Buzz
Everything from the once tallest skyscraper to Asia's biggest theme park now lies in ruins.
Globally, colossal architectural works costing millions to build, including amusement parks, airports, resorts, and Olympic stadiums, have been abandoned to decay. From Olympic sites in Brazil to what was touted as the largest theme park in Asia, these structures have been deserted due to financial woes, poor management, conflicts, or even nuclear disasters.
Here are some of the most expensively constructed architectural projects now in ruins.
Greece's Hellenikon International Airport, once the primary airport of Athens, served over 12 million passengers a year.
However, it was closed down in 2001, succeeded by Athens International Airport, and has been left to desolation ever since.
All redevelopment plans for the airport have failed. In 2019, a recent development team pledged to transform the site into an urban park with residential areas, hotels, shopping centers, amusement parks, museums, and sports facilities, yet progress has been minimal.
Pripyat's amusement park in Ukraine was slated to open on May 1, 1986, but its inauguration was cancelled due to the devastating Chernobyl nuclear disaster a few miles away on April 26.
Reports indicate the park briefly opened on April 27 to provide some respite for the townspeople before evacuation orders were issued.
To this day, the park remains highly radioactive, rendering it off-limits for visitors or explorers.
The Aquatics Stadium built for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in Brazil is now in disrepair.
These once grand, now murky pools were where Olympic athletes competed.
Rio de Janeiro spent approximately $13 billion on the Olympics, leading to the abandonment of several venues.
This towering pyramid-shaped structure, known as the 'Hotel of Doom,' Ryugyong Hotel, remains uninhabited in Pyongyang, North Korea, having started construction in the 1980s.
The 105-story hotel, one of the tallest architectural works globally, became the world's tallest empty building when construction halted in the 1990s. It stands about 1,082 feet tall and cost an estimated $583.7 million to build, stalled due to technical issues and funding shortages.
Rumors have circulated about the hotel's impending completion, especially when it was lit up for North Korea's 70th National Day celebrations. Yet, there are no signs of Ryugyong Hotel coming into operation.
'Wonderland,' an abandoned amusement park spanning 120 acres, is located 20 miles from Beijing. Construction halted in 1998 due to financial problems and briefly resumed in 2008 before stopping again.
Half-finished structures rotted away for years on the land once destined to be Asia's largest amusement park. By 2013, much of the park, including its Medieval-style castle, was demolished.
Today, the unfinished Disney castle remains as one of the few architectural works still standing.
The futuristic San-Zhi Pod project in Taiwan was conceived in the 1970s as a luxury beach resort for the affluent.
The village, filled with colorful houses resembling UFOs, was never completed due to financial constraints and several construction accidents.
Despite rumors of its demolition, the vibrant houses still stand, occasionally attracting adventurous tourists.
Japan's Hashima Island, known as 'Battleship Island,' was once among the most densely populated areas globally until it was abandoned in the mid-1970s.
The island was famous for its vast undersea coal mines. In 1959, it was home to over 5,000 people, primarily miners and their families.
After the coal mines closed in 1974, the inhabitants deserted the island. Now, tourists visit to admire its unique desolate beauty.
Lee Plaza in Detroit, built in 1929 as a luxury apartment hotel, faced financial and legal troubles, especially during the Great Depression.
Once a luxurious hotel, it closed in 1997, having been converted into low-income senior housing. Detroit is now seeking developers for its restoration.
Constanta Casino was once dubbed the Monte Carlo of Romania, attracting wealthy tourists and hosting lavish royal parties.
This Art Nouveau building, commissioned by King Carol I around 1900 and opened as a casino in 1910, survived bombings in both World Wars.
Eventually, the maintenance became too costly, and it closed in 1990. The casino's roof is at risk of collapsing due to corrosion, as reported by the Romanian Business Journal.
Source: Business Insider
