Abandoned castles that 100 years ago conquered with grandeur

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 significant repairs, so their owners are sometimes abandoned.

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 owner’s death, 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 the 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.

Halcyon Hall

This stunning building was built as a luxury hotel. In 1980, Halseyen Hall saw its first guests, but it served only ten years in this capacity, 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 “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 nailed.

Miranda Castle

If you think that such sloppiness as abandoned beautiful buildings is a sign of impoverished 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.

In 1995, a fire swept away part of the roof, and soon after, the owner removed the wood floors, fireplaces, and Italian blue marble to use on a neighbouring farm and in another castle in Italy. In 2006, a violent storm caused the roof of the stable to collapse.

Lynnewood hall

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”. Despite being abandoned for many years, it is fair and houses an extensive 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 considerable investments in repairs and, as it is believed, in the unhappy karma of its first owners.

The estate was built by Peter Arrell Weidener, an influential businessman and investor in the Titanic. In 1912, his eldest son and grandson died on this ship,

Pidhirtsi Castle

These majestic walls are well known to the entire older generation – it was here that many films were filmed here in the 1970s. Together with defensive structures, the magnificent palace was built in 1635-1640 on the site of even more ancient fortifications.

The building has managed to visit both a military facility, a museum, and a sanatorium for patients with tuberculosis throughout its long history. Now the Pidhirtsi Castle belongs to the Lviv Art Gallery, a charitable foundation that 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”.

Beelitz-Heilstätten Sanatorium

At the end of the 19th century, forty kilometres from Berlin, in the small town of Beelitz, 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, to maintain decency, the territory of the sanatorium was divided into female and male parts. During World War I, Beelitz-Heilstätten turned into a gigantic military hospital. At the end of 1916, corporal Adolf Hitler got here with a shrapnel wound.

Some of the former sanatoria are still in use, there are medical centres, 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. The rich history of this place also fuels interest in it.