Top 10 abandoned places in the world to visit that look like another planet
Express.co.uk has taken a look at some of the globe's most surreal abandoned places and some have been taken over by nature.
Whether they're creepy, striking or eerily beautiful, abandoned places have captured travellers' imagination for years.
Some abandoned places have been taken over by nature while others have become tourist attractions. Varosha, an abandoned seaside resort once popular with celebrities, is now included on tours of the areas. An abandoned village in China has been taken over by plants.
In an interview with Express.co.uk, Oliver Smith, author of the Atlas of Abandoned Places, A Journey of the World's Forgotten Wonders, said that abandoned places slip in and out of that state.
The travel expert said: "Places slip in and out of abandonment. We wouldn't really say ancient ruins like Stonehenge are abandoned because the distance between us and the people that used it is so long ago."
Have you visited an abandoned place? Let us know in the comments.
10. Maunsell Sea Forts, England
These spooky-looking towers were built to protect England from German air raids during WWII. The sea forts were decommissioned in the 1950s and one was used by pirate radio station, Radio City, in the 1960s and 70s. Nowadays, you can see the forts on a boat tour.
9. Chicken Church, Indonesia
Looming over the jungle on the Indonesian island of Java, Chicken Church or 'Gereja Ayam', is a quirky abandoned spot. The church served as a rebab centre and multifaith worship centre in the 1990s but construction costs ran too high and it was abandoned in 2000. Tourists can visit the forgotten bird today and there's even a cafe operating there.
8. Beelitz-Heilstatten Hospital, Germany
One of the world's more frightening abandoned places, this hospital was left to decay in the 1940s. It was originally designed as a tuberculosis sanatorium in the late 1800s and served as a hospital in World War I. It was then used as a treatment centre for Nazi soldiers during World War II and for Soviet soldiers until the fall of the Berlin Wall.
7. Lake Reschen Bell Tower, Italy
It might look like something out of a fairytale but Lake Reschen Bell Tower was abandoned in less mystical circumstances. A project by an electric company in the 1940s to unify two dams led to several towns being purposely flooded. However, the 14th-century bell tower survived the flood and looms over the lake to this day. In winter, tourists can cross the ice to see it.
6. Ho Thuy Tien theme park, Vietnam
An abandoned water park just outside Hue in Vietnam, the theme park was closed 20 years ago in 2004. It closed the same year it opened but was reopened in 2006. That didn't last long as it was shuttered in 2011 due to a lack of business. Now the abandoned theme park attracts urban explorers.