What secrets are kept by abandoned castles that, 100 years ago, conquered with their grandeur

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

There are magnificent ruins that keep the heritage of the past, probably in every country. Huge buildings are often too expensive to operate or require large investments for repairs, so their owners are sometimes abandoned, and finding a new owner for such real estate is not an easy task. Such ancient castles live out their days, delighting rare tourists and thrill-seekers. An unusual hobby - the study of abandoned objects, is becoming more and more popular today.

Bannerman Castle

Scottish immigrant Francis Bannerman bought an island in New York State in the United States in 1900 and built a giant arsenal building there. A couple of years after the death of the owner, in 1920, a catastrophe occurred on the island: about 200 tons of shells and gunpowder detonated, the explosion destroyed part of the complex and the building was never put in order again. In the 60s, the island and ruins were bought by the state authorities, but the castle's misfortunes did not end there. It burned one more time, and in 2009 it partially collapsed. Oddly enough, after all this, part of the furnishings and furniture was still preserved in the dilapidated building.

Halseyen Hall

This stunning building was built as a luxury hotel. In 1980, Halseyen Hall saw its first guests, but in this capacity it served only ten years, and then it was closed. Probably the giant castle couldn't pay off that way. A couple of years later, the mansion turned into Bennett Women's College. It was a luxurious educational institution for female students from the "high society", and it existed for quite a long time, more than 70 years. Then, however, the idea of separate education became obsolete, even in the elite version, the college went bankrupt, and the back ones were pounded.

Miranda Castle

If you think that such sloppiness as abandoned beautiful buildings is a sign of troubled countries, then Miranda Castle can serve as an example of the opposite. In Belgium, which is famous for its order, the 19th century castle built in the neo-Gothic style has been gradually destroyed for several decades. This miracle of architecture was built for more than forty years - from 1866 to 1907, and for some time it served as the summer residence of one aristocratic family. Then, in the best Soviet traditions, a children's recreation camp was set up there (all the best for children), but the complex was abandoned since the 1970s. Now Miranda Castle is a popular object among lovers of the "romance of decay".

Linwood Manor

This incredible building is considered the most expensive abandoned manor in the world today. The fairytale castle in Pennsylvania was built in just three years (completed in 1900). The house in the neoclassical style with 110 rooms is still difficult to call "ruins". It is in fair condition and, despite being abandoned for many years, houses a large collection of European art. Today the mansion is being sold “for practically nothing” - with an estimated value of $ 200 million, it can be bought for “only” 11 million. The point here, of course, is that the house requires huge investments in repairs and, as it is believed, in the unhappy karma of its first owners. The estate was built by Peter Weidner, an influential businessman and investor in the Titanic. In 1912, his eldest son and grandson, who were the heirs of Linwood Manor, died on this ship.

Podgoretsky castle

These majestic walls are well known to the entire older generation - it was here in the 1970s that the films "D'Artagnan and the Three Musketeers" and "The Wild Hunt of King Stakh" were filmed. The magnificent palace, together with defensive structures, was built in 1635-1640 on the site of even more ancient fortifications. Throughout its long history, the building has managed to visit both a military facility, and a museum, and a sanatorium for patients with tuberculosis. Now the Pidhirtsi Castle belongs to the Lviv Art Gallery, a charitable foundation has been created for its revival, so there is a hope that after a while it will be possible to exclude it from the list of "majestic and abandoned ruins".

Sanatorium Beelitz-Heilstätten

At the end of the 19th century, forty kilometers from Berlin, in the small town of Belitz, a luxurious sanatorium was built for patients with tuberculosis. In those days, this disease was a widespread problem, and the privileged classes suffered from it. Fifty buildings, surrounded by forest, located not far from the capital, soon turned into a separate town. In addition to medical and residential buildings, there was a post office, a bakery, a butcher's shop and even a small power station. By the way, in order to maintain decency, the territory of the sanatorium was divided into female and male parts. During the First World War, Beelitz-Heilstätten turned into a gigantic military hospital. At the end of 1916, corporal Adolf Hitler got here with a shrapnel wound. The further history of this huge complex was also associated with medicine - for 50 years after World War II, Beelitz-Heilstätten was considered the largest Soviet military hospital outside the Soviet Union.

Some of the buildings of the former sanatorium are still in use, there are medical centers, but most of the complex has been empty for twenty years. Horror movies and video clips are filmed here, and curious tourists infiltrate the ominous yet enticing ruins despite warning signs. Today Beelitz-Heilstätten is one of the most famous European abandoned buildings. Interest in it is also fueled by the rich history of this place.

Not only castles, but entire cities are abandoned: dead monuments to the mistakes of mankind