There are many places on our planet that you want to visit. However, not all of them appeal to people because of the wonderful view or fascinating history. Among them there are those that attract visitors with their unique atmosphere, shrouded in mystery and rumors. These are the places we are talking about now.
Catacombs of Paris
For many people, Paris is only associated with pleasant and majestic things. It is a city saturated with romance and beauty, and its Eiffel Tower attracts tourists from all over the world. However, few people know that among the sights of Paris there is one more place that does not live up to the reputation of the city of love. And here are his Catacombs.
The Paris Catacombs are a complex system of ancient tunnels, the length of which reaches 300 kilometers. Old ordinary quarries, the tunnels are huge labyrinths over three hundred years old. Over the years the catacombs have been used in different ways, but in 1786 the ossuary was founded here. Wide corridors several hundred meters long, the walls of which are covered with the remains of people. About 6 million people found their rest here, whose bones now adorn this creepy place. The length of the galleries is about 780 meters, which is a test for every visitor to the catacombs.
The story of the creation of the underground necropolis is quite simple. In the XVIII century, there was a huge cemetery on the territory of Paris, where the burial places of many centuries were buried. However, it was the cause of many diseases, parasites and other disorders. As a result, the city authorities decided to move it to the old quarries.
From now on, the catacombs of Paris are open to tourism. Although only 2.5 kilometers of tunnels are available to visitors, this area covers the most interesting places. The rest of the catacombs are abandoned or used for other purposes.
Manchak Swamps in Louisiana
If you think swamps are dangerous only with a large number of pests and a bog, you are greatly mistaken. Do not forget the notoriety of these places. Among them, the Manchak swamp complex, located in Louisiana, is particularly terrible.
It is a very old place, which has long been famous for its impassability. However, its other name, “ghost swamps”, was given to it relatively recently. According to legend, in 1915, several large villages were located near these marshes. Due to a dispute, a woman was held captive here, who was a follower of the voodoo cult. Out of wickedness and desperation, she cursed this place forever, using her last strength. Literally a few days later, a terrible storm hit the swamps, which destroyed the villages and their inhabitants. Since then, only crooked trees have become inhabitants of the swamps.
True or fiction, but people have disappeared into the swamps many times and the birds don’t fly over them at all. There are only rumors that werewolves appear here at night, and the souls of the dead periodically rise.
Organized suicide forest in Japan
Japan is one of the countries with the highest number of suicides. That is why it is not surprising that such a terrible place is there.
Aokigahara Jukai forest is quite beautiful and scenic, located on the slope of Mount Fuji in Japan. But that only seems so until you meet the gallows there. However, it is not a decoration or a failed joke, but a real person who committed suicide. That’s what this place is known for, also called the forest of organized suicides.
Aokigahara Forest attracts many suicide bombers from all over Japan. The reason is the dark glory of this place. There were legends that demons and ghosts lived in the forest, which is why in ancient times Japanese families left old people and children here hoping for their quick death.
Every year, around 100 people end their lives in the forest. This makes it a very popular tourist destination, even if its notoriety puts off many visitors.
Cane Hill Hospital
A mental hospital is the last place any of us would like to go. Although this place is not as terrible as many people think, fear eats away at many.
It is this fear that is felt by those who visit Cane Hill Hospital in London. No terrible and mystical legends are associated with it, it is an ordinary medical institution. It is only known that in 1991 all patients and doctors suddenly left the hospital, and the hospital itself was closed. This was done instantly, so all the equipment and paperwork remained in place.
At first glance, there is nothing terrible here, but this thought passes after the first step in the ruined building. Everything here is literally saturated with the horror and chaos that reigned in the heads of the patients. And not everyone can stand it.
Centralia, Pennsylvania
The most terrible places in the world have always been created by man. Rumors, curses, artificial structures – this is their basis. However, nature sometimes contributes to this, leading to truly horrible consequences.
Centralia was once a beautiful city in Pennsylvania, USA. But one day, a group of firefighters decides to quickly get rid of the debris of an old coal mine to clean it up. Who thought that the fire could go further, spread in the coal tunnels. As a result, the entire mine, located under the city, was on fire. Tongues of fire, geysers of poisonous gas, sudden collapses of roads and buildings – that’s just a small part of what can be found in this city.
Fire has been burning here for more than 50 years, creating danger for all visitors to these places.
The island of Poveglia in Italy
The small island of Poveglia, nestled in the Venetian Lagoon, is one of the region’s main dark attractions. However, they don’t talk about it in magazines and don’t talk about it on the street, because this place is Italy’s dark past. Outwardly resembling an ordinary island, Poveglia is a haven for tens and hundreds of thousands of souls. Although it is now just an overgrown land with dilapidated buildings, legends about it will exist for a long time.
Initially, the island was a quarantine zone for travelers from distant lands. Although there were deaths here, it was more of a forty-day vacation spot. However, everything changed after the plague epidemic swept across Europe. Poveglia has become a reference for tens of thousands of patients, as well as their families and loved ones. The ground here is half cadaverous ash, and fishermen sometimes get polished bones from the coastal waters.
In addition, the “Gates of Hell”, as the island is also called, in the last century became a refuge for visitors with mental disorders, on which various experiments were carried out. But now it’s completely abandoned and the guards won’t let anyone in here.
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Puffin Mary King
Previously, Mary King’s Dead End was one of the busiest places in town. It is located in Edinburgh, but today they try not to remember it. Like the previously mentioned island, this place was transformed with the arrival of the plague. Patients from all over the city were brought here, as a result of which the district turned into a quarantine zone. When people were brought here, they could immediately be considered dead, there was no hope of recovery.
Although it happened over 300 years ago, this place has found no further glory. The impasse is still called the “city of the dead”, bringing tourists and ordinary visitors here. Now this place belongs to the underground districts of the city, on which the new city has stood for a long time. It makes Dead End Mary King even scarier.
St. George’s Church
Invisible at first sight, this church is one of the main attractions of the Czech Republic. It is located in the village of Lukovo and has long been abandoned. Despite its fame, there are no guided tours here, and the last service was held here over 40 years ago.
This place became famous not through mysticism or legends, but with the help of artist Yakub Hadrava. He populated the church with strange sculptures, thus creating an eternal cult. They settled down like the ghosts of former ministers who came to the next prayer. And it looks pretty scary.
Afar Basin
A place called the Afar Basin is located in Ethiopia. And it doesn’t compare to previous positions on this list. There is a very high risk to life here, because in the hollow a person can crash, choke or burn alive. And at the same time, it constantly attracts tourists.
The Afar basin consists of a desert, a salt lake and a river. Moreover, the hottest place on the planet is located here – the Dallol lava lake. Due to the location at the junction of the lithospheric plates, constant eruptions occur here. But even without them, a person quickly loses consciousness due to the abundant evaporation of hydrogen sulfide. This place is terrifyingly beautiful, but dangerous for the life of every tourist.
Hill of Crosses in Latvia
Not always terrible places were originally designed as such. This also applies to the Hill of Crosses, located near the town of Siauliai. The name perfectly reflects everything you will see in this place – hundreds and thousands of crosses piled up. There are so many settled here that only a special path for passers-by is a free place.
However, it is not an ancient cemetery or burial site. In fact, it all started with the old legend that whoever puts a cross here will find luck and happiness in life. As a result, so many crosses have been erected here that the city that once stood here no longer exists.
Although outwardly it looks a bit intimidating, the beauty of some crosses is mesmerizing. They are unique works of art that are updated regularly. After all, tourists who come here are increasingly leaving new crosses in the hope of an old legend.