23 Places Where Nature Has Reclaimed Abandoned Cities

21. Akarmara, Abkhazia – A Soviet Utopia Turned Jungle

In the heart of the Caucasus, hidden within the disputed territory of Abkhazia, lies the crumbling Soviet-era mining town of Akarmara. Once envisioned as an industrial utopia during the Soviet Union’s expansion, Akarmara was built to house coal miners and their families in the mid-20th century. At its peak, it was a thriving community, complete with grand apartment complexes, schools, and cultural centers. However, the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, followed by the devastating Abkhaz–Georgian War, led to the town’s abandonment. Today, Akarmara is a surreal mix of Brutalist Soviet architecture and untamed wilderness. Towering apartment blocks stand in eerie silence, their balconies now occupied by trees instead of residents. Vines drape over rusting stairwells, and moss carpets the once-grand halls of Soviet administrative buildings. In the absence of human activity, wildlife has reclaimed the area, with bears and wild boars occasionally wandering through what were once bustling streets. The town, designed as a symbol of Soviet progress, has instead become a living monument to nature’s quiet resilience.