Abandoned Places: Creepy, Beautiful Modern Ruins

Abandoned Places | We humans are explorers by nature.  The quest for discovery, both old and new, is part of what separates us from rest of the animal kingdom.  Since the world we live in has been largely mapped and plotted, we urban adventurers turn our sights toward the relics of old and the ruins of the recent past.  If you find beauty in urban decay, in the crumbling and abandoned places of yesteryear, you’ll want to read on.  Here are 10 of the most amazing, beautiful and creepy abandoned places in the modern world.

The Ruins of Detroit

In the United States, few cities have felt the burn of urban decay more than Detroit.  To capture its slow fade into history, photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre explored some of Detroit’s dying landmarks for their photo series The Ruins of Detroit.  As the industrial revolution came to a close and race riots crippled a once bustling city, many buildings throughout Detroit fell into disrepair and eventual abandonment.  Today, visitors to Detroit can experience two sides of the city– the revitalized, re-invested downtown area, and the high-rises and industrial complexes which crumble around it.

image: Ruins of Detroit Gallery
photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre

(click image to enlarge)