20 Abandoned Places That Were Overrun By Nature
Updated: Apr. 20, 2020You won't believe what happens when nature takes over abandoned buildings and how quickly they can turn into part of a forest.
When nature takes over
While the current global lockdown has left a lot of places eerily empty, our local, now abandoned hotspots haven’t quite been taken over by the elements yet. But these buildings, left to rot and crumble to the ground, have had to contend with dirt, rain, plants, and other elements taking over until it eventually they wear away to nothing. But sometimes, the way nature overruns man-made architecture is more beautiful than when the building was brand new.
Slowly becoming green
This abandoned flour and sawmill in Sorrento, Italy is slowly turning from gray stone to lush green. These abandoned churches are eerily gorgeous.
Eastern seaboard
An abandoned beach house on the Gloucester shore in Massachusetts could be the perfect piece of property for a rehab project.
Mall to pond
The New World Mall in Thailand sits abandoned after it was discovered that the builders didn’t follow safety code for the structure. It was flooded with water after being left and it caused a bad mosquito problem for other buildings nearby. To help with the bugs, people added fish to the mall’s pond and now visitors often go inside to see them swimming around.
A regal residence
If this residence got the attention it deserves, it’d be quite the estate—just like one of these famous houses in each state.
Deep roots
The temple of Ta Prohm in Cambodia is being taken over by the roots of Bayon trees that surround the building.
Tunnel of love
Nature has formed a perfect arch of trees and other foliage around these tracks that a train occasionally passes through.
Abkhazia
An old mansion in Abkhazia, which is a region next to Russia and Georgia along the Black Sea, with overgrown plants could be a prime rehab project. The high ceiling and loads of windows likely made for a striking image in a past life. Check out these pictures of real ghost towns in the United States.
Green decaying buildings
Ivy and moss wrap itself around almost every surface of this abandoned fishing town in China.
Moss on roof
Back in 2008, the History Channel put together a series called Life After People, which explored what the world would look like if nature were free to reclaim it. Conventional wisdom says that an abandoned area will start to look like a forest in about five years, The moss on the roof of this house signals just the beginning of the eventual destruction of the house. Moss will absorb moisture and degrade material like shingles. Some places get taken over by nature even if they are bustling with people. These are the places you need to visit before they disappear.
Plants creep in
If a building is left alone for as little as five years, weeds take over, plants will grow from cracks, windows blow out and allow wind and rain to get in. You can see that the roof has deteriorated to the point where anything can get inside. This house might be beyond repair, but these abandoned houses are just begging for someone to restore them.
Red and green
The red brick of this deserted home and the bright fall leaves make it look both beautiful and eery.
Lush concrete
Greenery creeps around these abandoned concrete huts in the Philippines. They haven’t been touched since military forces left them more than 20 years ago.
Rusted metal
As rain is allowed unabated it will start to galvanize metal and rust it out. Even worse, when the weather gets below freezing, expansion and contraction of ice can split walls like a jackhammer. These abandoned hotels will give you the chills.
Abandoned hospital near Chernobyl
These days several companies provide tours of Pripyat as radiation levels have dropped in most places. This room once served as part of a hospital for the town of 49,400. Here are even more eerie photos of Chernobyl you have to see.
Sand
Sand is really mobile and will invade homes if given the opportunity. We all know how tough it can be to get sand out of things and if there’s an abandoned house in the desert, it’ll soon become part of the landscape.
Home following a volcano eruption
This Indonesian home remained after Mount Sinabung erupted. The volcano started erupting in 2010 and has had intermittent eruptions since, the most recent coming June 9, 2019. People left behind their belongings as they fled the ash and pumice that rained down from the volcano. See even more chilling photos of abandoned places around the world.