4 Scary Places Viewable on Google Maps

All neighborhoods have that one creepy house that all children are scared of; sometimes it’s a rumor of a morbid past or gruesome occurrence, other times it’s the disturbing occupant of the residence, or it can even be that unexplainable uneasiness that you get walking past it. Now, imagine an entire block, region, or town that gives you that same unsettling feeling. In today’s blog post, we’ll take you on a journey to four of the scariest places you can find on Google Street View. Ready?

Pripyat, Ukraine

Pripyat is a ghost town, rife with sadness and death, located in northern Ukraine, about 2 to 3 kilometers from the infamous Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Established in 1970 to house the 50,000 workers and their families, the town was evacuated the day after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. As residents were ordered to flee their homes, taking with them the strict minimum, a view of the town today depicts cinemas, schools, sports arenas, stores, etc. frozen in time.

La Isla de las Muñecas, Mexico

Home to hundreds of creepy dolls with severed parts, decapitated heads, and glazed or missing eyes, La Isla de las Muñecas, or Island of the Dolls, is located south of Mexico City.

The legend goes that many years ago, the caretaker of the island, Don Julian Santana Barrera, found a young girl drowned in strange circumstances. Plagued by the idea that he was unable to save her, Julian often visited the canal where he found her, and one day, he came across a floating doll, which he hung on a tree as a sign of respect. Haunted by the girl’s spirit, he spent years collecting discarded dolls and hanging them throughout the island; locals believe that the toys are possessed by the souls of little girls and that they whisper to each other and even move their limbs and open their eyes. What makes this story even creepier is that Julian was found dead, drowned in the same spot where he discovered the girl.

Gunkanjima, Japan

There’s something about derelict, abandoned places that gives you the creeps. Your mind starts to wonder what it used to be like there, or what is still lurking in the shadows after everyone’s departure. Gunkanjima, also known as battleship island, is located about 20 kilometers from the Nagasaki Port. Home to approximately 5000 residents in the seventies, half of whom worked directly for the coal mine on Gunkanjima, the island was evacuated following the closure of the mine in 1974. Over time, the island and its abandoned buildings have acquired a strange and haunting, almost palpable, character.

Nagoro, Japan

Another Japanese neighborhood makes this list, this time for its peculiar tradition of replacing the departed with dolls. Located in the valleys of Shikoku, Japan, the population of Nagoro is slowly shrinking, as its inhabitants pass away or leave for better employment prospects.

The story goes that when Tsukimi Ayano returned to the village after decades of living in Osaka, she was faced with loneliness and isolation in her hometown, so she decided to populate Nagoro with dolls to represent former residents.

What are some of the scariest places that you’ve seen on Google Maps? Share them with us by commenting below.