The most beautiful abandoned manors

The irresistible fascination we have with abandoned homes speaks to the power of good architecture: beauty lasts, even if the building has lost its purpose. Despite crumbling facades and sand infiltrations, these abandoned buildings nonetheless draw tourists and locals from around the world. Nature’s reclaiming its rights gives them a charming appeal, or the bittersweet memory that these buildings were once a family’s entrance. Regardless, their beauty is stunning. Whether it’s a Tuscan mansion or a neighborhood of empty castles that don’t have anything to envy Disney, these manors were left for record but won’t be forgotten.

Hamilton Palace has an odd name because it has never been occupied by a British king or other resident. However, this castle larger than Buckingham Palace may be a more refined noble residence. The manor belongs to controversial businessman and criminal Nicholas van Hoogstratenm, who was found guilty of involuntary murder and sentenced to 10 years in prison before being acquitted on appeal. Due to financial issues and other lawsuits, Nicholas van Hoogstratenm only completed half of the property in the mid-1980s.

Jahaz Mahal is translated as “Navire” due to its boat reflection in the neighboring basin. He lives in Mandu, a city founded in the early 6th century, described by the Times of India as “abandoned but never forgotten.” In the ruins of this once-powerful city, which covered 13 kilometers, the Jahaz Mahal housed Ghiyasuddin Khilji’s harem.

Burj Al Babas was designed as a luxury neighborhood for European-inspired living. Never before has this vision been seen. The project’s promoter, Sarot, failed shortly after construction began, and the pandemic halted progress, leaving the buildings unfinished.

This abandoned mansion, built by David Hamilton between 1837 and 1841 for John Lennox Kincaid, is most known for housing Lennox Castle Hospital. The facility became a mental health school and nursing home in 1927. Due to student mistreatment, the school closed in 2002, leaving the property vacant.

Formerly the largest US gunpacker was Frank Bannerman. He made money by following the simplest business rule: buy cheaply and sell high. The New York city government would have asked him to move because of his arsenal and other military memorabilia. After discovering Pollepel Island south of Beacon, New York, he built a castle to protect his collection. The estate slowly degraded after Frank Bannerman’s death. A blast in his arsenal blew out all windows and threw 7-meter-tall building debris onto nearby roads. New York owns the ruin and island, which Bannerman Castle Trust manages.

One day, Kolmanskop sand revealed a treasure. According to NatGeo, a Namibian pathfinder named Zacherias Lewala saw a series of scintillating cailloux while clearing dunes for the ferrée. Zacharias Lewala discovers diamonds in 1908. Soon, European miners settle in the area to find their own precious stones, and a community slowly forms in this once-aride desert. German colonists, who forced local Namibia residents to move, declared the desert a “sperrgebiet” (prohibited area). A Berlin-based company was granted permission to utilize these gemme-rich lands, but extensive drilling destroyed the soil. When more diamonds were found near the Orange River (reputed to be one of the world’s richest), the locals took the south route and abandoned Kolmanskop.

The Villa De Vecchi, designed by Alessandro Sidoli, was Felix De Vecchi’s summer home. This war hero, who fought to free Milan from Austria, wanted a peaceful retirement with his family. Repose was brief. Felix De Vecchi returns home to find his wife brutally murdered and his daughter missing. Before committing suicide, the comte searched for his daughter for a year. Biago, Felix De Vecchi’s brother, inherited the house and lived there with his family until World War II. Without a permanent owner since 1960, the property has changed hands several times. Many believe the abandoned manor is haunted due to its tragic past.

Consider US balbutiements, 300 years ago. In 1736, Georgian colonist and Parliament member James Oglethorpe bought Cumberland Island and built Dungenees, a hunting pavilion. Over time, several important Americans have lived on the island, including Nathanael Greene and Henry Lee III. Thomas and Lucy Carnegie bought the ruins of Nathanael Greene’s wife and second husband’s house in 1881 and built their own. The National Park Service reported that the Carnegie Dungeness covered around 3,400 square meters and cost $200,000. The family moved in 1924, and in 1959, the house burned down (rumor has it that braconniers started it).

In 2010, Shenyang’s State Guest Mansions, 650 kilometers northeast of Beijing, opened. After two years, the project was halted and the half-finished manors were abandoned. Corruption and funding shortages have been blamed for the project’s premature end. Today, farmers have made surrounding land workable.