45 Abandoned Places Around the World That Will Blow Your Mind

27. Teufelsberg, Berlin, Germany

45 Abandoned Places Around the World That Are Really Beautiful

Adjacent to bustling Berlin lies Teufelsberg, a now-abandoned Cold War listening station. The station sits on top of a 262-foot artificial hill called Devil’s Mountain—basically a pile of WWII rubble covering up a Nazi military college. NSA built the station on the mountain so they could eavesdrop on East Berlin; it was abandoned after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Today, it is a graffiti-covered ruin overlooking the city. Historical tours are offered almost every day, providing visitors views of both the radar domes and the city below.

28. The Island of the Dolls, Xochimilco, Mexico

45 Abandoned Places Around the World That Are Really Beautiful

Despite its status as a World Heritage site (along with Mexico City, it’s a well-preserved example of Aztec life), Xochimilco has reached a certain amount of internet fame for its Isla de las Munecas, or the Island of the Dolls. Hidden among the area’s many canals, the site is famous for the hundreds of dolls—and doll parts—hanging from trees and scattered among the grass. Although it looks more like a horror movie set than anything else, the chinampa (akin to an artificial island) used to be the actual residence of a now-deceased man named Julian Santa Barrera. After finding a dead girl’s body in a nearby canal, Barrera collected and displayed the toys in the hopes of warding off evil spirits. Daring souls can hire their own boat, try to convince the driver to pay the island a visit, and view it—along with decaying house and dangling dolls—safely from the water.

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