The world’s most fascinating abandoned towns and cities

(CNN) — Once thriving spots, these villages, towns and cities now stand abandoned. Their empty buildings, streets and even cars left for nature to reclaim over the years.

Whether destroyed during war, evacuated for ammunition practice or cast aside after nearby precious metals and minerals turned out to be in short supply, here are some of the world’s most fascinating abandoned towns and cities.

Oradour-Sur-Glane, France

The ruins of this former fishing village serve as a stark reminder of the horrors of World War II.

Oradour-Sur-Glane has been left relatively untouched since June 10, 1944, when much of its population was massacred by the Waffen SS, a military branch of the Nazi Party’s SS organization.

During the atrocity, men were shot and killed in barns, while women and children were also murdered when the church they were locked in was blown up. Survivors were gunned down as they fled.

Wartime leader Charles De Gaulle later decided that Oradour-Sur-Glane should be left as a testament to Nazi cruelty.

A new village with a memorial museum, open since 1999, has been built near by.

Wharram Percy, United Kingdom

Wharram Percy has been empty for 500 years.

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Arguably England’s best known deserted medieval village, Wharram Percy, found in the beautiful Yorkshire Wolds, was once home to two stunning manor houses and a church.

The latter is the only building still standing, but the foundations of the houses, built by the noble Percy family, can still be seen, as can those of the surrounding peasant homes.

The village population dwindled for years as locals moved away due to a shift towards sheep farming. It was abandoned not long after 1500, when the last remaining residents were evicted.

Belchite, Spain

Belchite has been left relatively untouched since it was destroyed in the Spanish Civil War.

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On the front line between Republican and fascist forces during the Spanish Civil War, Belchite was the center of a weeks-long siege between August and September 1937, before finally falling to General Francisco Franco’s forces in 1939.

Left much as it was then, the tiny village located south of Zaragoza in northeastern Spain stands as a memorial to those who fell, the ruins of its stunning church particularly affecting.

The deserted spot, where a new…