211. Palazzo Nasciaro

Location: Malta
Year: 18th Century
Cost: $4.8 million*
The Palazzo Nasciaro was built by Francesco Sammut, a renowned architect, as a family home eventually intended to be inherited by his son. The location served as the Lieutenant’s house during the British period and went on to serve as a primary school and then a police station as well. The property is spread over 13,000 square feet and boasts a whole range of lavish structures that speak volumes of its original owner’s wealth even today.

Palazzo Nasciaro @Naxxar Town/commons.wikimedia.org
The location had stood abandoned for 25 years before British writer Paul Golding became so infatuated by it that he sold his house in London and spent seven years of his life trying to restore the property in Malta. After putting his own modern touch on the house, he put it up for sale, and it is still on the market.

212. Selma Mansion

Location: Virginia
Year: 1700
Cost: $1.8 million sale price as of 2020*
In its centuries-long history, the Selma Mansion has been held by several owners, and a multitude of families have had the opportunity to settle within its walls. The original mansion burned down in 1896 and was rebuilt in a colonial-style architecture in 1906 by its owner at the time, Elijah B. White. This was also the time period when the mansion was home to one of the first intercom systems in America.

Selma Mansion /washingtonlife.com
The property exchanged several hands before being abandoned by a Dutch businessman in the early 2000s, which is when it started falling apart. The interiors saw vandalism while nature took over the exteriors. In 2009, the house was added to the list of the state’s most at-risk historical sites, where it remained for the next seven years. Ultimately, entrepreneur Sharon Virts purchased the property in 2016, and it is currently in the process of being restored.

213. Thomas-Clay House

Location: Georgia
Year: 1893
Cost: $1.3 million*
This mansion might have faded since its early days, but it once used to be at the epicenter of high-society life in Georgia. It is believed that the 27th American president, William Howard Taft, often resided on the property in the early 20th century. While it has since fallen apart, one look at the house, and one can really picture its former luxury.

Thomas-Clay House /jamesedition.com
The limelight of the house is held by the grand staircase at its center, which really captures one’s eye. The woodwork is nothing short of grand, and the period features bring a nice balance between a luxurious house and a family home. Despite its worn-down condition, the house was sold by the original owner’s family in 2022 for over a million dollars. If it can get that sum of money in its run-down condition, imagine what it could become with a little renovation.

214. Swannanoa

Location: Virginia
Year: 1912
Cost: $51 million (adjusted for inflation)*
Three hundred artisans spent almost eight years finishing up this ultra-luxury mansion, with the owner Major James H Dooley, sparing no expense. The house was built as a romantic escape for Dooley and his beloved wife, for whom a highly expensive, 4,000-piece Tiffany stained-glass window was also put up in the mansion.

Swannanoa /virginia.org
Not only was the architecture stunning, but the mansion also featured modern components like an elevator and was the first in the vicinity to get electricity. The mansion was sold after the death of the Dooleys and passed around a bit before being abandoned for many upcoming years. It was eventually turned into a museum which also closed down and is now open to visitors only during specific months.

215. Mezhyhirya Residence

Location: Ukraine
Year: 1935
Cost: $75 million-$100 million*
The Mezhyhirya Residence in Ukraine served as the summer home of the Soviet leadership until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, after which it was passed to Ukrainian leadership. It went on to become the residence of prime minister Viktor Yanukovych during his term, who ended up spending hefty amounts of cash on improving the mansion. The interiors were all littered with glitz and glam, owing to the millions of dollars that were spent on it, earning the prime minister quite the backlash.

Mezhyhirya Residence @Novi Petrivtsi /commons.wikimedia.org
The prime minister ultimately had to flee Ukraine, seeking exile in Russia, and his since-abandoned estate still stands in all its grandeur today. In June 2022, it was announced that the state would officially be turning the residence into a state-protected park.

216. Bamboo Palace

Location: Congo
Year: 1970s
Cost: $100 million*
The Bamboo Palace is one of the three residences in the luxe palace complex built by Mobutu Sese Seko, the former president of Zaire, which is now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo. The palace was packed with paintings by the likes of Monet, to satisfy the owner’s admiration of art. It also hosted a staff of over 700 to cater to every demand of the president or his wife.

Bamboo Palace /thetimes.co.uk
Mobutu eventually fled to Morocco in 1997, where he lived out his final days. After his family abandoned the palace, nature took over and since then, it has stood as an eerie skeleton of what it once used to be: a symbol of elite luxury. Looters took away all the valuables, and it is simply in ruins today.

217. Kinmel Hall

Location: Wales
Year: 1870s
Cost: $965,000 sale price as of 2021*
This magnanimous mansion was built for Hugh Robert Hughes, a copper tycoon who was quite well-known for his regal lifestyle. It passed through several families and was used as a home up until 1929; after that, it was first converted into a boys school, then a spa for rheumatoid sufferers, and eventually a military convalescent home during World War 2.

Kinmel Hall @William Eden Nesfield/commons.wikimedia.org
After the war, it changed hands again and was turned into a girls school and then a Christian conference center. The last known owner of the mansion was a mystery buyer who acquired the property in 2011 with plans of developing a luxury hotel, but alas, they never reached fruition. The property was left abandoned and overtaken by looters. In 2021, it was auctioned off to a local resident who wanted to restore it to its former glory, but promising results have yet to be seen.

218. Hook End Manor

Location: England
Year: 1580
Cost: Undisclosed
One of the oldest buildings on this list, the Hook End Manor boasts a rich and decadent history. It was, at one point in its long history, a psychiatric asylum and has also served as a residence for singers like Alvin Lee and David Gilmour. The former built a recording studio in the barn where both singers recorded several albums. Trever Horn eventually acquired and turned the property into a luxurious recording venue.

Hook End Manor /rpaarchitects.co.uk
Many of the mansion’s residents have claimed to have seen haunted activity on the premises. A very real tragedy did occur on the site in 2006 when Horn’s son accidentally shot his mother while practicing his air rifle. The house was then sold to producer Mark White who continued to invest in the studio while the insides of the house itself fell into disarray, leading the manor to be almost abandoned.

219. Loftus Hall

Location: Ireland
Year: 1350
Cost: $2.87 million sale price as of 2020*
It’s no mystery why this home was abandoned – it’s considered to be the most haunted location in all of Ireland. The myth of the residence also led to it being used as the main shooting location for the 2017 horror film, The Lodgers. The first former paranormal account from the house dates back to the 17th century when, allegedly, the owner led in a passer-by who they claimed turned out to be a supernatural entity.

Loftus Hall /commons.wikimedia.org
The house then exchanged several hands, with many being afraid of its ill-fated effect. In 2011, Shane and Aidan Quigley purchased the house and renovated it to become the site of haunted tours and spooky stays for several years until 2020.

220. Hamilton Palace

Location: England
Year: 1985
Cost: $52 million*
The construction for the Hamilton Palace started back in 1985 and still hasn’t reached completion to date. It was once considered the most expensive private house in England, with its size being bigger than that of Buckingham Palace. Not to forget, the location also has its own set of rumors of hauntings and paranormal activity.

Hamilton Palace /theargus.co.uk
There are big and small reasons why the palace hasn’t been able to be completed. The small reasons were disputes with neighbors, while the bigger one being the owner getting convicted of manslaughter in 2002. The construction on the project stopped after that event, and it has come to be known as the ‘ghost house of Sussex.’

221. Ho Thuy Tien

Location: Vietnam
Year: 2004
Cost: $3 million*
The Ho Thuy Tien water park was a highly ambitious project consisting of planned rides, aquariums, eateries, and live entertainment. The park opened its doors to visitors in 2004, even before it was completely constructed. Despite being popular with locals, the water park eventually had to be abandoned in just a few months due to a shortage of funds.

Ho Thuy Tien /tilytravels.com
Since then, it has stood that way, with the locals describing it as ‘surreal’ and ‘eerie’ due to the lack of human presence. The bright hues of the park still speak of its potential, but the stagnant water in the rides tells a different story. Despite being abandoned, the park still attracts many visitors, especially owing to a giant dragon structure situated inside it.

222. Bissingen Castle

Location: Serbia
Year: 1859
Cost: Undisclosed
This stunning architectural structure was built by Count György Moconje in 1859 and very deeply reflects the culture of the place it is located in. The visually aesthetic exterior of the castle features several starking elements that make it quite breathtaking to look at, even years after being abandoned. Despite being severely run-down, one can still look at the castle today and see the splendor it once held.

Bissingen Castle /serbiancastles.blogspot.com
The castle changed hands during its earlier years, and many local residents have come up with different versions of supernatural experiences that they have had on the property, but these haunting stories are not the reason behind its abandonment. The owner’s family eventually had to give the castle up owing to differences with new agrarian laws and reforms at the cusp of the Second World War.

223. Havelis of Shekhawati

Location: India
Year: 19th Century
Cost: Undisclosed
Shekhwati is a region in Rajasthan, India, that was once ruled by Shekhwat Rajputs during the era of pre-British occupation. The region is considered the world’s largest open-air art gallery due to the numerous havelis (mansions) with fresco artwork spread across their entirety. These mansions and the subsequent artworks within them were a sign of the opulence and wealth of the owners.

Havelis of Shekhawati /quirkywanderer.com
They were mainly occupied by those involved in trading, and once the trade moved elsewhere, so did the residents. Hence, some of the world’s most beautiful mansions were abandoned for good and have stayed that way till today. Despite those developments, many flock to the region to take in the absolute beauty that these mansions offer.

224. Six Flags

Location: New Orleans
Year: 2000
Cost: $873 million construction estimate to regenerate the area*
Who has not enjoyed an adventurous summer or two riding the many amusements that Six Flags theme parks all over the United States have to offer? While a provider of joy to many, the New Orleans Six Flags was, unfortunately, not so lucky in its history. Considered one of the creepiest abandoned amusement parks, the park was put out of business after severe damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Six Flags @Chris Hagerman/Flickr.com
Even after the storm passed, there just weren’t enough funds to reopen the park, and it kept falling further into disarray over the years. There’s an eerie sign on the entrance of the park to this day that says ‘closed for the storm.’ It’s this aura that has inspired many to use the park as a shooting location for apocalyptic movies such as Jurassic World and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. 

225. Gulliver’s Kingdom

Location: Japan
Year: 1997
Cost: $350 million*
Gulliver’s Kingdom was a theme park based on the novel Gulliver’s Travels, but it, unfortunately, could not sustain itself and closed down within just four years of opening. Some might argue that the park was surrounded by a negative aura to begin with, considering it had Japan’s suicide forest on one side and the location of the sarin gas attacks on another.

Gulliver’s Kingdom @CHRIS PLEASANCE/dailymail.co.uk
The park was abandoned due to low visitor numbers and hefty costs, which are pretty self-explanatory, looking at how expensive the construction was. The park has fallen into shambles over the years, with a large, disintegrating structure of Gulliver serving as quite an eerie sight.

226. Hellinikon International Airport

Location: Greece
Year: 1938
Cost: $8 billion regeneration project planned*
With over 12 million passengers a year, the Hellinikon International Airport was considered Athens’ main airport until 2001, when it was replaced by Athens International Airport and subsequently abandoned. The airport was abandoned due to economic reasons, noise pollution, and security concerns. Some authorities also said that the airport was unable to meet the rising tourism needs of the country.

Hellinikon International Airport /airliners.net
Many plans to redevelop the airport have been curated and then failed until one development group took it over in 2019. They plan to turn the location into a metropolitan park that contains everything from residential areas and hotels to theme parks and sports facilities.

227. Pripyat Amusement Park

Location: Ukraine
Year: 1986
Cost: $170 for a guided tour*
The Pripyat Amusement Park is considered by many to be the creepiest abandoned park in Europe. The park had planned a grand opening on May 1, 1986, but ultimately it could not take place as the Chernobyl nuclear disaster erupted just days before on the 26th of April. Some say that before being abandoned forever, the park was opened for just one day on the 27th of April as entertainment for those who waited to evacuate the location.

Pripyat Amusement Park @asphotostudio /freepik.com
The park still contains extremely high levels of radiation owing to its proximity to Chernobyl. Festive decorations can still be seen near the rides, put up for an opening day that never arrived. The bright aura of the place, paired with the lingering effects of disaster, makes it a highly creepy location.

228. Yongma Land

Location: South Korea
Year: 1980
Cost: Undisclosed
The Yongma Land amusement park in Seoul was abandoned not for some eerie reason but just the fact that it became financially unviable. The park was extremely popular with locals when doors first opened, but after Lotte World came into being in 1989, the countdown started for Yongma Land. Income dwindled enough for the park to close down permanently in 2011.

Yongma Land /atlasobscura.com
Despite the rides being abandoned, you can still pay a small fee to enter the park and walk around. Many photographers frequent the location to take shots of the brightly-colored attractions, and it has also appeared in several Korean music videos.