Nature has the destructive power to topple, crack, and encase the strongest man-made structure. Nature also has a calm, peaceful power that allows it to grow unnoticed around humans.
10. Ross Island, India
Back in the 1800s, the British established a settlement on Ross Island, tucked in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago. Spanning just 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²), the island served as a penal colony where Indian mutineers were compelled to hack away the dense jungle. By 1942, rampant water‑borne illness and looming Japanese invasion forced the British to desert the outpost.
Nowadays the Indian Navy bans civilian habitation on Ross Island, leaving swathes of the place unoccupied. Free from human interference, towering ficus roots have begun to wrap themselves around the crumbling structures, reclaiming the terrain.
These impressive roots envelop every corner of the deserted buildings, forming stunning, organic patterns around what once were homes for colonists. Travelers can wander the untouched scenery, a striking contrast to its grim colonial history.
9. Floating Forest, Sydney, Australia
Anchored in Homebush Bay near Sydney, Australia, the rust‑bitten hull of the SS Ayrfield rests in shallow water, its deck swamped by lush mangrove trees.
Originally sent to the bay for scrapping, the ship earned the nickname “Floating Forest” as its graceful greenery thrived. Today, the 107‑year‑old wreck draws tourists and is shielded from demolition under the Historic Shipwrecks Act of 1976.
The SS Ayrfield began life as a steam collier shuttling coal between Newcastle and Sydney, later serving as a supply vessel for U.S. forces during World II. Post‑war, it was deemed surplus and sent to Homebush Bay for dismantling.
Homebush Bay once bustled with ship‑breaking activity, but shortly after the Ayrfield arrived, the yard shut down, abandoning the vessel in place.
Now the hull drifts serenely, offering nature a floating platform to flourish. Among the many wrecks in the bay, the SS Ayrfield stands out as the most celebrated for its vibrant, thriving foliage.
8. Kolmanskop, Namibia
Nestled in the Namibian desert lies one of the world’s most iconic abandoned sites: Kolmanskop, a ghost town frozen in time. After its desertion in 1956, wind‑driven sands surged into the empty houses, crafting a uniquely striking tableau.
Founded in 1908 when a rail worker uncovered a diamond and presented it to his German overseer, Kolmanskop blossomed into a bustling diamond‑mining hub. The rush soon exhausted the deposits, leading to its decline.
After World I, a richer vein discovered south of the settlement prompted residents to abandon their homes en masse. Today, tourists flock to the sand‑filled ruins, where houses are knee‑deep in dunes. Though still owned by the mining firm, daily tours let visitors explore the haunting landscape.
7. Gouqi Island, China
Gouqi Island, a stunning land of soaring peaks and pristine coastline, has been shedding its human footprints since the 1990s as residents scattered. Ivy and moss now scale the walls, swallowing structures and cloaking them from sight.
Its haunting, time‑frozen atmosphere draws tourists eager to witness nature reclaiming architecture. Greenery intertwines with abandoned edifices, making Gouqi Island a must‑visit.
Part of the Shengsi group within the Zhoushan Archipelago near Hangzhou Bay, China, Gouqi once thrived on fisheries. As secondary industries diversified, fishermen migrated to the mainland for better transport and distribution, leaving the island largely deserted.
6. Saint Nicholas Church, Republic Of Macedonia
Set within Macedonia’s Mavrovo National Park, Mavrovo Lake reveals a stone steeple and crumbling church ruins jutting from its surface.
Originally serving nearby villages, the church was deliberately submerged to create a reservoir for a power plant, flooding the building. While the inundation was intentional, nature seized the chance to sprout vegetation among the abandoned stones.
Constructed in 1850, the church was flooded in 1953 to form the dam’s artificial lake. Its roof collapsed, leaving an island where plants now thrive.
5. Buzludzha Monument, Bulgaria
Originally the Bulgarian Communist Party’s rally hall, today known as the Buzludzha Monument, fell into ruin after the Iron Curtain collapsed in 1989. The shift from communism to parliamentary democracy stripped the building of its function, leaving it deserted.
Resembling a flying saucer, the futuristic edifice crowns Mount Buzludzha. Inaugurated in 1981, it commemorated Bulgaria’s emancipation from the Ottoman Empire and German occupation of World II.
Still owned by the Bulgarian state, the monument now lies in decay, plagued by insufficient funds for restoration or demolition. Missing roof panels expose the interior to the elements, so a winter visit reveals snow‑filled chambers and massive icicles dangling from its skeletal frame.
4. Chemin de Fer de Petite Ceinture, France
The Chemin de Fer de Petite Ceinture, or “Little Belt Railway,” circled Paris, linking its major stations. The circular line saw military use and suffered damage during the 1870 Prussian War and the subsequent 1870–71 Commune civil conflict.
During the Belle Époque, the railway thrived as a transport option, yet ridership declined after the Metro debuted in 1902. The line finally shut in 1934. While some sections remain operational, the deserted tunnels have transformed into stunning underground gardens.
Even though the idle sections are officially off‑limits, explorers still infiltrate the tunnels, discovering tranquil, verdant oases hidden beneath Paris’s bustling streets.
3. Centralia, Pennsylvania, USA
Centralia offers a striking case of humanity’s loss of control over nature. Though largely deserted, a handful of residents—seven or eight as of 2013—still call it home.
The mining community encountered trouble in 1962 when a landfill‑burning fire slipped through an unsealed vent and ignited the disused coal seams below. As conditions grew hazardous, authorities evacuated residents. Now, only a few remain, while the underground blaze continues to smolder.
With most homes demolished, Centralia resembles a barren field crisscrossed by empty streets. The coal‑mine fire still burns, persisting until the fuel is exhausted. The site exemplifies nature’s relentless power, cracking roads and persisting despite toxic fumes.
2. City Methodist Church, Gary, Indiana, USA
Constructed in 1926 in Gothic Revival fashion, this sprawling church boasted a gymnasium and cafeteria. Yet, steep upkeep costs and dwindling attendance from the mid‑1960s onward strained its viability.
The sanctuary shuttered fully in 1975, and in 1997 a massive fire that ravaged downtown Gary ripped off the church’s roof, exposing the interior to the elements.
Only the sanctuary remains, bereft of roof and windows, rendering it fully exposed. Snow and rain pool within, while vegetation has claimed the space, forming wild, untamed gardens.
1. San Juan Parangaricutiro, Mexico
San Juan Parangaricutiro church offers an enchanting tableau, entirely encircled by hardened lava. In 1943, the Paricutin volcano erupted from a farmer’s field, swelling to a 410‑meter (1,345‑ft) cone within a year and spewing lava for eight subsequent years.
Being monogenetic, the volcano will not erupt again at the same spot. Fortunately, rapid evacuation spared lives, though the eruption buried two villages, leaving only fragments jutting from the thick lava.
Astonishingly, the church endured the relentless molten onslaught for nearly a decade, and today it still stands tall, completely encircled and filled with lava.
Rich in nutrients, the lava accelerates plant growth, turning the surrounding fields into dense, verdant gardens. The resilient church draws tourists worldwide, eager to see the sole edifice that refused to be submerged by molten rock.
Victoria, a nature cinematographer and photographer based in Toronto, Ontario, shares her work on Instagram.