Reckless Abandon

Abandoned things fascinate me. Abandoned cities, buildings, theme parks; any place humans have used up and discarded as if it never mattered, as if there were never memories to be made there. Some are famous, some are not, but all are like a snippet in time of where we once were. I have not had the fortune to explore a major abandoned place, be it a city or factory or ship, abandoned hospital or asylum or school. However, I think my fascination started as a child when I used to spend many a sunny day roaming around concrete bomb shelters that littered the fields behind my house, finding new ways to climb through the ruins on a regular basis, intrigued by the history of them. Like so many things, they were demolished to make way for new housing because those that are in charge don't seem to grasp the concept of nostalgia, but the memories linger on in the minds of those in the know.

With that being said, I thought I'd share with you some of the ones I have "discovered" whilst trawling through abandoned pictures and websites dedicated to urbexing, or the URBan EXploration of abandoned places.  As stated in the previous paragraph, I have not had the pleasure of being able to explore any of these places, so the photographs I will post are not my own.  I will give credit where it is known, and should anyone prefer I not use their photo, please let me know and I will happily remove it.

Pripyat, Ukraine

Pripyat, on the northern Ukraine border, is infamous as the site of the Chernobyl disaster which took place on the 26^th of April 1986, when an explosion and subsequent fire at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant released a large number of radioactive particles in to the atmosphere. The decision to evacuate the population of approximately 49,400 was taken the day after the disaster and buses and trucks arrived to shuttle people away.  In the years following the disaster, no-one has returned to live in Pripyat, as the radiation levels remain too high for it to be habitable, but tours to the area are possible as the radiation level isn't concentrated enough to affect short-term visitors.

Inside Pripyat is an amusement park that was scheduled to be opened on May 1^st 1986, but was never officially opened due to the Chernobyl disaster.  It did, however, open for a brief period on April 27^th in order for the residents to enjoy it prior to being evacuated.  Today the Ferris wheel and bumper cars stand as an eerie reminder of what once was and many of the buildings are so unsafe that tour guides are no longer allowed to let people go inside them.

Ferris wheel at Pripyat amusement park - Michael Day/Barcroft USA

Bumper cars at Pripyat amusement park - anotherview/Flickr

Swimming pool

Sports Hall overlooking Pripyat amusement park

Hashima (端島), Japan (aka Gunkanjima [軍艦島] [Battleship Island])

Located to the north east of Nagasaki, Hashima is an island once inhabited as a coal mining facility that was operated by Mitsubishi from 1890 and included housing for its workers.  In 1959 the island was one of the most densely populated on earth as it recorded a population of 5,259 sharing just 16 acres.  With the increase of petrol as Japan's major fuel source, the coal mines began to close down and the Hashima mine was officially closed in 1974 and the residents relocated.  The island remains abandoned today, with strictly limited access to tourists being granted in 2009.  Special permission from Nagasaki City Council is required to visit certain areas of the island, including "Stairway to Hell", seen below.

Stairway to Hell - Jordy Theiller

Hashima - Google Street View

Michael Gakuran

Six Flags New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, USA

Permanently closed in 2005 due to the effects of Hurricane Katrina, the Six Flags New Orleans amusement park had only been operating since 2003 after previously operating under the guise of Jazzland between 2000 and 2003.  Located on a low-lying area of eastern New Orleans, the parks drainage pumps failed during Katrina and the park was submerged to a depth of up to 7 feet in corrosive brackish flood water from Lake Pontchartrain, forcing the park to be closed indefinitely.  Upon inspection it was discovered that all of the park buildings were 80% demolished, all of the flat rides on site were ruined by long term saltwater immersion and the Mega Zeph ride was damaged beyond repair. The only salvageable ride was Batman: The Ride which had an elevated platform and corrosion-resistant support structure that was relocated to Six Flags Fiesta Texas in 2008 and renamed Goliath. Six Flags determined that the damage done to the park was too costly to repair and eventually came to a settlement agreement with the City of New Orleans to terminate the 75-year lease on the land.

Today, Six Flags New Orleans remains untouched by developers.  Items that could be taken and reused from the park by Six Flags have long gone and the remaining structures are covered in graffiti and the floor littered with debris.  Whilst the City of New Orleans now controls the land upon which the abandoned theme park sits, there has been no consensus on how to redevelop it, despite many proposals.

Six Flags New Orleans 14/09/2005 submerged after Hurricane Katrina - Bob McMillan/FEMA

erikjorgenson303/flickr

Pontchartrian Beach entrance - willcrusta/flickr

Barbe's ice cream shop - willcrusta/flickr

Mega Zeph - willcrusta/flickr

This is it for the time being.  As I have the time I'll add more places and pictures to new posts. If there is anywhere in particular that you would like me to cover, please let me know, and I'll do my best to provide you with some information!