Mysterious and forbidden locations continue to enthrall vacationers and adventure seekers from around the world. Including the Catacombs of Paris, France; Poveglia Island in Italy; Area 51 in the United States; and the Vatican Secret Archives in Vatican City, these locations are just a few of the most forbidden places in the world.
Check out these 19 stunning yet prohibited sites around the world. Some of these places are spooky, others have terrifying back stories, and several are awe-inspiring and chilling at the same time!
Area 51, United States
You don’t have to be ufology buff to have heard of Area 51, which has been plagued by UFO conspiracies for decades. This infamous U.S. military facility originally acquired in 1955 is about 100 miles north of Las Vegas. But the site was kept secret until 2013 when the CIA revealed the base’s existence after a Freedom of Information Act request was filed back in 2005.
Some say crashed UFOs have been found in the area, and others believe the military is testing alien technology at the site. Entry into the site is prohibited for civilians, and trespassers may be shot on sight.
Ilha Da Queimada Grande (Snake Island), Atlantic Ocean
The island of Ilha da Queimada Grande, also known as Snake Island, can be found off the coast of Brazil in the Atlantic Ocean. Given the island’s nickname, I’m sure you can guess what lives on the island … a lot of snakes! Some say there is one snake to every square meter of the island.
In fact the venomous golden lancehead pit viper lives there and is considered critically endangered. So to protect humans, as well as the snakes, the public is not allowed on the island.
The Catacombs, Paris
The Catacombs of Paris are truly frightening. Just take a look at a few pictures of the terrifying tunnels, and odds are you won’t want to visit anytime soon. You wouldn’t be allowed into most areas of the tunnels anyway, because they are off limits to the public.
Originally built as a tunnel network to connect stone mines under the city, the tunnels later became a giant tomb to hold the overflowing dead of 17th century Paris. And by the 18th century, the tunnels held more than 6 million dead people.
Some individuals who illegally entered the tunnels over the decades to explore have never been heard from again, most likely because they got lost and couldn’t find their way out. Some urban legends about the tunnels say angry ghosts make sure intruders to the tunnels never leave.
Surtsey, an Island in Iceland
The island of Surtsey in Iceland formed in 1963 after a large volcanic eruption lasted for an amazing three years. While the public isn’t allowed on the island, scientists visit the island to conduct research on land not impacted by humans. One strange story about this odd, barren island involves seeds, poop (yes, I said poop), and a tomato plant. Read this article to find out more.
Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, China
Qin Shi Huang, founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of a united China, had a giant mausoleum constructed during his reign, which began in 221 BC. While his tomb has never been excavated and is forbidden to the public, the surrounding Terracotta army (discovered in 1974) is open to visitors, even though that site hasn’t been fully excavated either.
Images of the Terracotta army are truly chilling. The silent warriors were supposed to protect the emperor in the afterlife.
North Sentinel Island, India
A tribe in India, called the Sentinelese, is said to forbid contact with modern civilization. The tribe lives on North Sentinel Island and reportedly survives by fishing, collecting plants, and hunting. If anyone goes close to the tribe’s location, the tribe will drive them away with deadly force, as two fishermen found out in 2006. They wandered too close to the tribe and were killed.
For a detailed account of this forbidden island and its tribe, read this article.
Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, Ukraine
More than 30 years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986, the area is still mostly abandoned as a result of high radiation levels. The spooky images of the area show a dilapidated ghost town that was virtually left empty overnight after the disaster.
From empty amusement parks, to buildings taken over by plant life, to children’s play toys littering the landscape, the area is a bitter reminder of what technology-gone-wrong can do to society.
Ploutonion at Hierapolis or Pluto’s Gate, Turkey
Only recently discovered in the mid-20th century, Plutonium (also known as Pluto’s Gate) was constructed in the ancient city of Hierapolis (near modern Turkey) and was dedicated to Pluto, the Roman god of death.
The site is actually deadly, and thus forbidden. The mystery surrounding the deadly atmosphere was finally solved when scientists measured deadly CO2 levels at night, which could kill people within a few minutes. While some have called the site a gateway to Hell, the deadly vapors are actually caused by mephitic gases, a natural phenomenon.
North Brother Island, United States
North Brother Island is located about two miles from Manhattan, New York, in the East River. It has seen some tragic times, including being near the site of a shipwreck that killed at least 1,000 people. It also was the home of a hospital that treated contagious diseases.
It even had a famous patient known as Mary Mallon (Typhoid Mary), the first documented individual in the U.S. known to carry the bacteria that causes typhoid fever. The spooky abandoned island is now closed to the public.
Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Norway
The Global Seed Vault, also known as the Doomsday Vault, sits on the island of Spitsbergen in Norway. The site holds within it seeds from all types of crops in case catastrophe hits Earth and society has to start over.
The structure holds 100 million seeds! This spooky yet important building is off limits to the public.
Grand Shrine of Ise, Japan
This sacred and mysterious location is the site of a temple dedicated to the worship of Amaterasu — a goddess of the Sun and the Universe, according to the Shinto faith. The Grand Shrine of Ise in Japan is rebuilt every two decades to symbolize “death and rebirth.”
The beautiful location only allows the imperial family and its reps, along with priests, to enter.
Poveglia Island, Italy
This abandoned island is truly one of the creepiest places. Poveglia was once home to plague victims, and many were actually burned and buried on the island. Rumors say that 50% of the soil on the island is human ash.
And, even today, human bones are still found on the shoreline. While the island is off limits to visitors, many ghost hunters try to gain access due to the haunted lore associated with Poveglia.
Fukushima Exclusion Zone, Japan
Just like the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, Japan had its own nuclear catastrophe in 2011 as a result of a devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami. The event happened in Fukushima, creating an 18-mile evacuation zone.
Today, it is forbidden for anyone to enter the Exclusion Zone. If they do, they could face death caused by extreme radiation.
Metro-2, Line D6, Russia
Metro-2 was the code name for a secret project orchestrated by Joseph Stalin, dictator of the USSR from 1929 to 1953. It was an underground transport system that connected the Kremlin, various Russian intelligence offices, and other governmental institutions.
Some believe the transport system still runs today. Access to the tunnel system is forbidden to the public.
Morgan Island (Monkey Island), South Carolina
This location could be straight out of your nightmares … it’s an island full of monkeys, more than 4,000 rhesus monkeys to be exact. It’s called Morgan Island, and it sits north of Beaufort in South Carolina. Known as Monkey Island, of course, the monkeys were actually imported from La Parguera, Puerto Rico. Why?
“As monkeys infected with the herpes B virus started escaping and La Parguera was overpopulated with monkeys, South Carolina offered to relocate the colony to their uninhabited Morgan Island,” according to Bored Panda.
Of course, it is illegal for anyone to visit the island, except for National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases researchers.
Niihau Island, Hawaii
Niihau Island in Hawaii is a privately owned island known as The Forbidden Island. Its nickname stems from 1952, when the Hawaiian Islands suffered a polio outbreak. At the time, it was prohibited for anyone to enter or leave Niihau to prevent the disease from spreading. The plan seemed to work, as no one on Niihau fell ill with polio.
Today, it’s difficult to gain access to the island, as the owner only allows a select few to visit.
Vatican Secret Archives, Vatican City
If you’ve read Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons (2000) or watched the movie of the same name (2009), you’ve heard of the Vatican’s Secret Archives in Vatican City. And while the book and movie may have been filled with myths about this mysterious location, it’s actually a real place.
The ominous, some may even say creepy, archive contains 53 miles of shelving that contain Catholic Church documents. Only those requesting special access can enter the archive as a result of the extreme secrecy of the documents held there.
Bohemian Grove, United States
From spooky rituals, to heavy drinking, to Elvis impersonators, Bohemian Grove is the site of an annual event in Monte Rio, California. Only “elite men” are allowed to participate in the event, and about 2,500 men descend on the location every year.
Reportedly only high-ranking males are allowed, such as military leaders, politicians, and university presidents, for example.
The Lascaux Caves, France
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While caves are usually terrifying places filled with dark mazes and stale air that you may get lost in forever, the Lascaux Caves is a bit different. The complex cave system, near the village of Montignac in France is covered in cave paintings, mainly of animals.
According to experts, the art appears to be at least 17,000 years old! Unfortunately, you can’t visit this impressive site because the cave was closed down in 1963 due to air and light circulation damaging the paintings.
