Mesmerizing Photos Of Beautiful And Eerie Abandoned Places

It's eerie to see a place that was once full of life become completely empty and neglected. All of these abandoned places look like they could serve as the set of a horror movie or a thriller. The people who occupied the building or the structure may be gone, but the place remains to tell the story of what once was.

Keep reading if you want to see some beautiful places that are now completely empty or unused. Some of these places look like they're on their last leg, and some look as good as the day they were created.

Eerily Beautiful Cottage In Stradbally, Ireland

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Photo Credit: Twitter
Photo Credit: Twitter

This quaint abandoned cottage with its unusual blue tiled roof is located near Stradbally, Ireland. This photo was taken in the fall, so the cottage looks like it's in a yellow forest. This looks like the perfect place to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life and relax in a secluded, quiet environment. This cottage was probably built between 1800 – 1920. Experts think that it was most likely built in the late 1800s.

You can find abandoned cottages all over Ireland. It would be so cool to explore the inside of this building.

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Abandoned House of Bulgarian Industrialist, Pancho Semov

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Photo Credit: Imgur
Photo Credit: Imgur
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Pancho Semov was so rich that he was known as the Bulgarian Rockefeller. He was a Bulgarian who went from rags to riches by banking, trading, and being smart with money. Semov stated in his will that he wanted his home to be repurposed into a retirement home. He also wanted to turn some of his other buildings into a boarding school for girls.

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However, when Semov died, the government took control of his properties. His mansion was turned into a ward for people suffering from tuberculosis. At least it was used to help people in need.

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A Storm Approaches An Old Abandoned Farm in Ontario

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Photo Credit: viewbug
Photo Credit: viewbug
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Well, this photo is rather ominous. The house in the foreground is completely run down and the wood on the outside of the structure is falling apart. The trees are completely bare and there seems to be a storm brewing in the background.

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This picture leaves us with so many questions. The lawn is obviously being cared for by somebody, but whoever that is, they obviously don't care about the state of the house. Why bother keeping a lawn neat and tidy if the house next to it is in shambles?

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Abandoned Railroad Bridge In Pittsburgh

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Photo Credit: Imgur
Photo Credit: Imgur
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This abandoned railway bridge is located in Pennsylvania. It's just one of the many brides that have been abandoned since people stopped using trains as their primary mode of transportation.

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Back in the day, the train was super popular, but when cars started to be more readily available, they soon took over as the preferred way to get around. As a result, many of the railroads were neglected. Trains aren't as popular as they used to be, so nobody wants to fund a railway restoration project.

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A Quaint Little Abandoned Victorian Home In San Francisco

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Photo Credit: Flickr
Photo Credit: Flickr
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This adorable yellow house is wedged between two modern looking properties in San Francisco. I can just imagine an artist living in this house sitting by the window and contemplating their next creation. This house just seems like it's meant for someone with a vibrant imagination.

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There was once a lovely garden in front of the property which is now overgrown with weeds. The house looks pretty run down and it has a hole in its roof. Once upon a time this garden was probably well kept and full of beautiful flowers.

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Ferris Wheel At The Abandoned Theme Park In Japan

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Photo Credit: lenzz / Flickr
Photo Credit: lenzz / Flickr
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This giant Ferris wheel is located in the abandoned theme park of Kejonuma Leisure Land. The park originally opened in 1979, and back in the day, over 200,000 visitors would flock to the park each year. The theme park even had a campground on site for people who wanted to spend the nite enjoying the park.

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If camping wasn't your thing, you could also stay at a luxury hotel that was located on the property. The park closed down in 2000 because of Japan's low birth rate and a tough economic climate. While the park is no longer functioning, a lot of the rides are still standing, including this huge Ferris wheel.

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Cars Left By US Soldiers In Belgium

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Photo Credit: Pinterest
Photo Credit: Pinterest
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This car graveyard is located In a small village in southern Belgium called Chatillion. All of these cars once belonged to the American army. Their soldiers were given these cars while they were stationed in Belgium during World War II. The soldiers were allowed to keep the cars, but they had to ship them back to America at their own expense.

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Once they returned to the US, the soldiers realized that they weren't interested in keeping the cars and that the didn't want to pay to ship them from Belgium, so they just left them parked on a random road.

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The Selma Abandoned Plantation Estate in Virginia

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Photo Credit: Imgur
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This is the Selma Plantation estate. It's a mansion with 20 rooms that stands on a 212-acre plot of land. The property was built between 1800 and 1815 in Virginia. When the owners of the plantation died suddenly, the property cycled through a whole bunch of different owners including the Beverly family who owned the estate during the civil war.

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At some point, the property was completely abandoned. The mansion was severely neglected and mold started growing in its walls. In 2016, new owners brought the property with plans to restore it to its original glory.

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The Old Helensburgh Railway Tunnel In Australia

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Photo Credit: Imgur
Photo Credit: Imgur
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This tunnel was built back in the 1880s. It connected the countryside between Waterfall and Otford in Australia. The landscape is very hilly, so the people living in neighboring towns decided it was easier to cut through the hills instead of trying climb them. However, in 1920 a single lane railway was no longer sufficient and the community built a multi-lane railway.

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They built an entirely new tunnel instead of repurposing the old one, so now the old one is abandoned and not in use. These tunnels still look really pretty, though. And now that they're abandoned they have an eerie vibe.

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An Abandoned Store Lies Desolate In Fukushima

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Photo Credit: hottime / Imgur
Photo Credit: hottime / Imgur
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In March 2011 a huge earthquake and tsunami hit Fukushima in Japan. The natural disaster led to a radiation leak at a nearby nuclear power plant, meaning the entire population of the city needed to be evacuated. Nearly 300,000 people had to leave everything behind and start a new life in a different city. At the time the people of the town thought they might be returning home at a later date, but with the resulting nuclear leak, the area was deemed unsafe.

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This is an image of an abandoned supermarket in Fukushima. It's just one of the thousands of buildings that were completely destroyed by the nuclear leak.

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Michigan Central Station In Detroit, U.S.A.

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Photo Credit: Flickr
Photo Credit: Flickr
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This is Michigan Central station and it was built between 1912 and 1913. The station was forced to open before it was fully completed and when it opened, around 200 trains would come in and out of this station every day.

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Now that trains are less popular, fewer trains come in and out of Detroit. The station completely closed down in 1988. There were numerous attempts to find an investor who would buy the building and turn it into a hotel or a conference center. None of those attempts have been successful thus far, so the building is completely abandoned.

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Amazing Autumn in Germany

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Photo Credit: bunttoast11 / reddit
Photo Credit: bunttoast11 / reddit
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This is the Rakotzbrücke Devil's Bridge which is located in Gablenz, Germany. It was built in the 19th century, and when the light hits the water in just the right way, the bridge and its reflection in the water form a perfect circle. Photographers and artists absolutely love coming here to flex their creative muscles. It would also make a really nice spot for a first date or a special anniversary.

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The Rakotzbrücke Devil's Bridge is beautiful at any time of year. If you visit it in the fall, you'll see all kinds of warm autumn colors, and if you come in the spring or summer, the whole area will be full of lush green foliage.

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Abandoned Yellow House in Nova Scotia

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Photo Credit: @HeidiStea / Twitter
Photo Credit: @HeidiStea / Twitter
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This beautiful yellow house perfectly matches all of the dandelions surrounding it. It's up at the top of a hill, and it almost looks like a scene straight out of a painting or a movie. At one point in time, the house was probably full of people, but now it's been completely abandoned, most likely because of its location.

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In the more rural parts of Nova Scotia, there aren't many opportunities for young people. Children leave home for bigger cities, and there's nobody to take over the properties after the older generation passes away.

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Abandoned Hotel in Colombia

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Photo Credit: ekamoin / reddit
Photo Credit: ekamoin / reddit
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This beautiful old hotel sits on a cliff overlooking the shores of the Bogata River. Once upon a time, this was the perfect vacation spot. It had prime views of the river and the waterfall in the distance. This idyllic vision came to an abrupt end when the Bogata river was flooded with waste and became contaminated.

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The government was unable to fix the contaminated river, and as a result, it was unsafe for people to stay in this hotel. The hotel is now abandoned, and it's a reminder of what our life looked like before the effects of mass pollution.

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Russian Shipwreck in The Red Sea

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Photo Credit: Pinterest
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There are many sunken ships lying at the bottom of the Red Sea, but the one in this photo is known as the "Russian Wreck." This ship was found in 1988 at the bottom of the sea and it was believed to be a fishing trawler called the Khanka.

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As we know well by now, things aren't always as they seem. After further investigations, it became clear that the ship was full of electrical equipment and batteries. It's likely that the Russians were using the ship as a spy ship. The ship was used for surveillance and communication in the open waters.

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Abandoned Space Shuttle At The Baikonur Cosmodrome

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Photo Credit: Pinterest
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For a long time, The Baikonur Cosmodrome was a Russian state secret. The site is situated in Kazakhstan which is partly why it is now abandoned. The space shuttle in this photo is called the "Buron" and it flew only once in November 1988. This shuttle was supposed to bring materials to space and it went on several test missions.

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The mission was put on hold in 1991 when the communist government fell, and the USSR broke up. When Kazakhstan was formed, this site was no longer under Russian control, so it was abandoned.

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Partially Sunken Ship in Roatan, Honduras

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Photo Credit: Pinterest
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The area of Rotan is home to a number of shipwrecks. The one in this photo is the Dixon Cove wreck which happened in the 1970s. According to local legend, this ship was destroyed in a massive storm. Winds pushed the ship into the channel where it became stranded and eventually abandoned.

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Local thieves came aboard the ship to loot whatever they could, and what's left of the ship has been sitting in the channel ever since. Explorers love to go to the Caribbean because these sunken ships tell so many exciting stories.

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Lucy The Elephant Hotel, New Jersey

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Photo Credit: JuicyToaster / reddit
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Lucy the Elephant was originally built in 1881. It had six floors and it was topped with a magnificent elephant saddle called a Howdah. A winding staircase led guests to the top of the elephant-shaped structure, but Lucy wasn't built to last.

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She suffered many disasters including a fire. Eventually, the building became so damaged that the city thought it should be torn down. The people of New Jersey didn't want to lose their beloved landmark, so they signed a petition to save her. Lucy is now abandoned, but at least she's still standing.

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The Last House on Holland Island, U.S.A

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Holland Island, which is located in Chesapeake Bay, used to be a thriving coastal community with shops, a school, a church, and many beautiful Victorian houses. Unfortunately, the island was constantly under threat of erosion. The community tried to build some defensive walls in 1914, but as you can see from this photo, that plan didn't work out too well.

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The residents of Holland Island decided to leave, and the buildings slowly began to crumble as the land beneath them disappeared. In 1918, a massive storm hit the island and destroyed the community's church. Now, decades later, all that's left of the island is a few run-down houses standing on small piles of rock.

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An Abandoned Bug In Lagoon Beach, Milnerton, South Africa

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Photo Credit: Sheharyarkhan / reddit
Photo Credit: Sheharyarkhan / reddit
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This little car has been totally abandoned on Milnerton beach in South Africa. Maybe the car broke down and the owner didn't want to have it towed, or maybe it fell off the back of a truck. Maybe it just couldn't drive in the sand so the owners had to get out and continue their journey on foot.

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There seems to be a fire happening in the background of this photo. Maybe whoever was driving this car had to jump out to avoid a dangerous situation. We all know that you shouldn't mix fire and gasoline.

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Lightning Over Abandoned Home in Nebraska, USA

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Photo Credit: only_eats_plankton / reddit
Photo Credit: only_eats_plankton / reddit
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It can be really difficult to capture lightning on camera. You have a split second to get the shot, and it often involves leaving the camera's shutter open for a long time.

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This photo was taken in Nebraska in 2015 during a massive thunderstorm where there were many opportunities to capture lighting in all of its natural glory. This house doesn't have many tall trees around it, so hopefully, it doesn't get struck by lighting, but if it does, at least there's nobody living in it.

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This VW Bug Is Part Of An Underwater Museum in Cancun, Mexico

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Photo Credit: pictaram
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This is a replica of a Volkswagen bug which is part of the exhibition at the Underwater Museum in Cancun. There are a total of 500 sculptures in the whole museum, most of which were created by a British sculptor named Jason deCaires Taylor. He and a team of five Mexican artists brought the museum to life.

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The museum has three galleries which sit 3-6 meters below the water. The only way to truly appreciate the museum is to see it while snorkeling or scuba diving. This sculpture is now home to all kinds of sea life.

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The Oldest British Warship To Have Been Found In The Great Lakes Of Ontario

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Photo Credit: Imgur
Photo Credit: Imgur
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This former British warship was found in the Great Lakes. The ship is known as the HMS Ontario, and apparently it sunk in 1780 with 130 men on board. Amazingly, when it was found, somewhere around the Niagra region in 2008, it was still mostly intact.

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It took many years to track down this sunken ship. Teams of people were actively looking for it for over 35 years. The Great Lakes are called the Great Lakes for a reason. They're so big that it can take you decades to find sunken ships in them.

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Abandoned Castle In Ireland Built in 1586

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Photo Credit: tumblr
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This is McDermott's Castle, which is in County Roscommon, a small island on the southwest corner of Lough Key in Ireland. The original castle was built by the Mac Diarmada dynasty in 1184. Unfortunately, the castle was struck by lightning shortly after it was built. A fire broke out and the castle was completely destroyed.

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The castle was rebuilt in 1586 but it came under siege and Cormack McDermott was forced to flee and abandon his castle. It remained abandoned until 2014 when the castle appeared in an episode of Moone Bay. In 2018 it was put up for sale for £80,000 (or $102,000).

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Abandoned Mining Town On Silver Islet, Lake Superior, Ontario, Canada

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Photo Credit: paws44 / tumblr
Photo Credit: paws44 / tumblr
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I'm sure you've heard of a gold rush before, but have you ever heard of a silver rush? Deposits of silver were found along the banks of Lake Superior in Ontario, Canada back in 1845. Unfortunately, due to some tumultuous weather, miners were not able to easily or efficiently extract the silver.

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The cost of maintaining the town and the mine became too expensive compared to the amount of silver being extracted from the mine, so the town had to close down. The mine still exists to this day, but it's been completely abandoned.

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The Wreck Of SS America, Canary Islands

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Photo Credit: Imgur
Photo Credit: Imgur
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The SS America was built in 1940 and was primarily used as a passenger ship until it was involved in a wreck in 1994. The ship was used by the Navy during World War II, but somehow two Nazi spies had managed to get on board the ship. They were sending vital intelligence back to the German army. It was later discovered that these spies were part of Duquesne Spy Ring.

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The wreck that destroyed the ship happened in 1994 when it got caught up in a storm. The ship was essentially split in half.

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Police Motorcycle Graveyard

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Photo Credit: Imgur
Photo Credit: Imgur
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This graveyard of old Harley Davidson's is located in Lima, Peru. It's owned by the National Police od Puente Piedra. Due to some funding issues, the police weren't able to keep the motorcycles in working order. The bikes were taken out of circulation and abandoned in this parking site.

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Harley Davidson parts need to be replaced by original parts, which can be quite expensive. I know a few Harley Davidson fanatics who would love an opportunity to restore an old bike. These bikes in their current condition would be sold for about $1,300, but once they're fixed up and refurbished, they could go for $12,000 each.

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Smoking Volcano On Mount Sinaburg

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Photo Credit: drawyourbrakes / tumblr
Photo Credit: drawyourbrakes / tumblr
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The day that the volcano Mount Sinaburg in Karo, Indonesia erupted, the sky was completely filled with smoke. Everything in the volcano's path was destroyed. This volcano is highly active and it has erupted several times in recent years. Obviously, this is not a safe place for anybody to live in. The local population has fled and now the city is completely abandoned.

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Sadly, those who left were leaving their homes and their livelihoods. Many of the people who lived in this city were farmers who lost their entire livelihoods. They are hoping that once the volcano becomes dormant again, they'll be able to return to their homes.

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Fishing Hut on a Lake In Germany

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Photo Credit: tMall / Imgur
Photo Credit: tMall / Imgur
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Deep within the mountains of the Berchtesgaden National Park, you can find a deserted old fishing hut right on what used to be the shore of Obersee Lake. Now it looks like the lake has risen and the house is more in the lake than it is on the shore.

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While this hut looks gorgeous in photos, I don't think too many people would want to walk into it without waders. If you're looking to go on a super peaceful fishing trip, this just might be the perfect spot for you.

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Christ Of The Abyss At San Fruttuoso, Italy

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Photo Credit: Imgur
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This statue of Jesus Christ was designed to be submerged in the sea. It represents Christ offering a benediction of peace as he looks towards the sky and into heaven. This bronze statue was designed by Guido Galletti. It was placed in the Mediterranean Sea between Camogli and Portofino.

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In 2003 the statue was taken out of the sea for restoration purposes. The bronze had started to corrode and the statue was covered in barnacles. The statue was put back into the sea in 2004 once it had been polished and cleaned.