50 Startling Photos of Abandoned Places Around the World

 This view of Holland Island, Maryland, shows the last remnants of the sunken Chesapeake Bay legacy

Come with us on a journey around the world and visit some of the most amazing and sometimes frightening abandoned places. Each breathtaking image captures a historically significant place that was once brimming with life and purpose.

Today, the following monuments stand alone as indicators of bygone eras. From ancient fairy-tale-like palaces to forgotten secret military infrastructure, these abandoned buildings are a reminder of the fleeting nature of time.

Holland Island in the Chesapeake Bay shows how quickly the relentless elements of coastal wilderness can take over human habitation. The island once supported a thriving community of fishermen and agriculturalists alike. Hundreds of charming homes and peaceful shops were scattered across the island, including a small local church.

The sea eventually became too much for this fragile piece of land, as residents could no longer fight the strong winds, waves and slow erosion that began to wear away at the island's shorelines. By the early 20th century, despite numerous efforts to protect the land, erosive forces accelerated and the community eventually retreated in search of more stable land.

Uncovering an Unsettling Equine Mystery at Ponyhenge, a Quiet Area in Lincoln, Massachusetts

Ponyhenge is a curious display of rocking horses and other themed toys that cannot help but attract the attention of the casual passerby. This mysterious (or, um, super weird) collection of plastic hobby horses embodies a strange scene amidst the rural New England landscape. There is no dearth of local folklore surrounding this eerie site.

As legend has it, Ponyhenge began with a lone rocking horse abandoned by an unknown party. Over time, more horse figures began to mysteriously accumulate until they attracted more anonymous donors. Contributors began displaying this unusual collection in a unique circular pattern reminiscent of ancient megaliths. An ever-growing collection of toy horses is said to be mysteriously transferred from one part of the circle to another. The spontaneity of performance gives this area a truly unique expression that cannot be found elsewhere.

Echoes of Cape Romano's futuristic dreams are on display in this abandoned Florida dome home development

This group of abandoned domed domestic structures off the coast of Marco Island, along the coast of Cape Romano, resembles strange ornaments designed by a broken subaqueous civilization. As if in some futuristic dream, these residences have long succumbed to the notoriously powerful forces of Florida's nature.

The visionary dome structures were built by retired oil executive Bob Lee as an ecologically sustainable vacation home, complete with off-grid solar power and a forward-looking water collection system. The distinctive rounded shapes of this residence reflect an eco-friendly approach to modern living that has yet to be realized. At the same time, abandoned domes point to a fading chapter in architectural history as dome structures have long gone out of style.

Java's "Chicken Church".

Gereja Ayam, also known by its alternative nickname The Chicken Church of Java, is abandoned near Magelang. This unique underground temple is located against the dense and incredible Indonesian jungle. Built by Daniel Alamsjah in the 1990s, the divinely inspired monument served as a place of worship for followers of his religion.

After a series of financial constraints and resistance among the local people, the structure was eventually left incomplete and surrendered to the surrounding forest under the weight of its own wings. Originally intended as a dovecote, the temple got new life as stories of it circulated on the Internet. Java's eccentric Chikan Church is now decorated with jewel tiling and a cloud-painted ceiling. There are 12 prayer rooms in the catacombs of this dream-like religious monument. Beginner tourists can pay to tour the structure and watch the sunrise from the crown of the cock-shaped temple.

Indonesia's locomotive graveyard reminds of country's global steam age

Behind the grassy fields of Purwakarta lies a group of sad locomotives, many of which date from the early 20th century. The desolate resting place for these once majestic engineering marvels powered Indonesia's early industrial era. Today, these machines are rarely supported by their own massive steel frames. They are rusted and deprived of the bustling vitality that once powered these sturdy industrial pieces of machinery in the Indonesian countryside.

 

This eerie graveyard for retired engines stands as a lasting, if macabre, monument to the golden age of rail travel.

Japan's Aniwa Rock Lighthouse still exists as a relic of World War II

Magnificently perched on an uneven slope at the southern tip of Sakhalin Island, the Aniwa Rock Lighthouse takes a lonely stand over the Sea of Okhotsk, Japan. Now left to the elements, the lighthouse was originally constructed by Japanese engineers during the global depression of the 1930s. Known as one of the most remote lighthouses in the world, this structure, also known as Nakashiratoko, supports nine floors 31 meters high.

Russia took control of the tower after the country annexed Sakhalin Island at the end of World War II. The beauty of its decaying facade strikes home the isolation endured by its original guardians, who diligently patrolled the area for sailors brave enough to cross these difficult straits. Its silent riposte and powerful character evoke its past as a lifeline to dozens of ship captains who found themselves lost at sea.