7 amazing abandoned castles that we all dream of visiting.8 photos

In the once-grand buildings that have fallen into ruins, there lies their own unique charm. Their facades deteriorate, their vast halls become homes for insects and dust, and their elegant architecture is destroyed by time and weather. Here is a collection of nine of the most strikingly dilapidated mansions: 1. **Podgoretsky Castle, Ukraine**: Built between 1635 and 1640, this castle was once filled with luxury furnishings. However, during World War I, soldiers destroyed all the interior decorations. Before that, Roman Sangushko acquired it and took several valuable pieces of furniture to Brazil in 1936. After World War II, the Soviet Union used it as a tuberculosis sanatorium, but in 1956, the ancient building caught fire and burned for three weeks, destroying all its interior beauty. The Lviv Art Gallery is trying to restore it, but no significant progress has been made yet. 2. **Miranda Castle, Celle, Belgium**: Constructed in 1866 by an English architect for the Ledecerke-Boffot family, this castle was inhabited by them until World War II, when it was seized by the Belgian national railway company. It has been vacant since 1991, partly because its owners refuse to hand it over to the municipality. 3. **Halcyon Hall, Milbrook, New York, USA**: Originally built in 1890 as a luxury hotel, it closed in 1901. Later, it became home to a girls’ school run by the Bennett family, but the school went bankrupt in 1978 and the building has been unused since then. 4. **Lillesden Manor, UK**: Built between 1853 and 1855 by banker Edward Lloyd, this manor was later converted into a girls’ public school, which closed in 1999. The building has not been used since then. 5. **Bannerman Castle, New York, USA**: Scottish immigrant Francis Bannerman bought an island and built a castle on it to store the ammunition for his business. In 1918, 200 tons of explosives exploded, damaging part of the structure. Later, in 1969, a fire destroyed part of the roofs and floors. Since 1950, the island has been considered uninhabitable due to the sinking of the ferry serving it. In 2009, the remaining portion of the building collapsed. 6. **The Estate in Muromtsevo, Russia**: Architect P.S. Bortsov built several castles in French style during the 19th century, but the estate in Muromtsevo is considered the most memorable among them. 7. **Prince Said-Hassim’s Palace, Cairo, Egypt**: Designed by Antonio Lacias in 1899, this residence was later converted into one of the best boys’ schools in Egypt, Al-Nasiriya. It has not been in use since 2004.