The Scariest Places on Earth

The Creepiest Places in the World

Despite the fact that abandoned cities and eerie corners of the earth terrify impressionable tourists, hundreds of travelers seeking thrills constantly visit these scariest places on the planet.

Prague Cemetery

One of the scariest places in the world is the Prague Cemetery, which has 12,000 ancient gravestones and was active in the Czech Republic for four centuries. This cemetery was the final resting place for nameless travelers, but more often, lavish processions buried wealthy citizens. The cemetery's area is small, but it holds 100,000 deceased. Notably, older burials were covered with earth, and new corpses were buried on top of them. This resulted in about 12 layers: now travelers can witness a chilling sight – the sunken ground has exposed several upper "floors" with coffins and gravestones, making the cemetery resemble a crowd during rush hour on public transport.

Georgian Church

In the Czech village of Luková stands the Church of St. George (Saint George) from the 14th century. It became deserted in 1968 after a fire broke out during a funeral, causing the roof to collapse. A few years ago, sculptor Jakub Hadrava, preparing for his diploma project, decided to turn the church into a venue for his experiments. He filled the vacant building with human statues, whose heads are covered with shrouds. The sight is mesmerizing and terrifying. Interestingly, the professors were also impressed, and Jakub's diploma was accepted in this original form.

Mexican Island of the Abandoned Dolls

The Mexican Island of the Abandoned Dolls attracts adrenaline lovers with its exoticism of forgotten toys. In the mid-20th century, a hermit who settled here began collecting and "distributing" discarded dolls around the island. About a thousand broken and mutilated toys are tied to trees – many dolls sit on the ground or hang from branches: this is how the hermit decided to commemorate a girl who drowned in the bay.

In 2001, after his death (Barrera, like that very girl, drowned near the island), his relatives and enthusiasts continued his work. There are many dolls here, and together they look very creepy.

Chapel of Bones

Another impressive scary place in the world is the Chapel of Bones, built centuries ago by a Franciscan monk in one of the cities in Portugal. This small chapel houses the remains of five thousand monks. The roof and walls of the crypt are adorned with intricate inscriptions in Latin.

Built in Portugal in the 16th century, the chapel is filled with the remains of monks. Bones and skulls are everywhere you look. And the inscription on the roof of the building – "Better the day of death than the day of birth" – sets an optimistic tone.

Paris Catacombs

The world-famous Paris Catacombs are a winding system of underground tunnels with extensive caves and descents. The network of communications stretches up to 300 kilometers beneath Paris: more than 6 million people have found their resting place here.

It can be said that the history of the Paris catacombs began in ancient times when limestone and gypsum deposits were discovered along the Seine River. Quarries were built here, and by the 15th century, the rapidly growing city had exhausted the explored stone resources, and the mines moved significantly deeper. As a result, by the early 17th century, Paris was practically suspended over emptiness. The ceilings of the mines began to collapse regularly, burying workers.

The catacombs were created in the mid-18th century. In 1763, the city authorities found a new use for the former quarries. It was decided to transfer the bones from the dangerously overcrowded city cemeteries, which were overwhelmed due to plague epidemics, underground. The catacombs accepted the remains not only of ordinary Parisians: somewhere in their depths lie the bones of François Rabelais, Charles Perrault, Blaise Pascal, Maximilien Robespierre… Among the thousands of remains are both ordinary Parisians and great figures.

By 1809, the skeletonized remains were arranged into corridors, and the giant ossuary became a favorite place for adventurers of all ages and classes for excursions. Many visitors to the catacombs reported encountering a shadow in the labyrinths that moved swiftly and silently, emanating a stench and dampness. There were also many who descended underground and did not return. For many years, bodies of the missing were found in hard-to-reach corners until all entrances to the catacombs, except for the main one, were sealed. Would you dare to step off the tourist path?

Suicide Forest

The famous Mount Fuji is known not only for itself: at its foot lies Aokigahara, a dense forest full of rocky caves. Aokigahara is incredibly quiet and very, very gloomy. In ancient times, the forest was considered a place of "residence" for monsters and ghosts. It was here that residents brought and left their loved ones whom they could not feed – the elderly and children. The dark reputation of Aokigahara strongly attracts people prone to taking their own lives. Over the past 60 years, more than five hundred bodies of suicides have been found in the forest – in this regard, Aokigahara is second only to the famous "Golden Gate" bridge.

The Japanese believe that once you enter Aokigahara, you will not be able to leave. Therefore, only rescuers searching for those wishing to end their lives and brave tourists visit it. Delving a few hundred meters into the forest, along the paths, one can find belongings – shoes, clothes, bags of those who have passed away. Knowing how attractive the place is for people with weak mental health, the authorities have installed a warning sign with a hotline number.

Burials of Fire Mummies of Kabayan

Among the most mystical places in the world are the burials of the fire mummies of Kabayan in the Philippines. These remains are over seven centuries old: locals believe that spirits of the mummified deceased still inhabit the burial sites. A peculiarity of local customs is that mummies were buried in small wooden capsule-coffins, placing the bodies of the deceased in the most uncomfortable positions.

Akodessewa Magic Market

At the Akodessewa Magic Market, located in the center of Togo's capital, you can see sorcerers who still practice voodoo magic and use horrifying-looking dolls in their rituals. Customers and fans of monstrous artifacts can choose from painted skulls, magical accessories, potions and elixirs, dried monkey heads, rabbit and chicken feet, various souvenirs, and local charms. The most surprising thing is that the buyers of such goods are not hook-nosed witches with burning eyes, but more or less ordinary Africans and tourists.

Plague Island

In Italy, there is another terrifying sight - Plague Island in the Venetian lagoon. This place has long been adapted for the residence of the sick, who were exiled here from all over the country. More than 16,000 plague victims are buried here, but locals believe that their souls have not found peace and still hover over the graves.

The island's grim reputation is supported by legends that terrible experiments were conducted on the sick.

In 1892, a clinic for the mentally ill opened on the island. The first doctor of the hospital could be perfectly described with the epithet "mad": obsessed with scientific ambitions, he impudently conducted experiments on patients – dissecting the frontal lobes of the brain with a hammer and chisel through the eye socket, electrocuting patients, forcing them to lie in icy water for hours. Beneath the island are dozens of plague graves. Their suffering ended when the doctor jumped from the lighthouse for unknown reasons. Under new management, the hospital lasted until 1968, but nothing extraordinary happened within its walls afterward.

Hill of Crosses

The most mystical places in the world were enriched in the last century with a new attraction - the Hill of Crosses with ancient Lithuanian crosses, which is a creepy-looking hill that is not a cemetery at all. According to numerous legends, anyone who installs a cross here will receive good luck and change their fate for the better.

Cave in Belize

The cave in Belize attracts tourists with the strange atmosphere of the ancient Maya cult. This unusual archaeological site is located near Mount Tapir and is famous for its unique cathedral set up in one of the cave halls. Here, bloody sacrifices were made for terrifying deities. The Maya also believed that it was here that the gates to the underworld opened.

The most "fascinating resident" of the cave is a young girl who became the object of human sacrifice. Her calcined bones shine like crystal, making the remains even more eerie.

Chauchilla Cemetery

The ancient Peruvian cemetery of Chauchilla is also on the list of the scariest places on the planet. The necropolis was discovered by scientists about a century ago. Archaeologists were drawn to the method of burial: the deceased were seated in graves, covering their bodies with a special composition. Thanks to ancient recipes, the corpses have been excellently preserved: the dry climate of the Peruvian desert contributed to this.

Spread out in the suburbs of Nazca, this necropolis is literally open to visitors. Imagine large pits lined with sticks, in which the dead sit. The amazing embalming technology has preserved the bodies – at least the bones – in perfect condition. Among the inhabitants of Chauchilla are many who can boast of lush hairstyles – this despite the fact that the last corpse was buried here 11 centuries ago.

Sagada Hanging Coffins

The list of the scariest places on the planet would be incomplete without the Sagada hanging coffins – original burial structures arranged in the forest of one of the villages in the Philippines. Locals bury the deceased by hanging them so that the souls of their departed ancestors are closer to the sky.

Locals believe that the higher the body of the deceased is located, the faster they will reach the heavens. Forcing them to bury bodies is futile. The tradition of burying the dead in the air has existed for over two thousand years, and locals do not reveal how and on what the coffins are secured – it is a secret.

Capuchin Catacombs

These catacombs are located in Palermo, Italy. They were originally used for monks to bury their deceased, but it soon became clear that the surrounding environment mummified their remains.

In the catacombs, the remains of more than eight thousand people – local elites and prominent citizens: clergy, aristocracy, and representatives of various professions – rest in open view. This is one of the most famous exhibitions of mummies – skeletonized, mummified, embalmed bodies of the deceased lie, stand, hang, and form compositions.

The last burial here took place in the early 1990s, and now the place is open for tourist visits.