. The park was closed after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. Source: Love These Pics
Abandoned bumper cars at Six Flags New Orleans. Source: Love These Pics
A decrepit stand at Six Flags New Orleans. Source: Love These Pics
An abandoned submarine base in Balaklava, Ukraine. Source: Bored Panda
An abandoned train station in Abkhazia, Georgia. Source: Bored Panda
Beijing's Wonderland Amusement Park.
The interior of Beijing's Wonderland Amusement Park. Source: The Atlantic
Workers at Beijing's Wonderland Amusement Park. Source: The Atlantic
A sunken yacht in Antarctica.
For more photographs of abandoned structures and places, visit our posts on abandoned photographs, abandoned Detroit, and desolate and deserted former Olympics sites.
