16 Abandoned Mansions People Travel Miles to See
There is an undeniable magnetism about abandoned mansions. Their stories can be felt and their halls are like a time capsule offering a glimpse into the grand lifestyles of past owners. These properties are architectural marvels built by the rich and famous. Some are less known but equally interesting.
Looking for a fun way to learn some history, then check out some of the world’s most beautiful abandoned mansions that are still drawing visitors year after year.
Wyndcliffe Mansion – New York, USA
The Gothic Revival Wyndcliffe Mansion is nestled in the Hudson Valley. It was once a summer home to the wealthy socialite Elizabeth Schermerhorn Jones, built-in 1853. It is credited with inspiring the movie title, “Keeping Up with the Joneses.” Wyndcliffe has slowly decayed over time. Vines and trees have crept up and consumed its delicate architecture. Today, it is a hauntingly beautiful ruin waiting for tourists to visit and admire its crumbling brickwork.
Bannerman Castle – New York, USA
Bannerman Castle is the remnant of a Scottish style castle built by businessman Francis Bannerman on Pollepel Island in the Hudson River. The castle was built in 1901 as a storage space for Bannerman’s military surplus business, and has seen fires, explosions and years of neglect. It may have been damaged, but it remains one of the most popular tourist spots; adventurous travellers are willing to get out onto boat tours to admire the fairy tale like scenery. While largely collapsed, its grand arches and towers continue to charm visitors, who can see they once loomed over the sound and the city.
Château Miranda – Celles, Belgium
Belgium’s Château Miranda was abandoned and is now a fairytale-like palace with towering spires and turrets. It is a mystery-built box by the Liedekerke-De Beaufort family in 1866. It was abandoned in 1991, after it had been used as an orphanage following World War II, and was vulnerable to vandals and decay. Even though its history and current state are gloomy, the moody corridors and ivy-covered exterior have drawn travelers to take eerie, haunting, and enchanting shots of its decaying grandeur.
The Halcyon Hall – Millbrook, New York, USA
Halcyon Hall was built in 1890 as a luxury hotel and became part of Bennett College for Women. A beloved campus building until the college closed in 1978, its elaborate Victorian design and five stories of rooms and lounges made it a popular campus building. Halcyon Hall is now abandoned, Ivy has overtaken its walls, and broken windows can be seen from its nature-overrun exterior. It is visited by many who come to see its once-grand interior taken over by nature.
Villa de Vecchi – Lake Como, Italy
Villa de Vecchi was a summer retreat built in the nineteenth century for Count Felix de Vecchi. It was nicknamed the ‘Ghost Mansion.’ This mansion is known for being an Italianate beauty, with a tragic – and some say haunting – history. After the count’s death, it was abandoned and fell into disrepair, and its once lush gardens were taken over by weeds. Fascinated visitors are smitten by its eerie ambiance and deteriorating frescoes; this villa provides a haunting look of calm Lake Como.
Lennox Castle – Scotland
Lennox Castle, the skeleton of a grand estate built in 1812, is hidden in the forests outside Glasgow. It became a hospital before closing its doors in the 1990s. On account of the thick stone walls and overgrown surroundings, the property does have a spooky, almost medieval charm. Remaining dense with woodland, this is a place that many visitors walk through in order to get a glimpse of its towering turrets and mossy stonework, and an atmosphere suitable to a now illustrious site.
Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers – Les Trois-Moutiers, France
Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers is a fairy tale castle, with Gothic towers and ivy-covered walls rising from a small moat. It was built in the 13th century, but a fire in 1932 left it in partial ruins. Tourists come to marvel at nature’s reclaim of the territory, and the strange mix of architecture and crawling vines. The owners of the château recently invited visitors to experience its unique ambiance and helped to stabilize parts of the château through a crowdfunding effort.
The Pidhirtsi Castle – Ukraine
Pidhirtsi Castle was once a magnificent palace with Renaissance elements mixed in with Baroque — it has since fallen into a state of disrepair over the centuries. It’s a 17th-century building famed for its interiors and views of the Ukrainian countryside. Famous for its grand balls and gatherings, it survived fires and looting during World War II but is now a fascinating destination that still draws visitors who like to imagine its once crowded vast halls.
Lillesden Estate Mansion – Hawkhurst, England
Edward Loyd, a wealthy banker, had built Lillesden Estate Mansion in the 1850s. It became a school before it was abandoned. With eerie elegant charm, the mansion’s wonderful woodwork and wide winding staircases are a favorite spot for photographers and adventurers who enjoy views of this decaying beauty through broken windows and ivy-clad walls. It’s now in partial ruins.
Beelitz-Heilstätten Sanatorium – Brandenburg, Germany
Beelitz-Heilstätten was originally constructed in 1898 as a tuberculosis treatment center; a sprawling, abandoned sanatorium complex near Berlin. With its hauntingly beautiful architecture — red brick and arched corridors — the building is a hauntingly beautiful destination. During the World Wars, it also functioned as a military hospital. Today, its abandoned halls and broken glass windows are overtaken by moss and give the structure a gloomy appearance.
Château Lumière – Alsace, France
Chateau Lumiéres, a French mansion with notable natural lighting from its large stained glass windows, marble staircases, elaborate grand rooms, and opulent ceilings. Château Lumière is still graceful, although abandoned, and draws visitors who come to see its well preserved elegance and to imagine the glamorous life that once occurred within its walls.
Kuldhara Village – Rajasthan, India
Kuldhara’s mystique warrants a mention. With rows of stone houses now swallowed by the desert, this abandoned site was mysteriously deserted overnight in the 19th century. Local legends say it is cursed, but people still visit this village, under a hot desert sun, spellbound by the silent haunting remains of homes and temples.
The Abandoned Casino – Constanța, Romania
The Constanța Casino is located on the water, overlooking the Black Sea. It was built in 1910 and is an Art Nouveau building with grand chandeliers, ornate designs, and wide terraces. Back then, it was a place of glamour, but it fell off the map during World War II. It’s seen better days but travelers still flock here to ogle its striking position and the ghosts of its high society heyday.
Dunmore House – Scotland
Dunmore House is an old estate built in the early 19th century, which was abandoned in the early 1960s. It’s a classic Georgian building in the Scottish countryside, with impressive stone walls. The roof has collapsed, the wind has overtaken the interior, but visitors are drawn to that skeletal charm, imagining aristocratic life which once filled those empty halls.
Castle of Sammezzano – Tuscany, Italy
Sammezzano Castle in Tuscany is known for its Moorish colors and interiors. It was built in the 1600s and decorated with mosaics and surreal designs. This exotic structure, which has been closed to the public still attracts people who want to see its colorful, intricate halls, and vast arches.
Muromtzevo Mansion – Russia
Sealed up in the Russian countryside, Muromtzevo Mansion is a neo-Gothic wonder. It was built late in the 19th century and is often compared to a fairytale castle because of its turrets and sweeping arches. It is mostly abandoned, but for the partially preserved façade that draws curious explorers to them, who wonder what it would have been like during its glory days.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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