8 Stunningly Beautiful Abandoned Places

By Diana Gerstacker/Oct. 6, 2014 2:29 pm EST

Angkor Wat

Angkor is the capital of an empire that once controlled most of South East Asia. Angkor Wat is the temple that takes center stage. The temple took 30 years to build and soon after it was finished the city was abandoned. Theories about what happened include attacks on the city and a lack of resources.

Glenwood Power Plant

In Yonkers, N.Y., on the bank of the Hudson River stands an abandoned power plant that once provided power to trains on the nearby tracks. The building has been out of service for 50 years, but according to the New York Times, the site won't be sitting empty for much longer.

Detroit Ballroom

The photographer writes, "The ballroom inside what was once a symbol of Detroit's wealth and is now a symbol of its destruction."

One-Room Schoolhouse

This one-room schoolhouse that time forgot is located in the woods of Floyd County, Virginia.

Floating Forrest on a Shipwreck

Homebush Bay in the heart of Sydney, Australia, was designated a shipwreck yard in 1966. Of the four main wrecks, only one (the SS Ayrfield) is pictured.

Palace Theater

Located in Gary, Indiana, the Palace Theater closed in the 70s and hasn't opened since.

St. Agnes Church

Built in the early 1900s in Detroit, St. Agnes was once the center of a thriving community—by the middle of the 1900s the church had a following of around 1,600 families and a high school with 180 students. But riots in 1967 led to the destruction of the neighborhood and though the church was still standing the community crumbled. Without a large enough following, there wasn't enough money to keep the church and grounds running so it was eventually abandoned.

Shipwreck Beach

This cove goes by many names: Navagio Beach, Shipwreck Beach, Smugglers Cove; whatever you call it, it's a popular tourist and base jumping site that can only be accessed by boat. Located in the Greek Islands and set among limestone cliffs and white sand sits the wrecked ship Panagiotis, some say the ship was wrecked while trying to transport cigarettes.